Taiwanese Fried Chicken

5 from 12 votes

This Taiwanese fried chicken (台湾盐酥鸡 - táiwān yán sū jī), a popular street food (or party appetizer!), is juicy, crispy, and addictive.

Prep Time2 25

Total Time2 45

Course: Chicken

Cuisine: Taiwanese

Servings:

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Judy

Ingredients

For the chicken & marinade:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1-inch/2.5cm pieces)
1 heaping tablespoon garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the batter:

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sweet potato starch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

To finish the dish:

20-25 Thai basil leaves (optional)
vegetable oil (can substitute canola oil, peanut oil, or any other frying oil of choice)
1 cup sweet potato starch
salt and white pepper (to taste)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken pieces with the garlic, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, five spice powder, white pepper, and salt. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight.
Make the batter just before frying. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, water, sweet potato starch, baking powder, salt, and white pepper. Toss this batter mixture into the marinated chicken.
If using, wash the Thai basil leaves, and run them through a salad spinner to dry them. Thoroughly pat them dry on a kitchen towel to get rid of any lingering moisture (or it may cause splattering in the frying oil). Set aside.
Add 2 inches of oil to a medium pot, and bring it to 350°F/175°C over medium heat. You may need to adjust the heat to keep the oil temperature at 350°F/175°C during frying.
First, fry the basil leaves until they turn a dark green color. Strain them out and set aside.
Coat each piece of battered chicken in sweet potato starch, and immediately lower it into the 350°F/175°C oil in batches (about a quarter to a third of the chicken per batch). Do not coat the chicken ahead of time, or the coating will become soggy. Fry for 1 minute. Remove the chicken from the oil, set aside, and continue frying subsequent batches, for 1 minute for each batch.
Now it’s time for the second fry. With the temperature still at 350°F/175°C, fry the batches again (in the same order you initially fried them in)—this time, for 2 minutes, until the pieces float to the surface and are crispy.
Once the second fry is done, sprinkle with additional salt and white pepper to taste, and serve with the Thai basil leaves, if using.

Nutrition

Taiwanese Fried Chicken by The Woks of Life. 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