Teochew-style Popcorn Chicken
Ingredients: chicken breast (or thigh), diced into bite-sized pieces, salt, onion powder, garlic, grated, ginger, grated · 30 min cook time · 350kcal · ~₩14,400
Ingredients
500g chicken breast (or thigh), diced into bite-sized pieces, 0.5tsp salt, 1pinch onion powder, 3cloves garlic, grated, 1inch ginger, grated, 1egg egg white, 2cubes red fermented bean curd, 1Tbsp bean curd soaking liquid from its jar, 1Tbsp satay sauce, 1.5Tbsp apple juice (store-bought juice), 2.5Tbsp all-purpose flour, 1cup sweet potato starch (preferably coarse), 2cups oil for deep frying, 1Tbsp Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, 2cloves garlic, minced, 2.5Tbsp honey, 1.5Tbsp lemon juice, 1.5tsp soy sauce, 1.5tsp hoisin sauce
Instructions
1. Cut 500g (1.1 pound) chicken breast (or thigh) into bite-sized pieces.
2. Marinate the chicken with 1/2 tsp of salt, a few shakes of onion powder, 3 cloves of grated garlic, and 1 inch of grated ginger.
3. Crack an egg and add just the egg white. Don't throw away the yolk; you can use it to make General Tso's chicken.
4. Add 2 cubes of red fermented bean curd (about 0.5 x 0.75 x 0.75 inch each). If your bean curd is larger, use 1.5 pieces. If smaller, you may need 2 pieces.
5. Add 1 Tbsp of the bean curd soaking liquid from its jar.
6. Add 1 Tbsp of satay sauce. The brand used is 'King of Satay Paste' (沙茶王). In the USA, most Asian markets carry the Taiwan Bull Head brand, which also works.
7. Add 1.5 Tbsp of store-bought apple juice. It adds a subtle fruity note and keeps the chicken extra juicy.
8. Add 2.5 Tbsp of all-purpose flour and mix everything thoroughly. The flour acts like a glue, helping the coating stick better to the chicken later on. The fermented bean curd takes a bit extra effort to mix, so make sure you are aware of that.
9. Prepare the coating: use 1 cup of coarse sweet potato starch. If you don't have access to coarse sweet potato starch, you can make a replacement using cornstarch and water. Start by adding a small amount of cornstarch into the water, mix, and add a little bit more as you go until you can no longer mix in more. Then you will get a little solid cornstarch dough. Crumble the dough into small bits and make sure to crush any larger chunks so the size is fairly even. Then mix these little pieces back into the remaining dried cornstarch. It looks very close to coarse starch.
10. Add the coarse sweet potato starch (or your cornstarch substitute) into a mason jar. Drop in a few pieces of marinated chicken (about 5 to 8 pieces at a time) so you don't overcrowd the jar. Put the lid on and give it a good shake. Take the chicken out and shake off any excess starch. You can also do this in a large plastic bag. Set the coated chicken aside and repeat with the rest, working in batches. You probably need to do this in about 6 to 8 rounds. Once everything is coated, let the chicken rest on the tray for about 15 minutes. This gives them enough time for the coating to bond properly so it doesn't fall off easily during frying.
11. Heat 2-3 cups of oil for deep frying in a wok to 350°F / 175°C. Add the chicken to the oil, but don't overcrowd the wok. Gently move the pieces around so they don't stick together. Fry the pieces over medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until they turn a beautiful golden brown. Take the chicken out and use paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Use a fine sieve to scoop out the crumbs so they don't burn or affect the next batch. You probably need to fry in three batches.
12. In China, we normally don't serve popcorn chicken with dipping sauces. Instead, we like to sprinkle some Jiao Yan seasoning to taste, which will bring your popcorn chicken to another level. You can buy it from the Asian market or make it yourself.
13. If you insist on dipping sauce, make a sweet and sour chili sauce. Add 1 Tbsp of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp and 2 cloves of minced garlic to a saucepan. Stir until fragrant. Add 2.5 Tbsp of honey, 1.5 Tbsp of lemon juice, 1.5 tsp of soy sauce, and 1.5 tsp of hoisin sauce. Stir constantly over medium-low heat. Once it's bubbling, turn the heat to low and reduce the sauce until it becomes thick, kind of like a syrup texture.
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