Popcorn Chicken With Spicy Fish Sauce Caramel

15 mins Prep Time

30 mins Cook Time

Written By

Nadia Boachie

This recipe is most certainly a crowd-pleaser. I used boneless and skinless chicken thighs, chopped to bite-sized pieces, coated in a spiced flour-corn starch mixture and fried until crispy and golden. The chicken pieces are then tossed in a freshly prepared fish sauce caramel that adds the perfect coating of sweet umami to the crispy chicken. The consistency of the caramel does not lessen the crispiness of the chicken, so don't worry about a soggy chicken coating. If the caramel is cooked to the correctly thickened consistency, it should simply add a sticky sweet and spicy layer to your perfect chicken bites. This is a great snack to make as an appetizer for dinner or perhaps as part of an array of appetizers served before a big game or at your next movie night. This Popcorn Chicken With Spicy Fish Sauce Caramel Sauce is so tasty and though there is a bit of prep and multiple elements, it is a great recipe to have in your back pocket. You will be surprised just how easy it is to get restaurant-style fried chicken in your home.

Ingredients

Fried Chicken

6-7 boneless and skinless chicken thighs or 4 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts
Neutral oil (about 1 quart), for frying
3 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Coating

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon cayenne
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt and Pepper

Fish Sauce Caramel

Kosher salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 cup palm sugar or light brown sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Thai chili peppers, to garnish
Chopped cilantro, to garnish

Directions

Fish Sauce Caramel

5 Steps

Step 1

In a small saucepan, add sesame oil, minced garlic, water, sugar, rice vinegar, salt (start with a small pinch of salt), pepper (to taste), chili flakes (I used Korean gochugaru) and fish sauce.
Step 2

Keep stirring over medium-low heat and ensure sugar fully dissolves. To ensure that the sugar melts evenly, stir with a metal or wooden spoon.
Step 3

After two minutes when the sugar is relatively smooth, stop stirring and let the mixture cook undisturbed.
Step 4

The liquid should start thickening and bubbles should form at the sides.
Step 5

Cook until caramel is thickened but a little runny so it can coat your chicken later. Taste and adjust for seasoning by adding more or less fish sauce, more chili flakes etc. Adjusting for seasoning is possible when the caramel is still hot and runny, when it cools more it will thicken and become too difficult to stir things into it.

Popcorn Chicken

9 Steps

Step 1

Cut chicken thighs or breasts into bite sized pieces.
Step 2

In a large bowl, mix buttermilk, paprika, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add in chicken pieces. Marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge.
Step 3

When ready to cook, take the chicken out and let sit on the counter for 10 minutes.
Step 4

Heat oil in a deep skillet or pot. Pour oil until it is about an inch deep.
Step 5

Heat your oil to 350°F. If you don't have a thermometer, sprinkle a bit of flour in oil and you are looking for it to sizzle slightly.
Step 6

While oil is heating, mix together coating ingredients in shallow bowl: flour, cornstarch, cayenne, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. You do not need to add too much salt to coating as this will be coated in a fairly salty fish sauce caramel.
Step 7

Work in batches to remove chicken from buttermilk marinade and coat in flour. Make sure to press the flour onto your chicken. It is okay if it looks clumpy, this will create more crispy bits on your chicken. You may use plastic gloves to coat your chicken but remove before placing chicken in oil. Tap off the excess flour.
Step 8

Place the breaded chicken bits into the oil. Do not overcrowd pan. It may be easier to use a kitchen utensil with small holes at the bottom so you may transfer multiple pieces of chicken without carrying excess flour into oil. The chicken will drop the temperature of the oil so keep it as close to 350°F as possible. Again if you do not have a thermometer, watch that the chicken is not getting too dark, too fast. Fry each piece for 6-8 minutes, turning each piece over once if necessary to get an even golden colour. The cook time is reduced because chicken is bite sized.
Step 9

Remove from the oil and place on paper towels. Let them rest for at least 2 minutes.

To Coat

2 Steps

Step 1

In a metal bowl, add your caramel sauce and place fried chicken in it, tossing it around to coat chicken evenly with now slightly cooled caramel.
Step 2

Garnish with cilantro and chopped Thai chili peppers and serve hot.

Ingredients

Fried Chicken

6-7 boneless and skinless chicken thighs or 4 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts
Neutral oil (about 1 quart), for frying
3 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper