5 Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Recipes

Taiwanese popcorn chicken is a real heaven for all food lovers out there!

We all know, the spicy mouth-watering Taiwanese popcorn chicken which belongs to Taiwan has fetched its name across the globe for the individual uniqueness in food culture. Whether it is the salty, savoury seafood, or the sizzling tropical recipes, Taiwanese night markets are of one of those ultimate gateways for food lovers where they can get the paradise-like taste of Taiwanese popcorn chicken. When we talk about Taiwanese cuisine, Taiwanese food recipes such as Taiwanese popcorn chicken and Taiwanese fried chicken consummate every taste and flavour with their authentic aura.

Delicious Taiwanese popcorn chicken highlights the fact that Taiwan is a fantastic landing place to explore the most delicious culinary arts and recipes; there are traditional tasty delicacies that are widely popular in Taiwanese food recipes, Just like Taiwanese popcorn chicken, there are an array of dishes that are world famous as Taiwanese recipes, so let’s explore some of such fun-filled tasty foods.

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EXOTIC TAIWANESE CHICKEN

The taste of different restaurants never has the same flavors; the one who is an ardent lover of Taiwanese fried chicken and Taiwanese popcorn chicken will appreciate this one fact! Taiwanese fried chicken hold that one unshakable place for its ultimate taste and flavor and is one of the most famous Taiwanese night market street foods beside Taiwanese popcorn chicken, so when you step up in Taiwan next time, keep up in mind. Every single street vendor delights your taste buds with the unique different taste of Taiwanese popcorn chicken. You can take a walk through the Taiwanese night market by grabbing a portion of Taiwanese popcorn chicken and enjoy the beautiful chaos of a busy street.

The Taiwanese night markets are crowded with many independent vendors just like any other random places across the globe; everyone has an expertise over a specific traditional food item with unique taste. All of the Taiwanese food recipes are splendid in every bit of their taste as the vendors evoke the perfect depth in the flavor with their expertise. By the time you will wrap up your walk, your stomach would be full by the exquisite taste of Taiwanese popcorn chicken.

LOVELY WALK OF TAIWANESE NIGHT MARKET!

This was my simple attempt to gather out the worth tasting food items of the Taiwanese Night market!

The Taiwan food recipes are loved insanely by all spice lovers, some foods dishes like Taiwanese popcorn chicken and Taiwanese fried chicken are the hallmark of Taiwan as they hold a special place in Taiwan’s uniqueness and culture, and some are those who make the soulful walk at Taiwanese night market more elegant. So, let’s discover some of those!

Even though you might haven’t been to Taiwan yet, the famous praises of Taiwanese popcorn chicken and talks of beautiful  Taiwanese night market might have reached your ears, we guess!  Since I have developed my liking of digging exotic food recipes, Taiwanese recipes, and Taiwanese popcorn chicken have become the fascinating research topics in my gourmet food diary!

THE SULTRY TAIWANESE CHICKEN INGREDIENTS

One of such exciting food item across the Taiwanese night market is Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken infused with basil. Just like Taiwanese fried chicken, Taiwanese popcorn chicken is famous as the ultimate signature dish of Taiwan.

Taiwanese popcorn chicken is an insanely tasteful flavourful chicken; it’s a super delicious dish.  You can ditch the idea of dipping sauces as the ultimate taste and yumminess of Taiwanese popcorn chicken are enough to fulfill the soul.

The whole blend of garlic, white pepper, ginger, soy sauce, five-spice, and provide plenty of flavors makes the perfect spiced marinade for Taiwanese popcorn chicken. This popular Taiwanese chicken street food gets the special adoration when merged with some robust and pungent basil flavor.

TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN RECIPE

Boneless thigh meat is used for additional juicy and luscious taste in this flavorful Taiwanese popcorn chicken recipe. The boneless breast meat could also be used if the less spicy chicken is what you prefer. Some items that are essential to curate the authentic Taiwanese popcorn chicken might be unattainable if you can’t reach the Asian grocery store. The starch of sweet potato is often difficult to find and missed out, you would have to dig in some Latin or Mexican grocery stores to grab it.

All the other ingredients like mirin (a sweet rice wine), 5-spice, and Thai basil, you can find in Asian grocery stores easily. You might want to make a regular black pepper substitute for white pepper in the recipe, but let me tell you White pepper has a lot more rigid and robust taste that falls off quickly by delivering its taste and does not linger for longer duration like black pepper flavor.  Though you can use black pepper, white pepper is must to evoke the authentic feeling of Taiwan in your home made Taiwanese popcorn chicken recipe.

