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a birdseye view of a blue plate filled with taiwanese popcorn chicken and fried basil leaves
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Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (Gà Chiên Lá Quế Đài Loan)

This popular Taiwanese street food is easy to make at home using Argo Corn starch for the crispiest chicken!
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Taiwanese
Keyword Chicken, Fried, Street Food
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Calories 719kcal

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pot

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • 3 lbs chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • shaoxing wine
  • 1 teaspoon five spice powder
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • ½ inch knob ginger, grated
  • 1 bunch Thai basil
  • 1 cup Argo corn starch
  • Caola oil, or another neutral, high smoke point oil
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • salt, to taste

For the optional spice sprinkle

  • 1 tablespoon five spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Pepper

Instructions

  • Cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch cubes and marinate with soy sauce, shaoxing wine, salt, pepper, five spice powder, grated ginger and grated garlic. Let it marinate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
  • Heat oil to 350 degrees in a heavy bottomed pot or cast iron pan. Deep fry the thai basil leaves until they turn dark and crispy (about 3-5 min depending on the size of the leaves). Drain the leaves on a paper towel.
  • Add Argo corn starch to the marinated chicken and massage it in until every piece is coated. You’ll know the chicken is ready when the moisture from the meat makes the corn starch bead up and form craggles on the surface. This is how you get the crunch!
  • Fry the chicken pieces until golden brown and crispy. Work in batches if you need to so you don’t overcrowd the oil, which will cause soggy chicken.
  • While the chicken is frying, combine five spice powder, Szechuan peppercorns, salt and pepper in a spice grinder and blend together.
  • Sprinkle your spice mixture over the cooked chicken and serve with fried basil leaves.

Notes

Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are an estimate based on an automatic calculation. Actual information may vary.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 719kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 1250mg | Potassium: 518mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 454IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 4mg