These Taiwanese popcorn chicken bites are incredibly delicious. Five-spice, ginger, and soy sauce flavor bite-sized pieces of chicken before they're dipped in tempura mix and fried until golden and crispy.
Ingredients
- boneless chicken thighs: 1.5 pound (cut into bite-size pieces)
- garlic: 2 clove (chopped)
- soy sauce: 1 Tbsp
- ginger: 2 tsp (grated)
- five-spice powder: 1 tsp
- ground white pepper: 1 tsp (to taste)
- salt: 1 tsp (to taste)
- rice vinegar: 0.5 tsp
- cayenne pepper: 0.5 tsp
- egg: 1 piece
- tempura batter mix, dry: 1 cup (or as needed)
- peanut oil for frying: 2 cups (or as needed)
- Thai basil: 1 bunch (chopped)
- green onions: 2 piece (chopped)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Mix chicken, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, five-spice powder, white pepper, salt, vinegar, and cayenne pepper together in a large bowl until well combined. Let marinate for 10 minutes.
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Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
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Whisk egg in a small bowl until smooth. Place dry tempura mix into a second small bowl. Dip chicken pieces one at a time into egg, then dredge in tempura mix, shaking off any excess.
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Working in batches, lower chicken carefully into hot oil and fry until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and season with salt and pepper.
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Transfer chicken to a platter and garnish with basil leaves and green onions.
