Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Recipe | Saveur

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Taiwanese rice wine (michiu) or cooking sake
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. fine sea salt
• ½ tsp. ground white pepper
• ¼ tsp. five-spice powder
• 1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-in. pieces
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup thick sweet potato starch (see headnote)
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1½ cups fresh Thai basil leaves, washed and thoroughly dried
• ½ tsp. chile powder
• ¼ tsp. fine sea salt