⏱ Marinate: 30 min, overnight 🔥Fry: 20 min 👤Serves: 4 🌏Origin: Taiwan (Tainan)
Taiwanese popcorn chicken, yan su ji, literally “salted crispy chicken” is the most iconic snack from Taiwan’s night markets, the dish that gets eaten out of paper bags with toothpicks while walking through the crowd. What makes it different from every other fried chicken is where the flavor lives: not in the coating, not in a dipping sauce, but in the marinade that penetrates the chicken before it ever gets near oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, Shaoxing wine and five spice working together for at least thirty minutes, ideally overnight.
The result is chicken that tastes deeply seasoned all the way to the center, with a craggy, shatteringly crisp crust from sweet potato starch, finished with fried Thai basil leaves and a dusting of white pepper and five spice while still hot.
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade
- 700g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1.5-inch chunks, thigh meat stays juicy through the fry where breast dries out; boneless and skinless both work
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine, or dry sherry; or substitute with an extra teaspoon of soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, the defining spice note of yan su ji; sharper and more aromatic than black pepper. Don’t substitute.
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 egg white
For the coating
- ¾ cup sweet potato starch (coarse), the authentic coating that creates the signature craggy, shatteringly crisp crust. Available at Asian grocery stores. Cornstarch is the best widely-available substitute, the texture is slightly different but very good.
- Neutral oil for deep frying, enough to submerge the chicken pieces; vegetable, canola or peanut oil
For the finishing
- 1 large handful fresh Thai basil leaves, rinsed and patted completely dry; wet basil splatters dangerously in hot oil. Italian basil works as a substitute; dried basil doesn’t work at all.
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of chilli powder or cayenne, optional
Step by step
- Marinate the chicken. Cut the chicken thighs into 1.5-inch chunks, aim for roughly even sizes so they fry at the same rate. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger, five spice, white pepper, sugar and egg white. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly until every piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for the best flavor.The marinade is where all the flavor lives in yan su ji, it goes into the meat itself, not just the coating. Thirty minutes is the minimum; overnight is noticeably better.
- Mix the seasoning dust. Combine the five spice, white pepper, salt and chilli powder if using in a small bowl. Set aside, this goes on the chicken immediately after frying, while still hot, so it adheres properly.
- Coat the chicken. Spread the sweet potato starch in a wide shallow bowl. With wet hands, take each piece of marinated chicken and press it firmly into the starch, turning to coat all sides. Press the starch onto the chicken, you want the coating to clump slightly and form small rough peaks on the surface. These craggy bits are what create the characteristic crunch.Wet hands and firm pressing are both essential. Dry hands make the starch fall off; light pressing gives a flat, thin coating rather than the craggy texture that defines yan su ji. Let the coated pieces sit on a plate for 5 minutes before frying, this helps the coating adhere.
- Fry the chicken. Heat 2–3 inches of neutral oil in a wok or deep saucepan to 350°F (175°C). Fry the chicken in batches, don’t crowd the oil or the temperature drops and the chicken steams rather than crisps. Fry each batch for 3–4 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
- Optional double fry. For maximum crispness, return the chicken to the oil at 375°F (190°C) for 1–2 minutes just before serving. This is the step used in night market stalls and produces an audibly crunchier crust that stays crispy significantly longer.
- Fry the basil. Have the pan lid ready in one hand. With the other, carefully drop the completely dry basil leaves into the hot oil. Cover the pan immediately, the leaves splatter dramatically for about 3–5 seconds. Fry for 20–30 seconds only until the sizzling subsides and the leaves are crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.The lid is non-negotiable when frying basil. Even one drop of moisture left on the leaves can cause a violent oil splatter. Pat the leaves completely dry with paper towels before they go anywhere near the oil.
- Season and serve immediately. While the chicken is still hot, sprinkle the seasoning dust over all the pieces and toss to coat. Scatter the fried basil over the top. Serve straight away, yan su ji is a right-out-of-the-oil dish that loses its magic as it cools.
Why the starch matters and what to use
Sweet potato starch is the ingredient that gives yan su ji its signature texture, coarser than cornstarch, it creates an uneven, craggy crust full of small peaks that fry up shatteringly crisp rather than smooth and even. It is sold at Asian grocery stores as “sweet potato flour” or “sweet potato starch”, make sure you get the coarse version, not the fine one.
Cornstarch is the best substitute if it’s unavailable: the crust will be slightly thinner and smoother but still very good and significantly better than regular flour. Tapioca starch is another reasonable substitute. Regular all-purpose flour produces a thicker, heavier coating that tastes noticeably different.
Make it your own
Claire’s note
The double fry is genuinely worth doing if you have any time between the first fry and serving, the extra two minutes at higher heat creates a crust that stays crispy considerably longer than a single fry, which matters if you’re making this for more than two people and the first batches will be sitting while the later ones cook. Mushrooms are a traditional accompaniment at Taiwanese night markets, coat them in the same starch and fry them alongside the chicken, adding them to the final plate with extra basil. Sweet potato fries with plum powder are the classic pairing if you want to recreate the full night market experience.
Serve with
Taiwanese popcorn chicken is traditionally eaten as a snack on its own, or served alongside steamed rice as a main course. For more from the Asian collection the complete Asian recipes guide has it all.
Add Taiwanese popcorn chicken to your weekly meal planner, marinate the chicken the night before for a fast fry the next day. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.
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Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: None
Description
A crispy, flavorful snack from Taiwan’s night markets, marinated for deep flavor and coated in sweet potato starch for an irresistible crunch.
Ingredients
- 700g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1.5-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine, or dry sherry
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 egg white
- ¾ cup sweet potato starch (coarse)
- Neutral oil for deep frying
- 1 large handful fresh Thai basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder (for finishing)
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper (for finishing)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (for finishing)
- Pinch of chili powder or cayenne (optional)
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. Cut the chicken thighs into 1.5-inch chunks and combine the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger, five spice, white pepper, sugar, and egg white in a bowl. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Mix the seasoning dust in a small bowl. Combine the five spice, white pepper, salt, and chili powder if using. Set aside.
- Coat the chicken by spreading the sweet potato starch in a shallow bowl. With wet hands, take each piece of marinated chicken and press it into the starch to coat all sides. Let the coated pieces sit for 5 minutes.
- Fry the chicken. Heat 2–3 inches of oil to 350°F (175°C) in a wok. Fry the chicken in batches for 3–4 minutes until golden brown. Remove and drain on a wire rack.
- Optional double fry: Return the chicken to the oil at 375°F (190°C) for 1–2 minutes for extra crispness.
- Fry the basil by dropping the completely dry leaves into the hot oil, covering immediately. Fry for 20–30 seconds until crispy. Remove and drain.
- Season and serve immediately. Sprinkle the seasoning dust over the hot chicken and toss to coat. Scatter the fried basil on top and serve right away.
Notes
Sweet potato starch is essential for the signature crispy texture of this dish. For maximum crispness, consider double frying. Avoid moisture on basil leaves to prevent oil splatter during frying.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Taiwanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
