What it is
Popcorn chicken (鹹酥雞, xian su ji, 'salty crispy chicken') is diced chicken thigh that is marinated, coated, deep-fried and seasoned with salt and pepper. Chilli powder, fried basil and garlic are common extras. The stalls that sell it fry many other things the same way, from tofu skin, squid and chicken skin to mushrooms and green beans.
Where it came from
The dish is fairly young. The news site NOWnews names two shops as the first in their regions: Taiwan's First Popcorn Chicken (台灣第一家鹽酥雞), opened in Taipei's Ximending in 1975, in the north, and You Ai Popcorn Chicken (友愛鹽酥雞), at Ximen Road and Youai Street in Tainan, in the south. Both signs used 鹽 (salt). The spelling 鹹 (salty) came later, and people still argue over which is correct.
The 'first' label soon became a generic sign. A 2012 TVBS report counted more than 3,000 stalls around Taiwan trading as Taiwan's First Popcorn Chicken.
Early stalls set themselves apart mainly by chilli, offering mild, medium or extra hot. Seasonings have since spread to seaweed powder, mustard powder, honey and cheese, and one large chain stocks close to a hundred items for frying.
How it is made
Diced thigh meat is marinated for at least an hour in soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice wine and five-spice. It is dipped in beaten egg and dredged in flour or sweet potato starch. Some vendors use two pots of oil: a hot one to seal the outside, then a cooler one to cook it through. More pepper goes on after frying. A few fry in the chicken's own fat for extra fragrance, though this costs more. Some shops spin the food in a machine to shake off oil.
How to eat it
Popular as an evening and late-night snack. Stalls display the raw items and customers pick what goes in the fryer. Say how spicy you want it, from mild (小辣) upwards, and whether to add garlic or basil. Some shops also set out seasoning powders, such as sweet-sour plum powder (甘梅粉), for customers to shake on.
Around Taiwan
- Tainan
- You Ai Popcorn Chicken (友愛鹽酥雞), at the corner of Ximen Road and Youai Street, is named by NOWnews as the first popcorn chicken stall in southern Taiwan.
- Kaohsiung
- Lao Die Popcorn Chicken (老爹鹹酥雞) in Zuoying opens four nights a week and draws long queues. The owner tosses each batch of chicken into the oil from a distance, and its fried tofu skin with pepper salt has its own following.
