Taiwanese fried chicken has become a culinary phenomenon that has swept the globe. This exquisite street cuisine, which originated in the colorful and bustling Taiwan night markets, has captivated taste buds with its tempting crispy skin and juicy, delicate meat. Taiwanese fried chicken has grown beyond its humble beginnings as a popular late-night snack to become an international winner, attracting a devoted following of culinary fans.
What is Taiwanese fried chicken?
Taiwanese fried chicken is a popular street meal known for its crispy coating, juicy flesh, deliciously salty and fragrantly marinated night market classic.
How is Taiwanese fried chicken made?
Taiwanese fried chicken is commonly prepared by marinating chicken pieces in a spice combination, coating in flour, and deep-frying until the outer crispy, yet the inside is juicy.
Prepare to have your taste buds tantalized and dab the saliva collecting at the corner of your mouth as we reveal the allure of Taiwanese fried chicken, from its traditional roots to modern twists and changes. This article is everything you need to know about Taiwanese fried chicken, whether you’re a seasoned fan or a beginner to this key Taiwanese classic.
Table of Contents
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The classics
The following few pictures are all from 師園鹽酥雞 - which you will be able to find inside the amazing ShiDa night market.
There's nothing quite like the incredible spread of a Taiwanese Fried Chicken vendor like this. I mean, you walk around the Taiwan night market and smells permeate the air. Yes, there's some stinky tofu, and probably some sort of shawarma vendor. And they're great. But are they quite as quintessentially Taiwanese as the Taiwanese Fried Chicken vendors that just make that smile on your face wider and wider as you take a step closer and closer?
After you have picked whatever you want and thrown it into whatever red plastic or battered and tattered metal bowl that they give you and you've waited 5-10 minutes, you'll get something like this.
Not a piece of veg in sight, and we are embracing that right here! They might not all be cooked simultaneously, or even in the same oil at some vendors, but splashed down on the same plate here it looks incredibly inviting.
I'd like to go on the record here right now by saying that I seldom eat Taiwanese fried chicken. That isn't because I don't like it - the opposite of that is true. I really appreciate delicious fried chicken, so I tend to save up my energy and enthusiasm for some of the real good stuff once every couple of months. After all, health comes first!
The chicken 鹽酥雞 yàn sū jī
This chicken right here is what you've come to the Taiwan night market for. Big, thick, juicy, crunchy, marinated, salty, spicy (if you want), and addictive. More often than not, this Taiwanese popcorn chicken is deep-fried with some basil to bring an even greater fragrance to it. Chopped up garlic is then thrown into the bag and shaken to mix with the contents of the bag.
Marinated in a spice mix unique to almost every vendor that takes this dish seriously, then dredged in a flour that can sometimes be mixed with potato or corn starch to thicken it up and crisp it up even more. This is what makes Taiwanese fried chicken an unmissable dish when visiting any Taiwan night market.
Pig blood cake 豬血糕 zhū xiě gāo
Once you've gotten over the name and realized that it resembles a British-Taiwan hybrid of black pudding, you're going to get ready to embrace a winner right here. Not adorned with any of that flour or marinate that makes Taiwanese fried chicken delicious, but still incredibly important to order at a Taiwan night market fried chicken vendor, pig blood cake is where it's at!
Crispy skin with pops or crunchy rice give way to a chewy and almost rubbery texture on the inside. This is a great texture alternative to the succulent and juicy chicken that you surely had to have ordered.
Chicken cartilage 雞軟骨 jī ruǎn gǔ
Yes, you read that right - chicken cartilage. When I first arrived here, what struck me was the amount of food that is eaten here, yet ordinarily wasted in other countries around the world. Why throw away perfectly edible cartilage, when it probably still has tiny bits of chicken left on it and can be equally as well deep-fried to contrast that chewy, crunchy, and crispy flavour with the same amazing batter on it? The answer is - don't.
Tempura 甜不辣 tián bù là
Fish paste cake, more than what we might understand in English as tempura. This fish paste tempura cake is chopped up and fried alongside the fried chicken to take on some of that basil and garlic flavour, that allows the skin to be crispy and thin, yet the inside be chewy and retaining some of that fish flavour. There's something magical about those fish paste cake discs that you see at vendors that you absolutely must try.
