I've said it before many times that I have so many sets of photos that I could not cook or dine out for an entire year and still have something to blog every day. My photos were alphabetized since I tend to blog thematically, but too many posts got buried that way. Recipes languished and restaurants closed before I ever got around to blogging them. So I recently sorted my photos again, this time by date. And lo and behold, this Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken recipe from February 2008 popped up.
I had made this around the same time that I made and blogged my Taiwanese Popcorn Tofu and Japanese Chicken Karaage recipes, but wasn't quite satisfied with the recipe for some reason. But these photos, even taken with the old point and shoot camera, don't look half bad. The texture was fine, I just couldn't figure out exactly the right spices to make it taste like what I get at the tea houses. But here you go anyway, my almost forgotten Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken recipe.
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
For two servings as a snack or four servings as a side dish, you'll need:
2 boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 tsp salt
2 tblsp soy sauce
1 tblsp xiao hsing rice wine or mirin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 to 3/4 cup or so of cornstarch
Oil for deep-frying
For sprinkling on top:
1/2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
1/2 tsp chili powder or paprika
Optional: Fry Thai basil leaves for garnishing.
Add all the marinade ingredients together and leave the chicken pieces at room temperature for about half an hour to absorb.
Drain off marinade. Pour cornstarch into a shallow pan or dish. Take each chicken piece out of the marinade and roll it with the cornstarch until covered. Add more cornstarch if needed until the chicken pieces are completely covered.
Heat wok to medium-high and deep fry until lightly golden. Fry up some basil leaves if you wish.
When all the popcorn chicken has been fried, sprinkle Chinese 5-spice powder or chili powder if you wish.
Toss until the chicken pieces are evenly covered in chili powder and 5-spice powder.
Toss again.
Eat this as a snack or serve with rice for a meal.
Enjoy!
Similar recipes:
Chicken Fingers
Dau Hu Chien (Vietnamese Fried Tofu)
Japanese Chicken Karaage
Taiwanese Popcorn Tofu
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1 year ago today, How to Make a Homemade Cake Stand.
2 years ago today, Banh Mi Thit Kho Trung (Vietnamese Braised Pork and Eggs Sandwich).
3 years ago today, spicy Sichuan cuisine at Chung King Restaurant - San Gabriel.
4 years ago today, one of my most popular recipes, Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef).
These look entirely too addictive! Do you find a big difference in using thigh versus breast meat?
ReplyDeleteThigh meat is preferred by my bf because it is juicy and does not end up dry like breast meat. I usually have five spice in my marinade, that way the flavor just pops in your mouth. I don't usually sprinkle on the outside so I will try that today. The recipe that I once learned also called for sweet potato starch to get the texture correct, I just use potato starch.
ReplyDeleteMine came out kind of close to the tea house but for the topping I added one part season salt and one part chili powder and a hint of 5 spice. Not spicy enough for me I can't figure it out...
ReplyDeleteNikki,
ReplyDeleteThigh meat is always juicier, but I used breast meat for my chicken karaage and didn't have any problems.
CharoLikeTaro,
I added five-spice in the marinade too and it made the frying oil so messy. Hmm. Must try sweet potato starch then.
Mike,
I can't either! The texture was fine, but the taste wasn't quite there yet.