A home remedy for every Taiwanese homesick stomach
This is the most popular street food in Taiwan. If you travel to Taiwan without ever taste this fried chicken, consider yourself have never been to Taiwan. You can find them at almost every street corner. For every Taiwanese, this fried chicken is part of the culture and part of our life.
- 4-5 pieces of boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size
- 1 cup Fresh Thai basil leaves. Wash and dry very well.
Marinade for chicken (15-20min or overnight)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon cooking wine
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cloves of garlic, grounded into paste
- 1 tablespoon white pepper powder
- 1/2 tablespoon Chinese five spice powder
- salt to taste
Marinade the chicken for 20 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
Flour Paste
This flour paste acts as a glue for the pearl potato starch to attach to the chicken and the coating to stay crispy longer.
- 2 Tbsp AP flour
- 1 Tsp baking powder
- 1 Tsp salt
- 1 Tsp Five spice powder
- Chili Powder (optional)
Mix the flour paste with chicken. Set aside while prepare for the coating.
The Coating
- Potato Starch
There are two types of potato starch you can find at every Asian grocery store. The powder or one with the larger grains. Preferably the one with larger grains which gives better crunch but the powder will work just fine.
Evenly coat each chicken piece with potato starch. Set aside for 5 minutes let the moisture from the chicken soak into the coating so the coating won’t fall off during baking/frying.
For Frying:
160-170C oil temperature for frying. on medium high heat until light golden brown. Remove all the chicken.
Increase oil temperature up to 180C. Put the chicken back for 1-2 minute until golden brown. Turn off the heat.
Fry Thai basil using remaining heat until crispy. Serve on the top of on the side of the chicken.
For Baking:
Preheat oven to 425F.
Lightly spray cooking oil on the chicken.
Bake for 12 minutes on one side. Turn each pieces over and bake for another 10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Sprinkle on the basil leaves just minutes before remove the chicken out from the oven.
Sprinkle salt & pepper or chili powder for extra kick before serving.
This is no doubt one of Mr.J’s favorite dish. He rarely asks me to make any food for him but this is the one dish he would ask me to make for him. It’s funny cause he isn’t even from Taiwan but I guess I put that craving bug into his tummy.
