Yan Su Ji Fried Chicken

Name: Yan Su Ji Fried Chicken
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

A global fried chicken showdown. Joshua Weissman finds out who does it best.

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

5 minutes

Total

20 minutes

Serves

people

Ingredients

Marinade:

Dredge:

‍Seasoning:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together beer, light soy sauce, sugar, salt, Chinese five spice, white pepper, and garlic. Add chicken and mix until fully combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Add half of sweet potato flour to marinated chicken and mix to create a tight batter. In a separate medium size mixing bowl add the remaining sweet potato flour and your dredged chicken. Toss until fully coated.
To make the seasoning, in a small mixing bowl whisk together white pepper, curry powder, five spice, and salt.
Fill a 6 quart Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot with vegetable oil and heat to 350°F (175°C). Once the oil is hot, add the chicken, working in batches, and fry, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Using a spider, transfer chicken to a wire rack lined baking tray to drain off excess oil. Immediately season the chicken with seasoning mix.
Turn off the heat and carefully add a handful of picked Thai basil leaves to the hot oil and fry until no longer bubbling. The leaves will sputter aggressively when first added to oil. Transfer leaves to a paper towel lined baking tray to cool. Garnish chicken with fried Thai basil leaves and serve.