Taiwanese Air-Fryer Popcorn Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 lb Skinless, boneless chicken thighs (Raw; cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 0.5 tsp White pepper (For the marinade)
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder (For the marinade)
• 1.5 tbsp Garlic (Minced)
• 1 tbsp Ginger (Minced)
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 0.75 cup Potato starch (Coarse)
• 1 Egg white (From 1 egg; no yolk)
• 1 second Cooking oil spray (Listed as “1 second spray”; use to coat the air-fryer tray and lightly spray the chicken)
• 0.5 tsp Salt (For the topping)
• 0.5 tsp Five-spice powder (For the topping)
• 0.5 tsp Brown sugar (For the topping)
• 0.5 tsp White pepper (For the topping)
• 1 cup Thai basil (For topping and air-frying with the chicken)

Steps

1. 1

   Dice the raw chicken thighs into small pieces about 1 inch in size.

2. 2

   In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients: white pepper, Chinese five-spice powder, minced garlic, minced ginger, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and the egg white only (discard or reserve the yolk for another use). Mix to make the marinade.

3. 3

   Add the diced chicken to the marinade and mix to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes, or refrigerate overnight.

4. 4

   Pour the coarse potato starch onto a plate. Coat each marinated chicken piece fully in the starch.

5. 5

   Coat the air-fryer tray with cooking-oil spray. Arrange the starch-coated chicken on the tray, then lightly spray the chicken with more oil.

6. 6

   Air-fry at 390°F (200°C) for 13–15 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through, until crispy and golden brown.

7. 7

   Add the Thai basil on top of the cooked chicken and air-fry for another 2–3 minutes.

8. 8

   In a bowl, mix the salt, five-spice powder, brown sugar, and white pepper for the topping.

9. 9

   Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the cooked chicken and serve.

Notes

The post gives macros per serving: 531 calories, 49 g protein, 53 g carbohydrates, and 10 g fat. It does not specify the amount of spray oil in a measurable volume or weight; the source lists it as “1 second spray.”

Nutrition per serving

• main
• Taiwanese
• high-protein
• air-fried
• gluten-containing
• low-calorie