Homemade Popcorn Chicken
- Marinating Time: 30 mins
- Author: Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian
Crispy and crunchy bite-sized pieces of fried chicken which the whole family will love! Make this delicious Taiwanese-inspired Popcorn Chicken with step-by-step photos.
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 700 g (1.5 lb) chicken breast fillets
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder (optional)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese shaoxing wine
- 1 egg white
For the Popcorn Chicken
- 300 g (2 cups) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- vegetable oil for shallow frying
To Serve
- sea salt
- freshly cracked pepper
- Sriracha mixed with Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise, or any sauce of your choice
Instructions
For the Marinade
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 2 cm (1 inch) cubes.
- Place the chicken into a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the marinade ingredients.
- Mix everything together until the chicken is well-combined in the marinade.
- Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
For the Popcorn Chicken
- Heat a large saucepan with enough vegetable oil to about 2 cm (1 inch) depth.
- Place the flour into a large bowl or baking tray.
- Pour the chicken, together with all of the marinade, onto the flour.
- Use your hands to coat the chicken in the flour. The liquid in the marinade will mix with the flour to form a light batter.
- Press the flour into the chicken to help form a craggy coating on the chicken. It is this craggy coating which will make the chicken crispy and crunchy.
- The oil is ready when it reaches 165°C or 325°F, or when a wooden chopstick inserted in the oil creates lots of small bubbles.
- Cook the chicken in batches until golden in colour.
- Drain the chicken pieces on kitchen paper or on a wire rack.
To Serve
- Serve immediately with a sauce of your choice. I like to mix Sriracha with some Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise.