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Taiwanese Fried Chicken

Published: May 19, 2021 · Modified: Aug 27, 2021 · by Khin · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Tired of regular fried chicken? It's time to try out this Taiwanese Style Crispy Asian Fried Chicken ( Taiwanese Fried Chicken Steak )! Crispy fried chicken cutlets with Chinese salt and chilli seasonings and aromatic basil flavour. Easy to make at home and incredibly delicious!

sliced fried chicken and crispy fried basil on the serving tray.

If you are a fan of Asian crispy chicken, you will definitely like our viewer's favourite Chinese Takeaway recipes:

  • Chinese Takeaway Salt and Chilli Chicken
  • Ultimate Salt and Pepper Chicken
  • Crispy Sesame Chicken
  • Crispy Shredded Chicken

I've learned this recipe from my Taiwanese friend, this is how her family used to make it at home. I love the authentic flavours and simplicity of this fried chicken that her mom made for us. One of the best Asian fried chicken recipes that I've ever tried.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to make perfect Taiwanese Fried Chicken
  • Cooking Tips
  • What to serve with this dish?
  • FAQ
  • Watch Recipe Video
  • Taiwanese Fried Chicken
fried chicken topped with asian spices and crispy basil.

I made some adjustments to our family liking and everyone loves it! My picky pre-schooler said this fried chicken is his new favourite. 🤗🤩

If you haven’t tried this crispy chicken recipe, I highly recommend trying it at home. You can customize the spices, salt or any ingredients according to your preference when you make them at home. It's so much easier than you've imagined. In this recipe, we'll be sharing our homemade Taiwanese Style Large Fried Chicken with chicken cutlets.

When you make it at home you can customize just how much spices, chilli and vegetables you want. Learn our simple tips and make your own salt and chilli chicken better than a restaurant. You will find it much easier than you have imagined.

Ingredients

  • Chicken Breast - Ideal to make with boneless, skinless chicken breast. You can use chicken thigh as well.
  • Marinade - Marinate the chicken cutlets with soy sauce, sugar, garlic paste, Shaoxing wine and Chinese five spices.
  • Coating - To achieve the perfect crispy golden chicken coating, you will need sweet potato starch(flour), plain flour and baking soda.
  • Seasonings spice mix - We love to add garlic powder, paprika powder, white pepper and fine salt in the spice powder to sprinkle over the fried chicken. You can also add toasted ground Sichuan peppercorns too.
  • Basil leaves - Crispy fried basil leaves makes the dish more flavourful. Hightly recommed to add fried basil leaves. If you cannot get Thai basil, use Italian or sweet basil instead.

How to make perfect Taiwanese Fried Chicken

4 image collage showing how to marinate and coat the chicken fillets
  • Marinate the chicken cutlets with Shao Xing wine, soy sauce, garlic, sugar and Chinese five spices for at least 30 minutes.
  • Dip each chicken cutlet in whisked egg and dredge in sweet potato flour, plain flour and baking soda coating mixture.
4 image collage showing how to deep fry and double fry the chicken fillets.
  • Fry the coated chicken with pre-heated hot oil ( about 350°F ) for 3-4 minutes. Once it start floating remove from oil and let it sit for 3-4 minutes.
  • Then fry it again in hot oil for another 3-4 minutes or until crispy golden brown.
4 image collage showing how to make Taiwanese chilli salt, fry basil, and cut the fried chicken slices.
  • Add all the chilli salt ingredients in a small bowl. Fry the basil leaves in the hot oil until crispy.
  • To serve cut the chicken cutlets into thin slices, sprinkle chilli salt seasonings and crispy fried basil.

Cooking Tips

  1. Sweet Potato Flour ( Starch ): Is very similar to tapioca starch, which is made from starch of sweet potato and widely used in Chinese and Asian cooking.
  2. Double Frying: Top Tips - Don't skip the double frying step! Double frying creates the airy, crispy coating texture that lasts for few hours after you fried it. Fry the coating chicken cutlets in hot oil for 3-4 minutes, until it floats above the oil, remove from oil and set it aside for 3-4 minutes. Then fry it again in hot oil for 2-3 minutes or until the coating is crispy golden brown.

Why this fried chicken is so special?

  • It's a perfect crowd pleasing snack that all kids and adults enjoy. Your party guests will definitely love it! I can guaranteed that!
  • Special sweet potato flour coating is extremely crispy outside and moist and juicy chicken inside.
  • Easy to make at home without much hassle.
  • Super addictive and you can't stop for another bite! Soon to be your favourite Asian fried chicken!

What to serve with this dish?

It tastes best to serve freshly fried, you can serve on its own, just sprinkle with chilli salt seasonings. Or you can serve with your favourite dipping sauce. We love to serve with spicy mayo dipping sauce. And here is how to make it at home :

Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce

Mix two tablespoons of Japanese mayonnaise (or regular mayonnaise) and one teaspoon of hot chilli sauce in a small bowl. Sprinkle Japanese Shichimi chilli powder or hot red chilli flakes. That's it!

FAQ

What is Taiwanese Fried Chicken?

Taiwanese Fried Chicken cutlets ( XXL Fried Chicken ) and popcorn chicken are very popular street food in Taiwan. Crispy chicken with sweet potato flour coating tossed with flavourful chilli salt and fried basil leaves.

What is the substitute for sweet potato starch?

Thick sweet potato starch is ideal to use in this recipe, but if you cannot find it, substitute it with potato starch or tapioca starch.

