Ingredients
CHICKEN & MARINADE
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup tamari soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine
1 large organic egg yolk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon 5-spice powder
Ground white pepper
COATING
1 cup sweet potato flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground Szechuan pepper
1 teaspoon 5-spice powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Vegetable oil, for frying
Thai basil leaves
Lime wedges, for serving
Directions
Prepare the chicken: Slice the chicken breasts horizontally into thin cutlets, then slice the cutlets into long strips. Pound the strips to about 1/8-inch thick to make long, flat planks. Combine the tamari, rice wine, egg yolk, garlic, 5-spice powder, and a little white pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.
Make the coating: Combine the sweet potato flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, Szechuan pepper, 5-spice powder, garlic powder, and onion powder in a shallow container.
Fill a countertop fryer with oil or pour a few inches of oil into a large Dutch oven. Heat the oil to 365°F. (The oil is ready when a 1-inch cube of white bread cooks to golden brown in 40 seconds.)
Take the chicken out of the marinade, shaking off the excess, and coat it in the coating. Add the chicken to the fryer in batches and cook until golden brown (by the time the chicken is golden, it will be cooked through). Drain on paper towels.
Add the basil leaves to the oil after the chicken comes out and fry them until crisp, 30 seconds to a minute. They will pop a little—that’s just the water coming out of them.
Serve with lime wedges.
