Taiwan-inspired cooking
Taiwan-Style Kefir Popcorn Chicken
Kefir helps the five-spice marinade cling to chicken thighs. Sweet potato starch gives the bites their familiar craggy crust, and crisp basil makes the whole kitchen smell like a Taiwan night market.
Make it
Method
- Mix kefir, soy sauce, rice wine, garlic, five-spice, and white pepper. Coat the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
- In a deep, heavy pot, heat about 5 cm oil to 180°C, keeping the pot less than half full. Lift the chicken out and let excess marinade drip away. Discard the marinade and keep raw-chicken tongs separate.
- Press sweet potato starch onto every piece. The coating should look rough, not wet.
- Fry in small batches for roughly 4 to 5 minutes, turning as needed, until the thickest piece reaches 74°C.
- Drain chicken on a rack. With long tongs, carefully add a few completely dry basil leaves at a time; even dry leaves can spit in hot oil. Fry for a few seconds, remove and toss with chicken, salt and pepper.
A rough starch coating for crisp edges
The kefir marinade carries seasoning over every small piece and helps the starch cling. Chicken thigh stays juicy while the rough coating turns crisp.
Store it
Best straight from the fryer. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3 days.
Prefer to use an air fryer?
For an air-fryer version, spray the coated chicken generously with oil and cook in batches until 74°C.
If the coating stays pale
Check the oil temperature before changing the recipe. Crowding can cool the oil, so fry fewer pieces and let it return to 180°C between batches. Colour does not prove the chicken is cooked: still check 74°C in the thickest piece.