Taiwanese Fried Chicken Poppers

Whenever I go to a school fair, I step into the area for food stalls with only one mission: to find Taiwanese chicken poppers. I follow the trail of aroma that the dish’s five-spice powder leaves and easily spot it amidst the crowds. I love eating them as a snack after a tiring shift in my class’s booth or on top of rice for dinner. I even eat the fried basil leaves as if they were chips. I always carry a paper bag full of them while mingling around and looking for my friends. If you need a break from the normal American-style fried chicken, I highly suggest making these addicting chicken poppers.

Recipe

Yields 5-7 servings

Ingredients

450 grams boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons soy sauce

½ tablespoon Chinese wine

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ teaspoon five-spice powder

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

2 cups potato or cassava flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup basil leaves

Oil for frying

Spice mixture

½ teaspoon five-spice powder

½ teaspoon white pepper

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

Green onions, sliced

Procedure

• Marinade the chicken in soy sauce, Chinese wine, sugar, garlic, ginger, five-spice powder, and white pepper for at least one hour.

• In a deep frying pan, heat some oil.

• Mix the flour and baking powder together.

• Dip each piece of chicken in the flour.

• Fry for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

• Fry the basil leaves.

• Mix the five-spice powder, pepper, salt, and sugar together.

• Sprinkle the spice mixture onto the chicken.

• Garnish with green onions and enjoy!