When the sun goes down, the lights of the stalls come on along the street and pots of oil are set over the flame one after another. You point at the chicken and vegetables lined up in the glass case, the vendor drops them all into the oil together, and as they come out he tosses in a handful of green leaves. The basil crackles the moment it leaves the pot. The hot bite-sized pieces, dusted with fragrant seasoned salt, are packed into a paper bag and eaten as you stroll. This is xian su ji (鹹酥雞), the most familiar street snack of Taiwan's night markets.
Night market lights and the "fourth meal"
Xian su ji means "salty, crispy chicken," and it is also written 鹽酥雞 (yan su ji). In the English-speaking world it is usually called "Taiwanese popcorn chicken." Bite-sized chicken thigh is seasoned with soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, garlic, and five-spice, coated in beaten egg, dredged in flour or sweet potato starch, and fried. Finishing with salt and pepper is the basic rule, and to taste, chili powder, quickly fried basil, and fried garlic are added.
The history of the dish is surprisingly short. It is said that in the fierce competition among street stalls, the seasoning and the frying method changed quickly over a short period. Taiwan has a habit of eating late, long after sunset, called "xiaoye" (宵夜): a night snack that is sometimes called the fourth meal of the day. Night markets are lined with stalls that cook in front of the customer, and xian su ji is among the best-known flavors of them all.
Adding fried basil leaves at the end is a distinctly Taiwanese finish. The leaves, fried for just a moment, pick up a little of the seasoned salt meant for the chicken, and they make a crisp nibble in their own right.
The big differences from Japanese karaage are the coating and the aroma. The coarse grains of sweet potato starch fry into a pale, craggy, light crust that stays crisp even as time passes. Layered on top are the sweet fragrance of five-spice, the numbing aroma of Sichuan pepper, and the heat of white pepper, for a flavor that belongs to the night market and is nothing like karaage.
Ingredient notes for the home cook
What decides the coating is sweet potato starch, called "digua fen" (地瓜粉) in Taiwan. The grains are coarse, and when fried they give the characteristic craggy crust. Look for it at Chinese or Taiwanese grocery stores or online. If you cannot find it, potato starch or cornstarch will do. Fried in potato starch, the crust comes out smooth and thinner, close to Japanese tatsuta-age.
Five-spice powder is a Chinese spice blend of star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and other spices, and it is now easy to find in the spice aisle of many supermarkets. For the basil, Taiwan uses a Thai-basil type called "jiu ceng ta" (九層塔). Thai basil is available at Asian grocery stores. Sweet basil still gives you a good aroma, though it leans sweeter and fresher.
If you buy Sichuan peppercorns whole, then toast and grind them, the aroma is completely different. A mortar gets them fine enough, but a spice grinder turns them to powder in an instant. Leftover seasoned salt keeps in an airtight container and is good on yakitori and other fried foods too.
A deep-fry thermometer makes controlling the temperature for the double fry much easier. Without one, drop a pinch of the coating starch into the oil. If it fizzes right away and floats up, the oil is at the right temperature to begin frying.
Ingredients (serves 2)
This dish contains egg (egg white), wheat, and soy (soy sauce). Sichuan pepper has a strong, tongue-numbing aroma, so if small children will eat it, make the seasoned salt with just white pepper and salt.
How to make xian su ji
Allow about 10 minutes of prep and about 25 minutes of cooking, roughly 35 minutes in all. Make the seasoned salt and prepare the coating while the chicken marinates, and the work goes without waste.
Frying oil gets very hot. Fill the pot no more than halfway with oil, and do not leave the pot while you are frying. Basil with water left on it makes the oil spatter violently, so wipe it thoroughly with paper towels and slide it in gently from the edge of the pot. If the oil starts to smoke, turn off the heat immediately.
Cook the chicken all the way through. FoodSafety.gov in the United States gives an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F) as the guide for safely cooked chicken. If you have a cooking thermometer, check the center of the largest piece to be sure.
Serving and how it is eaten at the night market
At the night market, fresh-fried xian su ji goes into a paper bag or cup and is eaten on the move, pieces speared with a bamboo skewer. At home, serve it in a bowl lined with a paper bag or parchment, with toothpicks or bamboo skewers, for a night market mood. A beer or cold Taiwanese tea brings the feeling of a Taiwanese stall at night even closer.
To round out more Taiwanese street food, put it next to lu rou fan (in Japanese), braised sweet-savory pork over rice, or dan bing (in Japanese), the Taiwanese breakfast of an egg layered and rolled in a thin crepe. Add a bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle soup (in Japanese) and you have the flavors of both a Taiwanese eatery and the night market.
Ways to vary it
The same coating and seasoned salt work on other ingredients. Slice squid into rings, pat it dry, and marinate briefly before frying for a tender result. Cut thick fried tofu into 2 cm cubes, dredge, and fry until the surface is crisp. Cut sweet potato into sticks about 7 mm thick, fry them slowly at a lower 160°C, and sprinkle with seasoned salt for the pairing of sweetness and aromatic salt.
You can also use an air fryer. Mist the coated chicken lightly with oil before cooking for a lighter result than deep-frying. Still, a sweet potato starch coating gives a distinctly crisp texture when fried in oil, so try the double fry first.
Frequently asked questions
What if I do not have sweet potato starch?
Potato starch or cornstarch will work. The coating is thin and smooth, with a texture close to Japanese tatsuta-age. You can also mix potato starch and cornstarch half and half.
Is the double fry necessary?
You can fry just once, for longer, but the double fry keeps the inside juicy while making the crust firmly crisp. Plan for the second fry to cook the chicken through, and keep to the times.
The coating goes soft as it sits.
To reheat, use a toaster oven or broiler for a few minutes rather than the microwave, and the crisp texture of the coating comes back. It scorches easily, so check partway through.
Can I make it ahead?
Fried food is best fresh from the oil. If you have leftovers, let them cool slightly, refrigerate, and finish them soon. When reheating, check that they are hot all the way through.
Sources
- Tasting Table, Michelle McGlinn, "Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken Recipe," published April 10, 2023. Accessed and checked: October 22, 2026. https://www.tastingtable.com/1248052/taiwanese-popcorn-chicken-recipe
- Wikipedia, "Taiwanese fried chicken." Accessed and checked: October 22, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_fried_chicken
- FoodSafety.gov, "Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature." Accessed and checked: October 22, 2026. https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-internal-temperatures