Categories: Snack

Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients: Chicken

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 8

Per Serving:

524.3 calories; 35.8 g protein; 14.3 g carbohydrates; 162.8 mg cholesterol; 1057 mg sodium. Full Nutrition

INGREDIENTS

• Mediavine
• Fried chicken
• Chicken thigh meat, cut into cubes – 1 kilogram
• Soy sauce – 1 1/2 tablespoon
• Five-spice powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Ground Pepper -1/2 teaspoon
• Cloves garlic, bruised – 4
• Tapioca starch – 1 1/2 cup
• Ground pepper – 2 tablespoon
• Garlic powder -2 teaspoon
• Salt – 1 teaspoon
• One egg

SPICE MIX (MIX THE FOLLOWING)

• Salt – 1 tablespoon
• Ground pepper (or 1 tablespoon ground pepper + 1 tablespoon chili powder) – 2 tablespoon
• Five-spice powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Sichuan peppercorn – 1/4 teaspoon
• Sugar (or chicken bouillon granules) – 1/4 teaspoon

OPTIONAL HERB

• Thai basil leaves – 1 handful

INSTRUCTIONS

Fried chicken:

1. Take ground pepper, bruised garlic, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and marinate the chicken thigh cubes. Store it for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, take a gallon-sized zip lock bag and add ground pepper, garlic powder, tapioca starch in it. Shake it to get a perfect blend.
3. Add the egg to the chicken after the chicken has been marinated for 15 min, coat all the chicken pieces with egg wholly.
4. Shift the chicken into the zip lock bag along with the breading mix. Shake the container very well to coat the chicken pieces with the breading mix. Take a wire rack and keep the coated chicken pieces to remove the extra moisture. It will take about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. For deep frying, preheat the oil. Once the oil gets heated, gently pour the chicken pieces in the hot oil and fry it until they become golden brown. Take 2 min for each batch. Keep them on a wire rack to remove the excess oil.

Optional fried herb

1. When the oil is still hot, add some basil leaves and fry until it becomes crispy. You should cover your cooking pot with a lid as it might sizzle a lot. Once the sizzling gets normal, check if the leaves are quite crispy. Separate the hot oil by a spoon.

To serve

 Use the spice blend to coat up the fried chicken, afterward shift it to a serving platter. Create some nice culinary with fried Thai basil leaves. Serve it while hot!

TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN WITH BASIL RECIPE

When cooking Taiwanese popcorn chicken at home, there are few tactics and tips to keep in mind that will evoke that real Taiwan vibe in your home made Taiwanese popcorn chicken, and here is the complete step by step guide to perfectly infuse the strong basil flavor with your taste filled Taiwanese popcorn chicken!

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 The marination of morsels of chicken is done prior hand; after that, they are dipped with sweet potato flour, and until they get crispy and light, fry them.  Chicken becomes a lot crispier with a double frying process and decreases oil than the fried chicken. Basil should be cooked beforehand, which makes it get perfectly infused with the oil, and the aroma gets spread in the chicken. This simple yet unique Taiwanese popcorn chicken recipe worth a try for those who have a thing light spice!

FOR THE MARINADE:

• White pepper – 1/2 teaspoon
• Five-spice powder – 1/2 teaspoon
• Pinch of salt
• Soy sauce – 1 tablespoon
• Rice wine – 1 tablespoon
• Cloves Garlic, minced – 2
• Minced ginger – 1 teaspoon
• One egg
• Two chicken thighs (1 pound total), boneless, cut into bite-size pieces

FOR THE SEASONING:

• Five-spice powder – 1 teaspoon
• White pepper – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – 1 teaspoon

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

• Thick sweet potato starch – 1 cup
• Vegetable oil – 2 cups
• Fresh basil leaves – 1 cup

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Take a bowl, make a marinade by blending all the ingredients. Keep the chicken pieces in mixture and keep it for marinating for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Take a large bowl and keep the sweet potato starch in it. Coat the chicken pieces with starch by immersing them. Keep them aside and let it settle for 5 min.
• For the second coat, dip the pieces in sweet potato starch again. Keep it for 5 min.
• Meanwhile, for seasoning, blend all the ingredients and keep it aside.
• Take a pan and preheat 2 cups of oil at 350 degrees F. Put the chicken pieces and fry them until they become golden brown for 3 minutes. Keep them aside.
• Remove any crumbs from the oil by using a skimmer.
• Again, keep the oil to heat at 350 degrees F. Gently put the basil and cook for the other 30 seconds. Use a skimmer and extract all basil leaves.
• Return the chicken pieces to the oil after reheating it to 375 degrees and cook until they get crispy, for 1 minute. Drain them after removing them.
• Take a large bowl and transfer the chicken pieces into it. Coat nicely along with the seasonings.
• Sprinkle some fried basil leaves on top and serve.

TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN / KIÂM-SOO-KE (AIR FRYER VERSION)

Air fryers are becoming the newest trend in the cooking world so that without using much oil, you can get a pseudo-deep-fried food effect in your Taiwanese popcorn chicken. This unusual aspect of air fryer made me undergo a trial for Taiwanese popcorn chicken with air frying, as it is the authentic deep-fried food.

You will get savory exterior, luscious interior, insanely tasty Taiwanese popcorn chicken, all with shading out the ultimate greasiness that spoils the fun of fried chicken.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• Gear
• Air fryer (we used a Philips HD9220/26 AirFryer, but any air fryer should work)
• Knife
• Chopsticks
• Mixing bowls – 2 Medium or large
• Plastic wrap (or something to cover it up)
• Measuring spoons

INGREDIENTS

• Pounds Boneless chicken thighs  – 4
• Eggs – 2
• Sweet potato flour – 16 Oz.
• Fresh basil – 6 Oz.
• Clove Garlic -1
• Ginger – 3 tablespoons
• Rice wine (Taiwanese cooking machine) – 3 tablespoons
• Soy sauce – 9 tablespoons
• Oil – 6 tablespoons
• Sugar (white or brown) – 3 tablespoons
• Sea salt – ¾ teaspoons
• Pepper salt for fried chicken (optional) – 1 teaspoon
• White pepper powder  – 2 teaspoon
• Five-spice powder – 2 teaspoon
• Dashi seasoning (optional) – 3 teaspoons

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Marinate the chicken for 6 to 8 hours overnight.
2. Finely chop the garlic clove and add it.
3. Add all the dry ingredients and make a blend: 1 teaspoon white pepper, one teaspoon five-spice powder, three tablespoons sugar, ¾ teaspoon sea salt, three teaspoons Dashi.
4. Now mix the wet ingredients:  9 tablespoons soy sauce, three tablespoons rice wine.
5. Add two eggs and blend everything.
6. Make pieces of 1.5″ out of chicken by cutting it, mix them wholly for marination.
7. Marinate it overnight in the fridge or for 6-8 hours.

COATING

1. Take a mixing bowl and place 16 oz of sweet potato flour.
2. Make a mixture of ground white pepper, five-spice powder, and (optional) pepper salt by mixing one teaspoon of each.
3. Wash the basil and discard the thicker stalks.

PICK UP

1. With the Sweet Potato Powder coating mix, coat the quarter of chicken pieces, take the coated chicken and keep in on the plate to settle for 10 minutes.
2. With Sweet Potato Powder coating mix coat up the chicken pieces again.
3. Take the air fryer and keep the coated chicken pieces into it, pour over the one tablespoon of oil on the chicken and let it get infused in it.
4. Cook it at 360 degrees for 6 min
5. Merge the chicken with one teaspoon of oil and a quarter of basil and shift it back in the air fryer.
6. Cook it at 360 degrees for more than 2 min.
7. Sprinkle some pepper and salt on chicken.

SERVE

• Because you would not like to taste it with a burned mouth, let it rest for 1 min prior eating!

BAKED TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN

You have to agree with it, if you are a spice lover, then whether you have a craving for a snake or just another hunky funky meal, Taiwanese popcorn chicken is the best for every kind of hunger! I wholeheartedly crave for the Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken very much! The ultimate mingling of luscious chicken, good coating, spicy salty flavors, and the wholesome goodness is just next level dreamy!

 The only thing that would dishearten the health freaks is a deep-fried Taiwanese popcorn chicken! But, as I have previously exposed some of the most phenomenal alternatives, I will be presenting the ultimate baking recipe for Taiwanese popcorn chicken that would help you to get that equally luscious and crisp filled Taiwanese popcorn chicken which brims with flavor while providing the effect of deep frying. It’s so amazing that the need of deep-frying lags behind!

