My recipe for Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken is tasty and light, and is better for you because it is pan-fried instead of deep-fried. This recipe is nut-free and unlike many fried chicken recipes, it’s also egg-free. Read to learn more about food allergies and eating deep fried foods at a restaurant.
Disclaimer: Please check that all ingredients are suitable for your allergies and be sure to ask your medical care team regarding any allergy related questions (I do not share medical advice). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
What is Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken?
Taiwanese popcorn chicken is bite-sized salty, crispy fried chicken that is served as a street snack that is popular at night markets in Taiwan. It is also known as Yansuji (鹽酥雞) or Salted Crispy Chicken.
My sons and I have never been to Taiwan but hubby introduced us to these tasty morsels when he added popcorn chicken as a snack in addition to our boba drink orders. We love to eat this salty, crispy chicken coated with a light dusting of Chinese 5 spice seasoning.
However, one order of Taiwanese popcorn chicken for our family of four to share is very little because we each have 4-5 small bites of chicken served with a sweet and sticky chili sauce. But two orders of deep-fried snacks is too rich for us at the same time and we prefer to minimize our health risks.
It turns out that pan-frying with a small amount of oil, which is a healthier option, is a happy compromise. The pan-fried Taiwanese popcorn chicken tastes crunchy when served freshly cooked and served hot. The chicken does soften up a bit over time but the flavor remains the same.
Be Aware of Food Allergy Risks When Ordering Deep Fried Foods
Since I am motivated to avoid the risks and mess associated with deep-frying at home, I might consider ordering deep fried foods at a restaurant occaisionally. I’m also very careful when ordering deep fried foods too because that is not straightforward for people with food allergies.
1) What kind of oil is used in the deep fryer and is it allergy safe?
Do you know what kind of oil does a restaurant use in the deep fryer? Cooks usually like to use peanut oil because of its high smoke point.
Highly refined peanut oil is “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS) by the FDA. Some people might have tolerance for peanut oil. As I shared in an Allergic Living interview, I prefer to avoid peanut oil for my family because we don’t know if a restaurant uses highly refined peanut oil or cold-pressed peanut oil. Please ask your doctor if you have any concerns.
At the same time, peanut oil is expensive. Restaurants might prefer to use less expensive oils that have a high smoke points such as vegetable oil or cottonseed oil. As a home-cook, I have tried grapeseed oil, avocado oil, and olive oil which have high smoke points but are too pricey to use in large amounts necessary for deep frying.
Since I was looking up smoke points of various oils, I noticed that almond oil and pecan oil have high smoke points. I’ve never encountered any meals deep fried with almond or pecan oil. Have you?
2) What other foods go into the deep fryer?
Another risk to be aware of is what other allergens go into the deep fryer? It’s important to think about potential allergen cross-contact from your other allergens that you avoid. Deep fryer oil might not be changed frequently.
- Are ingredients marinated in soy, eggs, or milk before breading?
- Does the restaurant serve deep fried fish or shellfish?
- Do they deep fry nuts for salads, desserts, toppings, or garnishes?
3) Be aware of how deep fried foods are prepared and potential allergy-substitutions.
Most recipes for deep fried foods are usually marinated in potential allergens such as soy sauce or buttermilk. Then dipped flour, egg, and breadcrumbs before frying.
Also if the menu features vegan, gluten-free, or dairy free options, check to see if those dishes use nut ingredients as substitutes. There’s potential for allergen cross-contact in the kitchen and in the deep fryer. For example, almond flour is a common gluten-free substitute or vegan or dairy-free alternatives use cashew milk.
How to Prepare Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
The traditional way is to marinate some chicken thighs with an egg, soy sauce, and other seasonings for 30 minutes, up to overnight. Then coat the marinated chicken pieces with coarse potato starch and allow time for the potato starch coating to set.
For this better for you Taiwanese popcorn chicken recipe, instead of deep frying the chicken, we will pan fry the chicken in a small amount of oil until golden brown. When the chicken is ready, add a handful of Thai basil leaves to the pan. Plate the popcorn chicken in a serving bowl immediately, season with a 5 spice blend, and serve while still hot.
Use chicken thighs for tender results.
I recommend making this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs for tender, juicy, morsels of popcorn chicken. Using chicken thighs makes it easy to make this recipe egg-free because the chicken will be tender and juicy without any help.
You can use chicken breast or chicken tenderloin if you prefer, but it’s easy to overcook chicken breast. Some fried chicken recipes might marinate with egg whites to tenderize the chicken using a technique called velveting.
In fact, I try to make the marinade as dry as possible to minimize splatters. Use salt, 5-spice powder, ground garlic (instead of fresh minced garlic), and a minimal amount of soy sauce and rice wine. The chicken is very flavorful.
