Lemongrass Popcorn Chicken New
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.
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!
Notes
I like to fry some lime leaves and dried peppers into the oil first and use that as garnish when the chicken is all done cooking. The fried lime leaves become super crispy like chips and can be eaten along with the chicken. The dried peppers are just extra spice to eat along with the chicken too. So you have the option to do this if you want extra flavor.
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