Taiwanese fried chicken

The secret to this popular street food in Taiwan is the marinade, so don't take short cuts and marinade at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight.

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

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Ingredients

• 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2.5cm pieces
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
• ½ tsp five spice powder
• ½ tsp white pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup water chestnut starch (see Note)

For the batter

• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ½ cup water
• ½ tsp baking powder

• Vegetable oil, for frying (can substitute canola oil, peanut oil, or any other frying oil of choice)
• 20-25 Thai basil leaves
• salt and white pepper, to taste

Marinading time: 30 mins

Instructions

1. In a large bowl coat the chicken pieces in the minced garlic, light soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, five spice powder, white pepper and salt. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or ideally overnight.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the ingredients for the batter, until smooth. It should be the consistency of pouring cream. Add the chestnut starch to a large bowl and set aside.
3. Add the marinated chicken to the batter. Coat the chicken in batches in the chestnut starch. Place on a plate until ready to fry.
4. Heat your vegetable oil in a large wok to 160°C. Fry the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the crust is golden and crispy. In the last 20 seconds of frying add the Thai basil (ensure it is thoroughly dried). Use a metal spider to carefully remove the chicken and basil. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Allow to drain for a minute or so.
5. Place the chicken on your serving plate, season with salt and pepper if needed, top with the crispy Thai basil to serve.

Note

•Water chestnut starch is available at select Asian supermarkets. You can substitute tapioca starch or cornstarch if you can't find it.

Recreate global street food favourites with chef Dan Hong in The Streets with Dan Hong on SBS Food.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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