Coat with cornstarch
Sweet potato starch that has a coarse granular texture (粗) is the best for making crunchy popcorn chicken. It might be labeled “thick” and look a little chunky, which adds more texture to the popcorn chicken. However, I cannot confirm that coarse sweet potato starch does not have any potential risk of allergen cross-contact. Let me know if you find a brand.
To be allergy safe, I use cornstarch instead. The cornstarch coated popcorn chicken has a nice crust when freshly cooked but might soften as the chicken cools. It will still taste delicious.
Thai basil leaves
Our local boba shops serve the chicken without basil leaves. Popcorn chicken is usually served with deep fried Thai basil, which definitely looks beautiful and tastes great. Even though I pat dry the Thai basil with paper towels and allow them to air fry for awhile, deep frying them in a pot of hot oil is messy, with oil splatters on my stove, floor, and me. I loved the crispy Thai basil leaves but it’s not worth the mess, extra clean up, and safety risks.
Adding basil leaves to the pan fried popcorn chicken recipe is a better experience. Push all the chicken to one side of the pan and tip the pan for a moment to allow oil to pool on the other side. Add the basil leaves over the oil and use a spatula to scoop the pan-fried chicken over the basil leaves until the basil is wilted and fragrant. The results are so perfect, less messy, and just as tasty.
I usually buy Thai basil from Asian markets but I can’t find them consistently. Fresh Italian basil is a convenient substitute, which is what I used when I took photos for this recipe. Feel free to use more basil as desired, use chopped scallions if you don’t have basil, or omit.
Seasoning spices
Your very last step after scooping the crispy popcorn chicken and basil out of the pan is to sprinkle with 5 spice powder, which tastes surprisingly sweet to me. I like to keep the seasoning simple by lightly sprinkling 5 spice powder.
If your spice jar has a sprinkle top lid, hold the jar sideways over the chicken and use one finger to lightly tap the jar for a couple of sprinkles while moving the jar in a circle over the chicken. Otherwise, tap the 5 spice powder from a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon.
Allergy Aware Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
This recipe for Taiwanese popcorn chicken is free of peanuts, treenuts, egg, milk, fish, shellfish, and sesame as written. The main allergen is from the soy sauce (soy and wheat), which you can substitute with tamari sauce (made with soy but gluten free), coconut aminos, or one of my recipes for soy-free soy sauce.
If you need additional help with finding ingredients, please see What’s in Nut Free Wok’s Cupboard? Nut-Free Ingredients. I love the neutral taste of Chinese rice wine, but in a pinch you can use dry sherry.
Make this as an afternoon snack that is filling and healthier and better for you than deep fried chicken. You can even serve it as a light dinner entree along with side dishes such as rice and vegetables.
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice powder divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic granulated powder
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper ground
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cornstarch plus 1 tablespoon as needed
- 1 ounce Thai basil or Italian basil, add more as desired
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or other neutral oil
Instructions
- Use scissors to trim away any excess fat from the chicken thighs. Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces (approximately 10 pieces per thigh), transfer to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Add the Chinese rice wine, 1 teaspoon 5 spice powder, garlic powder, ground white pepper, and salt to the chicken and mix. Marinate for 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate to marinate overnight.
- Sprinkle about half of the cornstarch over the chicken and mix. Add the remaining cornstarch to the mixing bowl and dip any uncoated chicken pieces into the cornstarch. Add an additional tablespoon of cornstarch as needed. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
- Rinse the Thai basil leaves, shake the excess water off, and pat dry the Thai basil leaves with paper towels. Pluck the leaves off the stem and set aside.
- Preheat a large non-stick frying pan on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl the oil around the pan, allow 30 seconds for the oil to heat up.
- Place the cornstarch coated pieces of chicken into the pan one by one, do not allow the pieces to touch otherwise they will stick together and take longer to cook. Pan fry for 4-5 minutes until the cornstarch coating turns golden brown on one side.
- Flip each piece to pan fry the other side for 4-5 minutes until chicken looks golden brown.
- Push the chicken to one side of the frying pan and tip the pan for a moment so that the oil pools on the other side. Add the Thai basil leaves into the oil and use a spatula to cover the basil with chicken. When the basil looks slightly wilted, stir to toss the chicken and basil together.
- Transfer the chicken and basil to a paper towel lined serving bowl. Sprinkle approximately 1/4 teaspoon of 5 spice powder on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Related Recipes
I love Chinese snacks and appetizers such as Chinese Potstickers Recipe: Pork & Napa Cabbage. My recipe for Pan-Fried Pork and Shrimp Dumplings (Potstickers) will also teach you how to make the wrappers from scratch.
If you have a pack of boneless, skinless thighs these recipes get dinner on the table fast!
My blog also features Lu Rao Fan, Braised Pork and Egg Rice Bowl, Easy Instant Pot Recipe which is a Taiwanese recipe featured in my cookbook, Chinese Instant Pot Cookbook.
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