This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
The Best Asian Popcorn Chicken
Martin Yan’s China is his most recent cookbook and this crispy popcorn chicken is an adaptation of his recipe.
When Chef Yan was traveling in Guangzhou, he chanced upon a street vendor selling crispy chicken nuggets flavored with Chinese five spice powder—an aromatic yet deeply-flavorful Chinese ingredient. For this specific street-style crispy fried chicken recipe, it calls for five spice powder, a common ingredient in Chinese cooking.
The Chinese five spice powder lends a nice aroma to the fried chicken. I just love it. Chinese five spice powder can be found at Asian stores or online.
This ingredient also makes a great marinate for many other Chinese dishes. Try it and I am sure you will be delighted with this recipe.
Ingredients for Popcorn Chicken
- Chicken breast/thigh
- Eggss
- Oil
- Chinese five spice powder
- Sugar
- Sesame oil
- Ground white pepper
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is It Called Popcorn Chicken?
The chicken owes its name to being tiny and bite-sized.
How Many Calories?
This recipe has 197 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
This meal is best served as a snack. For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
For more great recipes like this, sign up for our newsletter. We’ll send daily recipes you’ll love!
Sign up for our newsletter!
Asian Crispy Fried Chicken (Popcorn Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless and skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs (cut into bite-size cubes)
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1 egg (beaten)
- oil for deep-frying
Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
Instructions
- Add the five spice powder, sugar, salt, and white pepper. Stir well.
- Add the chicken pieces and marinate in the fridge for 1 - 4 hours.
- Heat up the oil into a wok for deep-frying. Dip the chicken nuggets in the beaten egg and then coat with the corn starch evenly. Deep-fry the chicken until they turn golden brown, remove from the oil and place on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- Serve immediately and dip with your favorite chili sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
So tasty, marinade was delicious with five spice, crispy, we actually fried in airfryer at 375⁰, turned out good!
😊👍
I like your recipes it is simple and easy. thanks Bee
Hi Hoe Peng, thanks for trying my recipe. Please try more: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Hi Folks, Have you left out an ingredient? The second ingredient only show ‘2 cup’ – but of what?
Can you help me please?
Thank you
Hi Daz, sorry it’s corn starch. I updated the recipe.
Hi Bee,
Do you still have the old recipe with the red fermented bean curd?
Thanks,
Fred
Just add some red fermented bean curd to the marinade.