Chicken Drumsticks- Chinese Steamed and Taiwanese Fried...

Hi friends... Happy April! If you have been following me on instagram, you will see that yesterday I made a fluffy egg soufflé omelet to welcome Easter April. It still needs a bit more work (I tested it twice), and will be happy to blog post on Easter weekend if I'm satisfied :). For now, let's talk chicken 🐔... Chicken is the most popular eaten meat. There's never ending ways to cook it and I find we are always looking for new recipes to try as we get stuck in the rut of cooking it the same way over and over again. I cook with all cuts but prefer bone-in pieces (chicken legs, chicken drumsticks, whole) for that deep flavour and they're always cheaper than boneless. Save $ by buying bone-in, cut off the meat and reserve the bones, freeze sealed for soup stock or sauce-making for handy use later.

My boys are getting bigger, hungrier. When one package of 10 chicken drumsticks🍗 used to feed us five, I need to double up now to take care of dinner business. I prefer to make extra when it comes to meat, which is helpful for a creative with leftovers the next day. Last night, I offered two Asian inspirations- classic Chinese steamed with green onions and ginger oil, and Taiwanese fried "popcorn-style" with Thai basil! This shows the duality in Yin and Yang foods ☯️ - yin is seen more fresh and neutral as with steam preparations, and deep-fried is strongly yang- more invigorating and warming. Both equally loved over here. Sharing in hopes to inspire something new to jazz up your chicken meal repertoire... 

Steamed and Fried Chicken Drumsticks- Yin and Yang ☯️

Chicken purchased on two different occasions- top frozen and pulled out to thaw for use. Depending on store sales, I've picked up drumsticks as low as $0.99/lb. usually at Asian supermarkets. Even so $15 for 21 drumsticks feeding five is so much cheaper than take-out.

Chicken Marination: salt and pepper for steamed; fermented beancurd, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine. chopped garlic and salt and white pepper for fried "popcorn-style".

For the steamed chicken: place chicken on a heat-proof dish set over a rack in a large pot or skillet with water underneath. Covered, steam on medium-high for 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. I love the natural essence liquid released by the chicken during steaming. I highly recommend using this deliciousness to cook your rice in. Reserve the chicken juice, keep the chicken covered with foil, placed in the oven set at warming. Use your convention oven to do that. 

Delicious natural chicken essence from steaming.

Wash your rice and rinse until clear. Pour in the reserved chicken juice. Cook your rice as you do- it will turn out fluffy and unbelievably tasty 😊!

Make chicken essence-infused rice!

For the green onions and ginger oil, chop two green onions, finely chop 1-inch knob of peeled ginger; place into a small bowl with a few dashes of salt. Heat up 1/4 cup oil in skillet or pot until smoking hot and carefully pour over the onion mixture. Listen to that sizzle as it slightly cooks the ingredients! This is so delicious served over chicken especially simple steamed or poached.

The chicken essence is also super to flavour and cook Chinese greens. Here I am sautéing snow pea leaves.

Onto the second chicken dish- Taiwanese deep-fried "popcorn-style". This is probably the most recognized and delectable popular street food from Taiwan making head waves in the west. Meat is marinated and deep-fried, with the tender morsels sprinkled liberally with salt and five spice powder once out of the hot oil served along fried Thai basil leaves. 

Chicken drumsticks is my take on the actual bite-size thigh pieces- it was making the classic earlier this week (sooo gooood) that inspired me to make it again. I couldn't get to the store but I had drumsticks on hand so why not do my own variation minding a longer frying time?

Last night's duo Chinese chicken meal balanced with greens.

Having more time on my hands, I landed on an amazing youtube recipe that made a better popcorn chicken version than I had. It uses pungent-fragrant fermented bean curd in the marinade, and mixed with oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, garlic and white pepper, it blew me and my family out of the water.... 🌬🌊. Soooo RiDiCulOusly Diviiiine 😜! Coated with coarse sweet potato starch, then deep-fried twice for golden extra crunch while flavourful tender served along attractive salted crispy wispy fried Thai basil leaves 🌱.

Finished with a sprinkling of five spice powder and salt our taste buds were flying heaven high baby 😇.

