Taiwanese-Style Crispy Chicken with Basil and Szechuan Pepper-Salt (Yan Su Ji)
- camissonia
- Oct 18
- 1 min read
A ubiquitous fast food sold by street vendors and/or in night markets throughout Taiwan, these fried chicken tenders are soooo amazingly crisp and flavorful! Mom likes to use pork or squid instead of chicken, and I believe there are even some vegetarian versions using mushrooms or potatoes. But the essential ingredients are a marinade of soy, garlic, rice wine, sugar and 5-spice powder for the meat, seafood, or veggies, potato starch for dredging, a salt-pepper seasoning, and fried basil leaves for garnish. I myself prefer using boneless, skinless chicken thighs and, instead of frying the basil leaves, I actually briefly stir fry them along with some sliced fresh red chiles and the crispy chicken just before serving. Great with steamed white rice on the side and some ice-cold Taiwan beer.
1
Note on the sauce:
*Fresh Taiwan basil is hard to come by (I grow my own from seed), but the more readily available Thai basil is a perfectly good substitute.
2
Note on the sauce:
**Roasted Szechuan pepper salt is an aromatic blend of Szechuan peppercorns and salt. Available in many Asian markets but also online.
Notes
1
Trim the fat from the chicken thighs and slice into 1/2" x 2" pieces. Place in a bowl and marinate with the minced garlic, rice wine, 5-spice powder, sugar, and soy sauce. Cover & refrigerate for 1 hour up to overnight.
2
Heat 4 cups of oil in a wok or deep sauté pan over high heat until the temperature reaches 375F.
3
In the meantime, place 2 cups of potato starch/flour in a shallow bowl or plate; dredge the chicken pieces in flour until well coated.
4
Add the chicken to the hot oil and fry for about 2 minutes or until lightly golden (do not overcrowd - fry in 2 or 3 batches at a time). Remove the cooked chicken to a paper towel-lined platter.
5
After all the chicken pieces have been fried, pour out all but 1 tbsp. of oil from the pan. Heat over medium high heat, then add the sliced chiles and cook for 10-20 seconds. Add the fried chicken slices & basil and toss for another 10-20 seconds until well-combined. Season with 1 tsp. of pepper-salt and/or additional kosher salt and white pepper then remove the chicken to a serving dish.
6
Garnish with additional fresh basil and serve with steamed white rice.
Instructions
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed of fat & cut into large dice
5 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp Shaohsing or rice wine
1/2 tsp Five spice powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
Marinade
2 cups potato starch*
4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups fresh Taiwan* or Thai basil leaves
3-4 Fresno chilies seeded and thinly sliced
1 tsp roasted Szechuan pepper salt**
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Taiwanese-Style Crispy Chicken with Basil and Szechuan Pepper-Salt (Yan Su Ji)
Prep Time
30 min
Cooking Time
30 min
Rest Time
0
Total Time
1 hour
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