Taiwanese Salt and Pepper Chicken-Yan Su Ji (2024)

Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken (basil peppercorn chicken or yan su ji) is one of my husband’s favorite during sports event just like Olympic Game this year. He is the happiest man in the world when served with fried chicken and chilled beer.

Personally I don’t like to make deep-fried dishes at home becauseusually a large mount of oil is needed. With the hope of saving some oil, I use a smaller pot and fry the chicken by 4 batches (I hope to be a saving cook).

About the ingredients for this salt and pepper peppercorn chicken

I use chicken thigh instead of chicken breast. Chinese really do not like chicken breast even in the famous Kung Pao Chicken. Boneless chicken thigh is our favorite. Remove the skins and the bones and cut chicken into bite sizes.

The flour for coating is sweet potato flour, which is an extremely popular flour used in many Chinese cuisines including Szechuan cuisine. We made a large bag using the sweet potatoes growing in our own field each year. Most of the sweet potato flour is coarse-textured, which will give the characteristic crumbly texture on the surface. You can try to search it in Asian grocers, otherwise use cornstarch or all-purpose flour to replace it. But you may end up with slightly different looking.

You will need

• 2 boneless chicken thigh (around 320g)
• 2/3 cup sweet potato starch (or you can use other starch to replace it )
• 1 small bunch of basil
• oil for deep-frying

Marinating

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon beer
• 1/8 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 egg (smaller one)
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoon of salt

Mixed seasonings powder

• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder

Instructions

Clean fresh basil leaves and drain completely with kitchen paper.

Mix all the marinating ingredients with chicken meat. Combine well and set aside in fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Add half of the flour and mix well.

Heat up oil to 170 degree C. Place the remaining flour in a plate and coat each chicken piece with a thin layer of flour.

Slow the heat to medium heat and fry the chicken pieces for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown.

Transfer out and cool down slightly (around 2 to 3 minutes)

Reheat the oil around 150 degree C and then add basil leaves in. And then continue heating the oil until really hot, return the fried chicken pieces to fry for around half minute.

To make mixed seasonings:mix the ingredients together and toast in a pan over low–medium heat until fragrant. Sprinkle the seasonings on the fried chicken and serve immediately.