Nyob Zoo!
I wanted to share this super delicious lemongrass popcorn chicken that I recently tested out and LOVED IT. I love Taiwanese popcorn chicken and Japanese karaage so I thought I’d share with you a different flavor palette by using lemongrass and other spices into the marinade so all of you can put something different yet scrumptious on your dinner table. The coating/batter is super light yet crispy when it’s done frying. It’s amazing with some fresh squeezed lime and a cold glass of beer. So I hope you all enjoy!
Main Ingredients
Protein: I like to use skin on chicken thigh. You can use any part of the chicken you like but I recommend (if you can) to keep the skin still on. It will get super crispy when it’s done frying.
Aromatics/Spices/Seasonings: Use a lot of lemongrass! Simply season with salt, garlic powder, pepper, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and chili flakes.
Coating: There’s two layers of coating. One wet and one dry. For the wet, use 1 egg along with rice flour and mix it into the marinaded chicken. Then coat each piece of chicken in tapioca flour.
Fry until crispy and enjoy while it’s hot and still crispy. For extras aromatics, you can fry some kaffir lime leaves and dried chili peppers to garnish the chicken and or eat it along with it. Squeezed some fresh lime on it, eat it with some rice, and or a cold glass of beer. So good!
Enjoy!
-Cindy Her (C.HerCreations)
Lemongrass Popcorn Chicken New
Ingredients
For the marinaded chicken
- 2 lbs skin on chicken thigh [cut into 1 inch bite size pieces]
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce (20g)
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce (25g)
- 2 tsp garlic powder (7g)
- 1 tsp ground white pepper (2g)
- 1 tsp sugar (5g)
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder (2g) [Totole brand]
- 1/4 tsp salt (1g)
- 2 tsp chili pepper flakes (5g)
- 1 cup PACKED finely minced lemongrass (110g)
- Oil to fry the chicken
Wet coating
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup rice flour (33g)
Dry coating
- 2 cups tapioca flour (250g)
Other aromatics you can fry for extra flavor & garnish
- 15-20 whole kaffir lime leaves
- 8-10 whole dried birds eye chili peppers
On the side to serve with the chicken
- 2 whole lime (sliced into wedges)
Instructions
For the marinaded chicken
- In a bowl, add in the bite size pieces of chicken along with all the spices/aromatics. Mix well, cover and let it marinade overnight in the fridge or for 1 hr at room temp.
- Then add into the marinaded chicken the egg and rice flour. Mix well. Then coat each piece of chicken in tapioca flour and place it on a wire rack over a pan to allow any unwanted access coating to fall off. Once all the chicken is coated in tapioca flour, let it sit for 5-8 minutes to allow the chicken to absorb all tapioca starch before frying.
To fry
- Place a good amount of neutral oil into a pan. Heat the oil to around 350'F and quickly flash fry the kaffir lime leaves for a few sections. Remove and drain well. Do the same to the dried chili pepper. Set aside to be used for garnish later.
- Then heat the oil up to 375'F. I like to cook the chicken in two batches so I don't overcrowd the pan and drop the temperature of the oil. Cook the chicken for around 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the chicken into a colander and enjoy while it's still hot! Garnish with the crispy kaffir lime leaf chips and chili peppers. I also like to serve with some fresh lime wedges on the side and squeeze it over the chicken as I eat it. This chicken is also amazing with beer! or cider, soda and or a side of rice! Enjoy!