INGREDIENTS

• Boneless skinless chicken breast – 1 1/2 lbs
• Garlic – 1 tablespoon
• Ginger – 1 tablespoon
• Chopped green onions – 1 tablespoon
• Soy sauce – 2 tablespoon
• Sugar – 1 teaspoon
• 5-spice -1/2 teaspoon
• Ground black pepper -1/2 teaspoon
• Cayenne pepper – 1/4 teaspoon
• One egg
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the chicken pieces of 1-inch chunks and keep them in a large-sized bowl. Mince the garlic and ginger in the bowl and create the marinade out of it. Now, add up the soy sauce, 5-spice, black pepper, chopped green onions, sugar, and cayenne pepper. Blend it all, create a nice coating on chicken, and use a plastic wrap to cover it. Store in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Once the marination is fully prepared and perfect, keep the oven to preheat at 425 degrees, afterwards, spray a nonstick spray on the foil-lined baking sheet and keep it aside. Take a shallow plate, blend some eggs in it. Add panko bread crumbs and sprinkle some salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in another shallow dish.
3. Take egg mixture and soak the seasoned chicken in it and then in bread crumb mixture. Repeat the process and keep the chicken lying on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the chicken for min 10-12 minutes (how big your chicken pieces are can affect the process) and bake until the chicken gets crispy and golden brown color.
4. Sprinkle some salt, cayenne pepper, pepper immediately after you take out chicken from the oven. Serve right away.

KETO RECIPE FOR TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN

This keto-friendly low carb Taiwanese popcorn chicken will become your dearest thing if you are a diet freak whose heart craves for crispy Taiwanese popcorn chicken behind the scenes! This modernized recipe is the perfect combination of low carb Taiwanese popcorn chicken and Japanese Karaage!

Yes! Gear up your mind to discover this ultimate recipe for Keto Taiwanese popcorn chicken, a unique amalgamation of your lovely Taiwanese popcorn chicken with the Japanese karaage.

I know very well that deep-fried Taiwanese popcorn chicken is truly adored by all! And who would not? Its damn finger-licking tasty that it just makes the mind and taste buds happier!

So, I thought I should just give a try to shade some light over this low-carb/keto version of Taiwanese popcorn chicken because the hunt for recipes is always on the point!

I have already unveiled the love of the Taiwanese night market and its delicious Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken. If you are clueless about Japanese Karaage, it’s a popular deep-fried snack that is much served in pubs and restaurants; sometimes, basil is used to season it, which is suitable for almost all kinds of flavors.

The coating mix found in the Taiwanese Fried Chicken and marinade of Japanese karaage is merged, and it eventually turned out as the fantastic Keto Taiwanese popcorn chicken.

INGREDIENTS

• Chicken
• Chicken Thigh Skinless and Boneless (about 2-3 thighs) – 6-9 oz
• Deep Frying Oil – 2-4 Cups
• Basil Leaves – 6-8
• White Pepper – 1/4 teaspoon

       MARINADE

• Ginger – 1/4 Inch
• Cloves of Garlic – 2
• Soy Sauce – 2 tablespoons
• Japanese Sake – 2 tablespoons
• Sesame Oil – 2 tablespoons
• Swerve/Monkfruit – 2 teaspoons

COATING

• Unflavored Pork Rinds (1/3 Cup if using Pork Panko) – 3oz
• Sea salt – ½ teaspoons
• White Pepper – 1 teaspoon
• Togarashi (optional) – ¼ teaspoons

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix all the ingredients.
2. Use a grinder to mince garlic and ginger and keep it in the small mixing bowl.
3. Take a small mixing bowl and blend well Japanese sake, sesame oil, Soy Sauce, Swerve/Monkfruit.
4. Make the short, about 1/2 x 1/2 inch bite-size pieces out of chicken, and keep them into mixing bowl or zip lock bag.
5. Stream some sauce into the mixing bowl or zip lock bag and keep it for marination for min 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Take a food processor and stream some unflavored Pork Rinds into it and ground it until excellent crumbs are formed.  You can crush the pork rinds with your hands if you prefer. Note – If you are utilizing Pork Panko, you can skip this step.
7. Merge the white pepper, sea salt, and optional Togarashi with ground Unflavored Pork Rinds in a large mixing bowl.  Get a perfect coating by blending it and keep it aside.
8. Once you get the ideal marination, to cover up about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the pan, stream the needed amount of oil.  Heat oil until it lightly smokes or at 350 degrees.  Reduce to medium heat after the oil reaches temp.
9. Keep the oil to preheat, and finely chop the fresh basil leaves and keep it aside.
10. Remove the liquid marinade from chicken, cover up each piece of chicken with it, and lay them onto the holding plate. Don’t pour too much of coating over the chicken; otherwise, the layer can fall off.
11. Gently place the chicken inside after the oil is ready without congesting too much; if needed, you can cook in batches. Cook it for 2 to 3 min until the crust is lightly browned.  Flip over the chicken according to how much oil you have put.
12. Shift it to the oven rack. Keep it on the plate with a paper towel and let it soak up the oil if you don’t have an oven rack.
13. Until the chicken turns a darker brown, refry it for 1 min.  Afterwards, keep it back in the oven rack and let it settle for some time.

After letting it rest for some time, shift it to a serving plate and top it with the White Pepper and fresh basil to elevate the flavor!

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