Taiwanese popcorn chicken recipe

5 from 5 votes

Taiwanese popcorn chicken recipe

Taiwanese popcorn chicken (AKA Yan Su Ji or Salt and pepper chicken) with a super crunchy coating, infused with basil flavor. This is an authentic Taiwanese fried chicken recipe and can be made in an air fryer, oven, or stovetop!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Marinate time30

Total Time55

Course: Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Taiwanese

Keyword: Taiwan popcorn chicken, Taiwanese popcorn chicken

Servings: servings

Author: ChihYu Smith

Ingredients

For the chicken:

1.25 lb chicken thighs skinless and boneless
0.85 oz garlic cloves grated
0.3 oz ginger grated
2 tbsp coconut aminos or 1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp coarse sea salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp untoasted sesame oil or olive oil
½ tbsp mirin optional
1 cup Thai basil leaves or Italian basil

Coating and oil:

8 tbsp coarse sweet potato starch labels with "THICK" on packaging (See notes)
Avocado oil

For serving - Taiwanese popcorn chicken seasoning mix:

1 tsp coarse sea salt
¼ tsp five spice powder
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder optional

Instructions

To prepare:

Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces (about 1.5-inch | 3.8 cm chunks).
In a large bowl, combine the chicken with garlic, ginger, soy sauce (or coconut aminos), five-spice, salt, peppers, sesame oil, and mirin (if using). Mix well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or best overnight in the fridge.
Rinse and pat dry the basil leaves. Set aside.
Place the sweet potato starch in a large bowl. One by one, dip the chicken into the starch, coating it on all sides. Use your hands to gently press it in to help adhere. Transfer to a large plate and repeat until all the chicken is coated.

Air fry method:

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (204°C). Spray the basket with avocado oil. Add the chicken in a single layer, leaving space between each piece.
Spray a generous amount of oil on top—make sure to coat the chicken until you don’t see any dry white spots of starch. This helps the coating crisp up evenly and prevents a powdery texture. Air fry for 6 minutes. Open the basket, flip the chicken, and add the basil leaves.
Spray more oil over everything, especially the basil leaves—they need a good coating so they turn crispy, not dry or papery. Air fry for another 4 minutes. Remove the basil and set aside. Let the chicken rest on a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining chicken if needed.

Stovetop method:

In a 4 qt. Dutch oven, heat ½ cup avocado oil over medium to medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes. Test the oil with a wooden chopstick—if bubbles form around it, it’s hot enough.
Add the chicken and pan-fry for 3 minutes on one side, then 2–3 minutes on the other, until golden and cooked through. Drain on a paper towel.
Lower heat to medium-low. Add the basil (use a splatter guard!) and fry for 5 seconds. Remove and drain.

Oven method:

Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment and spray lightly with oil. Place the chicken on the sheet with space between pieces.
Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken, add basil, and spray everything with more oil.
Bake for another 10 minutes, until the chicken is golden and the basil crispy.

To serve:

Transfer the chicken onto a serving plate, while hot, sprinkle the chicken generously with the popcorn chicken seasoning mix. Crush the fried basil and scatter it on top. Serve immediately.

Notes

Chicken thighs are best for this recipe—they have more crevices to hold the coating and crisp up nicely.
Using chicken breasts? Add 1 tsp baking soda to the marinade to tenderize the meat. Cook 1–2 minutes less since white meat cooks faster.
Cooling rack = extra crunch. Let the chicken rest on a rack after cooking to keep it crispy.
Dry basil is key to avoiding oil splatters and getting that light crisp. You’ll find the exact cooking steps in each method section above.
If you can’t find coarse sweet potato starch: Use tapioca starch or regular (fine) sweet potato starch instead. To mimic the crumbly texture, gradually drizzle in ½ to 1 teaspoon of water for every 8 tablespoons of starch. Stir the starch constantly with chopsticks or a fork as you add the water. You’ll start to see tiny clumps form—like coarse grains or small pebbles—which help the coating stick and crisp up better when cooked. Go slow! Adding too much water will turn the starch gummy.
Storage, Meal Prep, Reheat: Taiwanese popcorn chicken will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. For meal prep, marinate the chicken up to 24 hours in advance for even deeper flavor. To reheat, use a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10–15 minutes or an air fryer at 360°F (182°C) for 5–6 minutes until hot and crispy again.

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