Crispy Chicken with Thai Basil

Crispy Chicken with Thai Basil

 

We've all been there. You order a noodle dish and there's an option to add fried crispy chicken. Dang, you know that's gonna take your order to a Power Level 99 dish. But you get your plate and they gave you four measly pieces of battered chicken that you must ration off like you're in a North Korean gulag.
 

What if I told you that you could replicate that savory, spicy, basil-infused morsel of poultry heaven at home and have leftovers for your Super Saiyan sexy self?
 

This is seriously the best fried crispy chicken recipe I've ever eaten. It's a combination of a popular Taiwanese dish, with a Thai spin. The five-spice, potato starch, and basil are the keys. The chicken just pops in your mouth. You can also make the chicken pieces alone and it would make a great snack.
 

NOTE: You must use Thai basil.

Flavor MVP: five-spice powder, you can make many variations of a crispy fried chicken pieces, but the powder makes the chicken sing.

 

 

 

• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs chicken breast, 1/2 inch pieces
• 1-2 cups thai basil, chopped
• 2-3 jalapenos, chopped, de-seeded
• 4-6 red thai chilli peppers, sliced thin
• 2-3 cups oil

marinade:

• 3 tbl soy sauce
• 1 tbl five spice powder
• 1/2 tbl white pepper
• 1/2 tbl black pepper
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2/3 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp shaoxing rice wine
• 2/3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced

starch mixture:

• 2-3 cups potato starch
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder

1. Marinade chicken 1/2 hour to 1 hour in fridge.
2. Fry up oil.
3. Dredge chicken in starch mixture, coat well.
4. Fry chicken in small batches, about five minutes per batch, put chicken on towel-lined platter to drain excess oil.
5. Take out all but 2 tsp of oil.
6. Fry jalapeno peppers, thai chillis, about 2-3 minutes.
7. Put chicken back and toss for a minute.
8. Put basil in and toss for a minute.