Can you bake it?

Deep frying tastes best but if you wish to bake, preheat the oven to 400° F, spray a generous amount of cooking oil over the coated chicken cutlets. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked and crispy golden. Flip halfway through.

Watch Recipe Video

https://youtu.be/UemvLvcdFhs

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If you enjoy our recipe, please leave a comment and give us a rating! If you’ve tried this recipe, tag me on social media, I would love to see your creations! Follow me on social media Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest updates.

taiwanese fried chicken and crispy basil on the serving board

Taiwanese Fried Chicken

Taiwanese version of Crispy airy, non-greasy fried chicken cutlets and sprinkle generous amount of flavourful Chinese salt and chilli seasonings. Add crisp basil leaves to bring more flavour to the dish.
5 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese Cuisine
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Marinade: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 421kcal
Author: Khin

Ingredients

  • 500 g Chicken breast ( 2 large chicken breast about 500-600 g )
  • 1 cup Sweet potato starch Or Potato starch/ tapioca starch
  • ¼ cup Plain flour Or all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp Baking soda
  • 2 Egg
  • handful Basil leaves Thai, Italian or Regular Basil ( Optional )
  • Oil for frying ( vegetable oil, canola, grapeseed, sunflower or any neutral flavour oil )

Marinade

  • 2 tbsp Soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Shao Xing wine
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Grated garlic/garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp White pepper
  • 1 tsp Chinese five spices

Chilli Salt Mix

  • ½ tsp Garlic powder
  • ½ tsp Paprika powder
  • ½ tsp White pepper
  • ¼ tsp Fine salt

Instructions

  • Cover the chopping board with cling film, cut chicken breasts into half lengthways. Cover the chicken cutlets with cling film and flatten it by pounding with rolling pin or meat tenderizer.
  • Mix all the chilli salt seasoning ingredients in a bowl and set it aside.
  • Mix the chicken cutlets well with soy sauce, garlic paste, white pepper, Shao Xing wine, Chinese five spices and sugar. Let it set aside and marinade for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. If you have more time you can place it in a fridge overnight in an airtight container.
  • Beat two eggs in large tray or bowl and set aside. Mix sweet potato starch, plain flour, and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside.
  • Dip the marinated chicken cutlet in the egg first, then dredge in the flour mix. Press gently to coat the chicken evenly and toss the excess flour out before frying.
  • Heat the vegetable oil to high heat about 340-350° F. Deep fry the coated chicken for 3-4 minutes until the chicken start to float. Once it float, remove from oil and set it aside for 3-4 minutes. Then double fry it again until crispy golden brown. Remove from oil and place it over the cooling rack.
  • Fry the bail leaves in the oil for 2-3 minutes until crispy. Remove from oil and place it over the paper towel.
  • To Serve the fried chicken, cut the chicken cutlets in the medium bite size slices, or pieces. Sprinkle the chilli salt seasonings and crispy basil leaves on top. You can simply serve on its own or serve with spicy mayo or any your favourite dipping sauce.

Notes

  • How to make Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce? Here is our simple homemade spicy mayo dipping sauce that need 3 simple ingredients. Japanese mayo ( or regular mayonnaise), hot chilli sauce ( or Sriracha chilli sauce), and Japanese Shichimi chilli powder ( or paprika powder ). Mix 2 tablespoon of Japanese mayo, 1 teaspoon of hot chilli sauce and sprinkle Japanese Shichimi chilli powder. You can adjust the chilli sauce amount according to your preference. 
  • Shao Xing Wine - Is a Chinese cooking rice wine, you can find it in Chinese and Oriental Asian grocery stores or supermarket Asian aisle. If you cannot get Shao Xing Wine, you can add Japanese mirin, or dry sherry. If you wish to make non-alcohol version you can omit it add a splash of rice vinegar. 
  • Chinese Five Spices – is a powder mixture of cloves, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, and fennel. Available in Chinese grocery stores or Amazon online. 
  • Basil Leaves - Don't skip frying basil leaves if you like the authentic Taiwanese style flavour. If you are not a basil fan, you can skip adding basil leaves. 

Nutrition

Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 948mg | Potassium: 490mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 153IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @KhinsKitchen or tag #KhinsKitchen!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Martyn Hele says

    March 15, 2023 at 12:41 am

    Is that Light Soy or Dark Soy in the marinade ?

    Reply
    • Khin says

      March 20, 2023 at 10:05 pm

      You can add light soy sauce ( thin soy sauce ) or regular all-purpose soy sauce to the marinade.

      Reply
  2. Dave says

    June 19, 2021 at 4:16 pm

    Hi, can I ask a question please. In your recipe you say use high heat 225 x 250 f. Can I ask if this is correct as I usually regard high heat at around 350 for frying?

    Reply
    • Khin says

      June 22, 2021 at 11:21 pm

      Hi Dave, thank you so much for pointing out. The temperature should be around 340-350'F. Edited now at recipe card. Sorry for late reply.

      Reply
  3. Tammy says

    May 20, 2021 at 11:00 pm

    5 stars
    Tried it. It was so good. We had it with sweet chilli sauce.

    Reply
    • Khin says

      June 02, 2021 at 9:04 pm

      Thank you so much for trying my recipe. I am so happy that you like the recipe.

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Khin! This blog is all about my family home cooking recipes. I want to share how to make delicious meals from simplest method with step-by-step cooking videos.

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