Cheetos Taiwanese Fried Chicken
Cheetos and their magnetic orange finger dust are the cheesy bag of chips that have shaped a lot of my childhood and farts (sigh, lactose intolerance). But I can't deny just how iconically delicious these chips are, butt hole be damned! My Midwestern brain couldn't help but think of the distinct crunch of Cheetos when snacking on Taiwanese fried chicken. And so, as an advance apology to my ancestors, I've decided to pair these two loves of mine together. The recipe uses crushed Cheetos mixed with sweet potato starch to create the crunchiest of breading for chicken thigh that's been marinated in rice wine and garlic. It's fried then topped with honey chili crisp drizzle alongside sesame seeds and scallion. A salty, crunchy, sweet, and tangy homage if you will to the patron saint of the Midwest — Frito Lay, and the street markets of Taipei.
At a glance
Yield
4 servingsTime
3 hours to marinate, 1 hour cookIngredients
Chicken and marinade
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 cloves of garlic, finely grated
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg white
2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
Breading
3 cups of Cheetos
1 cup sweet potato starch (corn starch works as a substitute)
Frying
3-4 cups of canola, vegetable or any oil with high smoke point
Dipping sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chili crisp
1 teaspoon warm water
Toppings
Lemon
Black and white sesame seeds
1 scallion, finely chopped
Extra crushed up Cheetos
Preparation
Prep chicken
Cut chicken thighs into thirds for smaller pieces and quarters for larger pieces to get small chunks (we're going for popcorn chicken size). Place chicken in large mixing bowl and mix in garlic, kosher salt, all-purpose flour, egg white, and rice wine. Give the chicken a good mix to combine all the ingredients together, then wrap with some plastic wrap and marinate for at least a few hours and ideally overnight.
Make breading
In a food processor, blend and pulse Cheetos until they are mostly breadcrumb sized with some chunky bits. (If you don't have a food processor, place the Cheetos in a gallon Ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin.) Place Cheetos crumbs in a mixing bowl and add sweet potato starch. Mix until they've become friends with each other and have combined.
Batter chicken and fry
Prep a tray lined with paper towels. In a large pot, heat oil to 350-375°F degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, just stick a wooden chopstick into the oil and if it's extremely fizzy and full of bubbles, your oil is ready. Carefully fry all the chicken in small batches, frying each batch for about 2-3 minutes until golden. Place the chicken onto the tray lined with paper towels.
Once all the chicken is fried, fry again in small batches for one minute to get the crust extra crispy, again setting aside on the tray with paper towels. Sprinkle the fried chicken with some extra kosher salt to taste if needed.
Assemble
Place Cheetos fried chicken in a bowl. Add a squeeze of lemon and garnish with a lemon slice. Sprinkle black and white sesame seeds along with some crushed up Cheetos. Add some finely chopped scallions on top. Mix honey, chili crisp, and water in a small bowl, then drizzle over the top of the fried chicken. Serve warm!
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Chicken and marinade
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 cloves of garlic, finely grated
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg white
2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
Breading
3 cups of Cheetos
1 cup sweet potato starch (corn starch works as a substitute)
Frying
3-4 cups of canola, vegetable or any oil with high smoke point
Dipping sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chili crisp
1 teaspoon warm water
Toppings
Lemon
Black and white sesame seeds
1 scallion, finely chopped
Extra crushed up Cheetos
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