1poundboneless, skinless chicken(dark or white meat), cut into bite-size pieces
For The Chicken Marinade:
11/2 tablespoonslow-sodium soy sauce
3tablespoonsShaoxing wineor dry sherry
1tablespoontoasted sesame oil
1tablespoonpacked dark brown sugar
1tablespoonChinese five-spice powderdivided
1teaspoonground white pepperdivided
5garlic clovesfinely chopped
For The Popcorn Chicken Coating:
1/4cupcornstarch
1largeegg yolklightly beaten
1cupbrown rice flouror potato flour
Pinchchili powderfor garnish
2teaspoonskosher salt
For The Frying:
Canola, grapeseed, or peanut oilfor frying
1bunchThai basilfor garnish
Instructions
Marinate The Chicken: Mix the chicken with the soy, wine, sesame oil, sugar, half of each the Five-Spice powder and white pepper, and all the garlic. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 24 hours.
Coat The Chicken: When ready to cook, stir cornstarch and egg yolk into the chicken mixture. Put the flour on a large, flat plate and mix. Add the chicken to the flour, toss to coat evenly, then knock off any excess flour. Let the chicken rest while the oil heats up (at least 5 minutes) — this will help the coating adhere better. Meanwhile, mix together the remaining five-spice powder with the white pepper, salt, and chili powder and set aside.
Heat The Oil: Fill a heavy-bottomed pot or wok with 1-inch of oil and heat to 375°F over medium-high heat. Add enough of the chicken to form a single layer in the pan (about half) and cook until it is golden brown on all sides (you’ll need to do this in multiple batches), about 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the fried chicken out on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil and immediately season with the salt mixture. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Fry The Basil: Carefully add half of the basil leaves (it will sputter so cover with a splatter guard or stand back) and fry until crisp, about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and repeat with remaining basil. Toss fried basil with chicken and serve immediately.