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken with Thai Basil (adapted by Seonkyoung Longest)

Serves 4

1 small cube fermented bean curd 

1 Tbsp. oyster sauce 

1 tsp. shaoxing wine 

1/4 tsp white pepper 

3 cloves garlic

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1” cubes 

or/ 1 lb. bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks

frying oil 

3/4 cup sweet potato flour or potato starch

Handful Thai basil 

1 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. five spice powder (Chinese cinnamon, cloves, star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns)

1/4 tsp. white pepper 

1/4 tsp. paprika or cayenne

Fermented bean curd is made of soybeans, salt, rice wine and sesame oil or vinegar.

Marinate the chicken in a medium bowl with all the ingredients up to oil. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight (the flavour deepens the longer it melds).

Coat each piece of chicken in potato starch. Shake off excess. 

I had leftover egg so I used it as a egg wash to coat before the flour. Not necessary step.

Add the oil in a saucepan (I like to cook mine in batches, thus using and wasting less oil). Heat over medium-high heat until a wooden skewer inserted in the centre emits bubbles shooting up its sides. 

Working in batches, slowly drop the pieces one at a time into the oil; let fry turning them occasionally with tongs, until crispy and golden all over about two to three minutes (for bite-size pieces), for six to eight minutes for whole drumsticks. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer on a rack over top a baking sheet/plate lined with paper towels (this will keep the bottom of chicken from getting soggy). Note: Use a slotted spoon to remove debris to keep oil clean in between frying and to prevent burnt bits.

Extra Crispy TIP: Once chicken are all fried, fry again for another minute! 

To ensure chicken drumsticks are cooked through, place into preheated 350F oven for five minutes. Pierce into one in the thickest part- if juices run clear it is cooked.

When the chicken are all fried, carefully drop in a small bunch of washed and dried Thai basil leaves, close the lid quick and fry for five seconds (BE CAREFUL). Remove with slotted spoon and transfer to rack or on paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken generously with sea/kosher salt and five spice powder, and serve with the fried basil leaves.

This was the actual bite-size popcorn chicken I had the other day that prompted me to make again- but with skin-on chicken drumsticks.

Looks so good right!? 
Believe me it was Diviiiine!

Lemon is optional. Can make the batter soggy if too much.

Love the yu choy greens with oyster sauce and sautéed snow pea leaves with garlic to round things out!

The green onion and ginger oil is good on both styles of chicken- YUM!

Full Recipe:

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken with Thai Basil (adapted by Seonkyoung Longest)

Serves 4

1 small cube fermented bean curd 

1 Tbsp. oyster sauce 

1 tsp. shaoxing wine 

1/4 tsp white pepper 

3 cloves garlic

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1” cubes 

or/ 1 lb. bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks

frying oil 

3/4 cup sweet potato flour or potato starch

Handful Thai basil 

1 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. five spice powder (Chinese cinnamon, cloves, star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns)

1/4 tsp. white pepper 

1/4 tsp. paprika or cayenne

Marinate the chicken in a medium bowl with all the ingredients up to oil. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight (flavours deepen the longer it melds).

Coat each piece of chicken in the starch. Shake off excess. 

Add the oil in a saucepan (I like to cook mine in batches, thus using and wasting less oil). Heat over medium-high heat until a wooden skewer inserted in the centre emits bubbles shooting up its sides. 

Working in batches, slowly drop the pieces one at a time into the oil; let fry turning them occasionally with tongs, until crispy and golden all over about two to three minutes (for bite-size pieces), for six to eight minutes for whole drumsticks. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer on a rack over top a baking sheet/plate lined with paper towels (this will keep the bottom of chicken from getting soggy). NOTE: Use a slotted spoon to remove debris to keep oil clean in between frying and to prevent burnt bits.

Extra Crispy TIP: Once chicken are all fried, fry again for another minute!

To ensure chicken drumsticks are cooked through, place into preheated 350F oven for five minutes. Pierce into one in the thickest part- if juices run clear it is cooked.

When the chicken are all fried, carefully drop in a small bunch of washed and dried Thai basil leaves, close the lid quick and fry for five seconds (BE CAREFUL). Remove with slotted spoon and transfer to rack or on paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken generously with sea/kosher salt and five spice powder, and serve with the fried basil leaves.