Taiwanese Fried Chicken

5 from 20 votes

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Marinade30

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese Cuisine

Servings:

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