Squid 魷魚 yóu yú
Squid is good any day of the week. But when you dredge it in the same flour and spice combination as that amazing Taiwanese fried chicken, you know you're going to get ready for some amazing Taiwan night market magic. Crispy, chewy, succulent, delicate, and fresh. This squid is a great addition to any bag of fried chicken that you're likely to get. The texture contrast really surprises.
How to order
I often get questions about how to order at fried chicken vendors such as 師園鹽酥雞 above. In short, it's super easy and is way less stressful than it looks!
- Grab one of those red baskets.
- Grab a pair of tongues, too.
- Usually you can put 1 piece of whatever you would like into the basket, then they will help you to turn that 1 item into 1 portion for you.
- When you give the basket to the vendor, they will likely ask questions such as:
- 你要辣嗎? (Nǐ yào là ma?) - Do you want spice?
| Possible responses | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 不要 (Bù yào) | No spice for me |
| 一點點(Yīdiǎn diǎn) | a little |
| 小辣 (xiǎo là) | more than a little |
| 中辣 (zhōng là) | even more |
| 大辣 (dà là) | yes, all the spice. |
- 要加蒜嗎? (Yào jiā suàn ma) - Do you want to add garlic?
| Possible responses | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 不要 (Bù yào) | No garlic for me |
| 一點點(Yīdiǎn diǎn) | a little |
| 要 (yào) | yes, all the garlic. |
Some of the best Taiwanese fried chicken
師園鹽酥雞 SHI YUN Taiwanese Fried Chicken
Whenever I crave for Taiwanese fried chicken, SHI YUN is usually the vendor I go to. They deep fry each ingredient in different time to make sure everything is perfectly cooked. Make sure to add the garlic, it smells great and goes well with all of the food. If you want curry, they also do deep-fried chicken curry rice to eat in or take out. It is unreal.
You can buy this combo meal in advance on Klook or KKday and save time ordering at the vendor.
If you are planning to eat around Taipei, you can consider this Klook PASS: Taipei Must Eat Food.
台灣鹽酥雞 Taiwan YenSuJi
The selection at Taiwan YenSuJi alone makes it stand out above the crowd. It can be a little overwhelming to stand in front of the vendor and decide on what to get. So, why bother trying to decide? Why not just get a bit of everything?
Of course, their fried chicken is one of the most important things to get. But you should also get their intestines, sweet potato wedges, squid balls, and century egg. The variation in flavours and textures right there will really give you an idea about how incredible the humble fried chicken really is.
肥豬的攤 YongHo Fat Pig
Another Taiwan night market classic here comes out of Yonghe's LeHua night market. Fat Pig brings simple and amazing fried chicken night market classics to the masses out of this humble store front.
Some of the best things here are: rice sausages, radish cake, tofu skin, and their taro balls.
Fat Pig does desserts/sweet things here really well. Their fried chicken is delicious, that goes without saying, but make sure to pick up some of the desserts/sweet things here. Don't overlook their taro balls, nor should you overlook any of the seasonal sandwiches that they also do - they're not deep-fried, but they are pretty special.
鹹酥李 Siansuli
Right outside of Guting MRT station comes Siansuli Taiwanese fried chicken, offering up a modern take on the Taiwanese classic. With some great branding, and fun presentation, Siansuli is a real heavyweight in the fried chicken area in Taipei right now.
As well as the fried chicken, you absolutely must get their taro balls with mochi inside - it's that sweet dessert that will end your fried chicken deliciousness in the right way.
炸老大
A chain fried chicken restaurants with many vendors sprawled across the city throughout many different Taiwan night market's, 炸老大 offers up some amazingly crispy skinned fried chicken and some really good chicken wings, too.
The bottom line
Taiwanese fried chicken is an absolute staple at any Taiwan night market. It doesn't matter whether you're in Taipei, New Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, or anywhere in-between. You should be ordering fried chicken because it's delicious. Of course, temper temptation with frequency of eating deep-fried food, as it's not good to eat all of the time. But when it is this damned good, how can you not get involved?