Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 lb (500g) chicken thighs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp five spice powder

1 tsp chicken bouillon powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp pepper

1 tbsp cornstarch

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp ginger powder

1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 egg white

Batter:

1 cup sweet potato starch/corn starch

1 tsp baking powder

cooking oil (for frying)

Seasoning:

½ tsp white pepper

½ tsp Sichuan pepper

1 tsp salt

⅛ tsp five spice powder

½ tsp hot paprika

1 cup Thai basil

Cut the thighs into 1" bite-sized pieces.
Marinate them in the five spice powder, chicken bouillon powder, salt, sugar, ginger powder, garlic powder, onion powder, corn starch, egg white, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and pepper for at least 20 minutes.
Mix the white pepper, Sichuan pepper, five spice powder, paprika and salt in a small bowl.
Mix the cornstarch and baking powder together, then coat the cut pieces in the corn starch mix. Leave pieces on a baking sheet for powders to moisten and to let excess fall off.

Tip: Put a few pieces in at a time so they are well-coated. Dumping many in will run the risk of a wet batter.

Heat up oil on medium heat (350-375°F) and fry the coated pieces for 5 minutes or until golden.
Just before the chicken is ready, toss in the Thai basil leaves and let them fry for 2 minutes or until crispy. Scoop the chicken and leaves out into a large sieve or colander.
Put a serving of Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken into a large bowl along with some Thai basil. Add some of the spice mix in and toss all together until the batter is evenly coated.