Popcorn Chicken with Salted Egg Yolk Sauce (Xián Sū Jī, 鹹酥雞)
The Mala MarketIngredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- 1 pound boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
For the Salted Egg Yolk Sauce
- 1/3 cup coconut cream
- 3 cooked salted duck egg yolks (see cooking instructions in text above)
- 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon white miso
- 2 pinches fine, mild red chile powder, such as gochugaru
For the Batter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
For the Dredge
- 1 cup sweet potato starch
- 1 tablespoon sticky rice flour
For Frying and Finishing
- 3 cups vegetable oil, such as Canola
- 1 bunch Thai basil (optional)
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Chop chicken into large bite-size chunks, about 1 inch by 1 inch. (Craggy and uneven is OK!) Place chicken pieces in a bowl and add the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, kosher salt, white pepper, ginger and five spice powder. Mix well and marinate in the fridge, covered, for a minimum of one hour and up to overnight.
Make the Salted Egg Yolk Sauce
- Combine the coconut cream, cooked salted yolks, rice vinegar, miso and chile powder in a food processor and whiz until smooth. The sauce can be made the day before and stored covered in the fridge; revive it by bringing to room temperature and whisking to fluff up.
Batter and Fry the Chicken
- Take chicken out of the fridge and drain away any excess liquid, then gently pat dry. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and five spice powder to a bowl, then slowly drizzle in a little water while mixing until the batter can form a thin, unbroken stream when drizzled from a spoon. In a separate shallow dish, sift together the sweet potato starch and the sticky rice flour.
- Bring the oil up to 300℉ in a wok or deep fryer. Using separate tongs for the wet batter and the starch, and working as neatly as possible, roll the chicken pieces in batter and then in the starch mixture, then put them in the oil. Work in batches, making sure not to add the pieces too fast or crowd the pot, or the oil temperature will drop too much. Fry each batch for about five minutes, or until the surface of each piece of chicken reaches a pale yellow color. Remove the chicken with a strainer and set the pieces on a rack.
- When all the chicken has been fried once, bring the oil up to 400℉ degrees, then add chicken pieces back to the oil, in batches, frying for another minute or so to add color and crisp everything up. Once the chicken takes on a bronze hue, remove it from oil and set on a rack to let excess oil drain.
- When all the chicken is fried, add basil leaves to the oil (if using) and fry until they’re twisted and shatteringly crispy. Lightly toss the fried chicken in a bowl with the fried basil and a sprinkling of white pepper. For the best experience, serve the chicken hot in a parchment-lined basket with skewers or toothpicks.