Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

4.65 from 14 votes
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Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken - crispy, juicy and delicious Asian fried chicken nuggets. Quick, easy and budget-friendly recipe for the entire family!!

Crispy Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken ready to serve.
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Asian Popcorn Chicken

Recently, there is a new Asian popcorn chicken joint that has opened up close to where I live. I love the restaurant as it’s set up just like a night market in Asia, offering various types of Asian-style street food that you can order.

There are so many different items on the menu—chicken, fish, pork chop, chicken wings, vegetables, and so much more.

I want to order everything on the menu, but time and time again, I will go back to the Asian popcorn chicken, which is my favorite, and little G likes it, too.

The problem is the portion of the Asian popcorn chicken, it’s not enough for me to eat to my heart’s content. I usually need more than one order to satiate my hunger and craving.

And it’s not cheap. So I have decided to make a batch of them a few days ago…ahhh, so good.


The Origin

This popcorn chicken recipe is Taiwanese in origin. They are available everywhere in Taiwan: night market, roadside stalls, street food carts, and regular restaurants or stores. It’s similar to my Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken recipe but made with the bottled pepper salt.

For the Thai basil leaves, you can leave them out. I personally love them as I always have some Thai basil leaves in my fridge.

You can eat the chicken plain or as is, but anything tastes better with some sweet chili sauce. I love my Asian popcorn chicken with it.

Just imagine the taste—crispy, juicy, and flavorful fried chicken pieces dunked in a sweet, sticky, mildly spicy chili sauce.

This is a great alternative to chicken nuggets and your entire family will love this, I guarantee you!


Ingredients For Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

Ingredients for Taiwanese popcorn chicken.
  • Chicken Breast
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Thai Basil
  • Chicken Bouillon
  • Oil
  • Cornstarch
  • Soy Sauce
  • Sugar
  • Water
  • Pepper Salt
  • Rice Wine

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


How To Make This Recipe

Chicken Breast cubes mixed with the marinade.

Step 1: Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, pepper salt, chicken bouillon power, rice wine and water to chicken pieces and marinate for 30 minutes.

Chicken Breast being coated with cornstarch.

Step 2: Coat the chicken evenly with cornstarch, shaking off the excess.

Chicken breast and Thai Basil Leaves frying in a pot of oil.

Step 3: Heat 2-3 inches (5cm-7cm) of oil in a pan or stock pot for deep-frying. Deep-fry the chicken until it turns light to golden brown. Then, add the Thai basil leaves to the oil.

Golden brown fried chicken in a mixing bowl.

Step 4: As soon as the leaves crisp up, remove the chicken and basil leaves from the oil using a strainer or slotted spoon, and place them in a mixing bowl.

A plate full of crispy and golden brown popcorn chicken nuggets

Step 5: Add the pepper salt and toss well with the chicken and basil leaves. If you like spicy, you may add cayenne pepper. Serve immediately.


Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 402 calories per serving.

Easy homemade Taiwanese popcorn chicken nuggets with basil leaves.

What To Serve With This Recipe

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following:

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4.65 from 14 votes

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken – crispy, juicy and delicious Asian fried chicken nuggets. Quick, easy and budget-friendly recipe for the entire family!!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2 people
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Ingredients  

  • 8 oz (225g) chicken breast , or thighs, cut into bite-size cubes
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 2 cups oil , for deep-frying
  • 1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper salt
  • 3 dashes cayenne pepper , optional

Marinade:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper salt, or mix together 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of white pepper.
  • 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon, optional
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon water

Instructions 

  • Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, pepper salt, chicken bouillon powder, rice wine, and water to the chicken pieces and marinate for 30 minutes.
  • Coat the chicken evenly with cornstarch, shaking off the excess.
  • Heat 2-3 inches (5 cm to 7 cm) of oil in a pan or stock pot for deep-frying. Deep-fry the chicken until it turns light to golden brown, then add the Thai basil leaves to the oil.
  • Next, add the Thai basil leaves to the oil.
  • As soon as the leaves crisp up, remove the chicken and basil leaves from the oil using a strainer or slotted spoon, and place them in a mixing bowl.
  • Add the pepper salt and toss well with the chicken and basil leaves. If you like spicy, you may add cayenne pepper. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

  • You can find the bottled pepper salt powder at Asian grocery stores.
  • If you can’t find it, you can make your own pepper salt by mixing 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of ground white pepper together. 
  • Thai basil leaves are optional if you can’t find them.

Nutrition

Serving: 2people, Calories: 402kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 894mg, Potassium: 528mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.3g, Vitamin A: 1292IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





14 Comments

  1. Maris says:

    5 stars
    These were so delicious. They did not last long as leftovers. I showed my husband, who cooks for a living and is hard to impress, he couldn’t keep his hands off my plate even after eating his own share.

  2. Albert says:

    5 stars
    I’ve only discovered your site recently, and what a site it is!
    So, popcorn chicken was one of the first recipes I’ve tried. I did wanted to take a photo, but serving this up for the family was more like watching a bunch of piranhas at feeding times… you get the picture.
    The small variation I’ve made (forced by what was in the fridge, bane of many a home cook) was to use chicken breast instead of thighs. While I agree that thighs are the ideal choice for this dish, breast worked very well, too.
    Thanks for maintaining such a useful site!
    Greeting from New Zealand :)

  3. H says:

    Hi, I really like your recipes, but I was wondering if you can please put a temperature for the oil? Do I heat it at high heat, medium-high, medium …?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      High heat is used for deep-frying.

  4. Zamo says:

    Can this be frozen and made later?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      No.

      1. Redora says:

        Can you cook it in air fryer?

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          You can try!

  5. MHRey13 says:

    Hi. I am hoping you would share the dipping sauce recipe for the one in the picture(with the sesame seeds), looks great to eat with the popcorn chicken. Pls and tq :)

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      It’s just bottled Thai sweet chili sauce with sesame seeds. :)

  6. Lisa says:

    This looks delicious! I had “salt & pepper” fish at a chinese restaurant before and it was awesome, I’d love to try this. I’m just wondering, how different is the “pepper salt” blend from just using regular salt & pepper?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      The pepper salt blend combined some other seasonings if I am not mistaken, but you can just add a little salt and pepper to make your own. :)

  7. Elizabeth Ann Quirino @Mango_Queen says:

    Oh I love Popcorn Chicken and so does my family. Will definitely try this. Thanks for sharing the recipe and will ill go grab your new e-book, Bee!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks for your support Elizabeth, as always. :)