Bite-sized pieces of juicy chicken thigh, marinated in soy and five-spice, deep-fried until shatteringly crispy, then tossed with fried basil, garlic, and chili — the king of Taiwanese night market snacks.
Ingredients
500g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp white pepper
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 egg
100g sweet potato starch
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 cup Thai basil leaves
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 dried red chilies
Salt and white pepper to finish
Instructions
1Marinate chicken pieces with soy sauce, rice wine, five-spice, white pepper, and grated garlic for 15 minutes.
2Add egg to the marinated chicken and mix well. Coat each piece in sweet potato starch, pressing firmly.
3Heat oil to 170°C (340°F). Fry chicken in batches for 4 minutes until cooked through. Drain on wire rack.
4Increase oil to 190°C (375°F). Re-fry chicken for 1-2 minutes until golden and extra crispy.
5In the hot oil, quickly fry Thai basil leaves for 5 seconds until crisp (stand back — they splatter). Drain immediately.
6Fry sliced garlic until golden. Toss crispy chicken with fried basil, garlic, dried chilies, and a generous pinch of salt and white pepper. Serve in a paper bag.
Did You Know?
At Taiwanese night markets, the chicken stall (鹹酥雞攤) doubles as a fry shop — you can pick from dozens of items like mushrooms, tofu, and vegetables, all fried to order in the same fragrant oil.