Fried Chicken Masala (Indo-Chinese Popcorn Chicken)
I don’t know about everyone else but fried chicken has always had a place in my heart that nothing else can replace. Growing up my dad had a fried chicken fast food store and so did half of my uncles so you can basically say its in my blood. My first job as a 12 yr-old was to take orders for my dad during football Sundays and I was happily paid in chicken wings (plus $5 an hr.)
As I got older I loved trying new types of fried chicken; it seemed every culture seemed had their version of it and this recipe is a mix of my dad’s old “Indian-Chinese” chicken and the tricks I've learned over the years to make the chicken crispy and juicy! I hope you enjoy it!
PREP TIME: 5 minutes l COOK TIME: 15 minutes l TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 ½ lb. chicken breast, cubed
you can also replace the chicken with 2 cups of mixed vegetables cut into bite size pieces for a vegetarian version!
2 gloves of garlic, grated
1 inch of ginger, grated
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili flakes
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon potato starch
you can also use cornstarch but I find potato starch gets crispier
½ cup water
Vegetable oil, to fry
Salt, to taste
I typically add 1 teaspoon to the mix and then sprinkle some on top after frying
Directions
Start to pre-heat a saucepan with oil, at least 1 inch deep, to 350 degrees.
Mix together chicken, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce in a medium bowl.
Combine potato starch, cumin, chili flakes, black pepper, and salt together in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the dry potato starch mix over the chicken, tossing as you add the dry mix in.
Fry the chicken in batches, being sure not to crowd the pain, until golden brown. I split mine into 3 batches and take about 5 minutes per batch.
Drain the crispy chicken onto a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with a light dash of salt.
Serve hot with your favorite sauce!