Chinese five-spice powder and white pepper are the secret to this recipe. If you don't have these spices, you can use chili powder or garam masala, and black peppercorns. This recipe is gluten-free thanks to the tapioca flour; soy sauce may contain gluten depending on the brand you use.
Prep Time1 hrCook Time30 minsTotal Time1 hr 30 mins
INGREDIENTS
1.50 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut in 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp granulated sugar
1.50 tsp Chinese five-spice powderIf you don't have this spice, you can use chili powder to taste (1.5 tsp may be too spicy for you)
1 tsp ground white pepper, or black pepper
4 tsp kosher salt
6 cups vegetable oil
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns or whole black peppercorns
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup fresh basil leaves (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Prepare Chicken
1In a large bowl, season chicken thighs with soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, white pepper and 2 teaspoons salt. Set aside to marinate about 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate it overnight.
Cook Chicken
2When ready to cook, fit a medium pot with a cooking thermometer and heat vegetable oil over medium heat to 350 degrees.
3Coarsely grind the black peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle (if pepper is not already ground) and mix with the remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Set aside.
4In a large bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water to the tapioca flour and mix. The tapioca flour will develop small beads. (These small beads will help the flour stick to the chicken and give it a crunchy crust). Wet your hands and toss marinated chicken with tapioca flour.
5Working in batches, add the battered chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon or spider, transfer fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and season each batch with peppercorn salt mixture.
6If you have basil leaves, fry them until translucent and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes; then scatter of the fried chicken. Serve with leftover peppercorn mixture for sprinkling to taste.
Ingredients
1.50 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut in 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp granulated sugar
1.50 tsp Chinese five-spice powderIf you don't have this spice, you can use chili powder to taste (1.5 tsp may be too spicy for you)
1 tsp ground white pepper, or black pepper
4 tsp kosher salt
6 cups vegetable oil
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns or whole black peppercorns
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup fresh basil leaves (optional)
Directions
Prepare Chicken
1In a large bowl, season chicken thighs with soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, white pepper and 2 teaspoons salt. Set aside to marinate about 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate it overnight.
Cook Chicken
2When ready to cook, fit a medium pot with a cooking thermometer and heat vegetable oil over medium heat to 350 degrees.
3Coarsely grind the black peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle (if pepper is not already ground) and mix with the remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Set aside.
4In a large bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water to the tapioca flour and mix. The tapioca flour will develop small beads. (These small beads will help the flour stick to the chicken and give it a crunchy crust). Wet your hands and toss marinated chicken with tapioca flour.
5Working in batches, add the battered chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon or spider, transfer fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and season each batch with peppercorn salt mixture.
6If you have basil leaves, fry them until translucent and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes; then scatter of the fried chicken. Serve with leftover peppercorn mixture for sprinkling to taste.
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
Kristy Sameth