How to make Taiwanese fried chicken – a dish even the white meat-averse will enjoy
- Despite white meat’s popularity in the US, in many parts of Asia dark meat is preferred
- For those unconvinced by whiter flesh, Taipei’s night markets fry up just the thing
I have several food-loving friends who agree with me when I make the statement, “Anything cooked with chicken breast would be 1,000 times better if made with chicken thigh.” But others would disagree – chicken breast is the preferred cut in many parts of the world.
In the United States, for instance, if you order all white meat, instead of a mix of white and dark, you’ll be charged extra. Oddly, it’s the opposite in many parts of Asia, where dark meat – which is more flavourful and moist – is often preferred; in Hong Kong, if you order “gai bei” (chicken leg) at a siu mei (roast meat) shop, they will charge HK$10 more.
In any case, I was determined to make a breast-meat chicken dish that even I liked, and I thought of the Taiwanese chicken that’s sold in night markets in Taipei. There are different versions of it, but a popular one is a chicken breast that’s pounded thin, marinated, dredged in starch, then deep-fried before being dusted with salt and spices.
It looks big – if you watch YouTube videos of people eating it, they love to exclaim, “It’s bigger than my face!” – but really, it appears large only because it has been pounded, which also tenderises the meat. It only tastes good piping hot; if you let it cool down, it becomes dry.
Taiwanese fried chicken
Although a whole pounded chicken breast looks impressive, I actually prefer to cut it into chunks, without pounding it flat, so the pieces are thicker. The secret behind making delicious chicken breast is to not overcook it – I fry the pieces for about two minutes in total. I double fry – the first time to cook the meat, which can be done a couple of hours in advance, and the second time to heat it and crisp up the coating.
If you search the internet for Taiwanese fried chicken, many recipes will insist on using sweet potato flour as the coating. It gives a mild crunch and it’s not easy to find, so feel free to substitute cornstarch or plain (all-purpose) flour. Panko is not traditional, but use it for a nice crunch.