Taiwanese Chicken Cutlet
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A Taiwanese chicken cutlet (雞排, jī pái, or dà jī pái for the jumbo size — the Hot-Star night-market style) is a single large, thin, crispy fried chicken cutlet: a butterflied chicken breast pounded flat, marinated in soy, garlic, and five-spice, coated in coarse sweet-potato starch, and deep-fried until shatteringly crunchy, then dusted with five-spice salt and chili powder. It's bigger than your face, eaten standing up from a paper bag, and is distinct from Taiwanese popcorn chicken (鹹酥雞), which is bite-size pieces — the cutlet is one giant flat piece. The keys are butterflying and pounding the breast thin so it cooks fast and stays crisp, marinating for flavor, using coarse sweet-potato starch for the craggy crust, and frying twice for lasting crunch. Serve it whole, dusted with the spiced salt, for the full night-market experience. It also works in an air fryer for a lighter version.
Why you'll love this taiwanese chicken cutlet
- One giant, thin, shatteringly crisp cutlet — the Hot-Star night-market classic, bigger than your face.
- Coarse sweet-potato starch makes the signature craggy, glassy crunch.
- Five-spice salt and chili dusting make it unmistakably Taiwanese.
- Deep-fry for the real thing, or air-fry for a lighter version.
Ingredients
Chicken & marinade
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded thin
- 3 tbsp light soy saucesubstitutes →
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing winesubstitutes →
- 5 cloves garlic, grated
- 1.5 tsp five-spice powdersubstitutes →
- 1 tsp white peppersubstitutes →
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 egg
Coating & frying
- 2 cups coarse sweet-potato starch, the key to the craggy crustsubstitutes →
- 6 cups neutral oil, for deep-frying (or oil spray to air-fry)
Five-spice salt
- 1.5 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp chili powder, or to taste
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Hard-to-find ingredients, delivered
Stock the pantry once and you can cook this anytime: Shaoxing wine, five-spice powder, white pepper. Asian groceries deliver nationwide.
Equipment
- Wok or deep pot — Wide enough to fry a large flat cutlet.(shop →)
- Meat mallet — To pound the breast thin and even.(shop →)
Instructions
Butterfly, pound & marinate
Butterfly each chicken breast (slice almost in half and open it like a book), then pound it between two sheets of plastic to an even ½-inch thickness. Marinate with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, five-spice, white pepper, sugar, and egg for at least 20 minutes. Stir the five-spice salt ingredients together.
💡 Pounding the breast thin and even is what lets a big cutlet cook through fast and stay crisp instead of drying out.
Coat in sweet-potato starch
Dredge each cutlet in the coarse sweet-potato starch, pressing firmly so the craggy coating clings all over. Rest the coated cutlets 5 minutes so the starch hydrates.
💡 Coarse sweet-potato starch (地瓜粉) gives the bumpy, extra-crunchy crust. Cornstarch works in a pinch but is smoother and less authentic.
First fry
Heat the oil to 340°F (170°C). Fry one cutlet at a time until pale gold and just cooked through, 3–4 minutes. Remove and rest on a rack. (Air-fryer: spray well, 400°F for 12–14 minutes, flipping once.)
Second fry for crunch
Raise the oil to 375°F (190°C) and fry each cutlet again for 1–2 minutes until deep golden and shatteringly crisp. Drain on a rack.
💡 The double fry sets a glassy, long-lasting crust — the reason night-market cutlets stay crunchy even in the bag.
Season & serve
Dust both sides generously with the five-spice salt and chili while hot. Serve whole in a paper sleeve and eat by hand, night-market style.
Tips & notes
- Sweet-potato starch (地瓜粉), not flour or cornstarch, gives the authentic craggy, glassy crust — find it at any Asian grocery.
- Pound the breast to an even thickness so the large cutlet fries fast and evenly without drying out.
- Keep the cutlet thin and wide — the night-market appeal is one giant crispy piece, not thick nuggets.
- Double-frying is worth it for crunch that lasts; a single careful fry to deep gold still beats any frozen cutlet.
- Air-fryer version: spray generously and flip once; the crust is a little less craggy but still excellent with the five-spice salt.
Recipe wording too vague?
AIPaste any fuzzy step (少许, 火候正好, 焯水) and get exact amounts, temps and times.
Taiwanese Chicken Cutlet
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Intermediate
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded thin
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 5 cloves garlic, grated
- 1.5 tsp five-spice powder
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups coarse sweet-potato starch, the key to the craggy crust
- 6 cups neutral oil, for deep-frying (or oil spray to air-fry)
- 1.5 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp chili powder, or to taste
Instructions
- Butterfly each chicken breast (slice almost in half and open it like a book), then pound it between two sheets of plastic to an even ½-inch thickness. Marinate with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, five-spice, white pepper, sugar, and egg for at least 20 minutes. Stir the five-spice salt ingredients together.
- Dredge each cutlet in the coarse sweet-potato starch, pressing firmly so the craggy coating clings all over. Rest the coated cutlets 5 minutes so the starch hydrates.
- Heat the oil to 340°F (170°C). Fry one cutlet at a time until pale gold and just cooked through, 3–4 minutes. Remove and rest on a rack. (Air-fryer: spray well, 400°F for 12–14 minutes, flipping once.)
- Raise the oil to 375°F (190°C) and fry each cutlet again for 1–2 minutes until deep golden and shatteringly crisp. Drain on a rack.
- Dust both sides generously with the five-spice salt and chili while hot. Serve whole in a paper sleeve and eat by hand, night-market style.
Nutrition (est., per serving): 450 cal · 40 g protein · 30 g carbs · 18 g fat
Taiwanese Chicken Cutlet FAQ
What is a Taiwanese chicken cutlet?
A Taiwanese chicken cutlet (雞排, ji pai; the jumbo 'da ji pai' is the Hot-Star style) is a single large, thin, crispy fried chicken cutlet — a butterflied chicken breast pounded flat, marinated, coated in coarse sweet-potato starch, deep-fried until shatteringly crunchy, and dusted with five-spice salt and chili. It's a night-market icon, eaten whole from a paper bag.
What's the difference between a chicken cutlet and Taiwanese popcorn chicken?
Size and shape. The chicken cutlet (雞排) is one big, flat, thin piece you hold and bite; Taiwanese popcorn chicken (鹹酥雞) is bite-size nuggets eaten with a little fork. Both are marinated, coated in sweet-potato starch, and fried crisp with five-spice salt — popcorn chicken usually adds fried basil, while the cutlet is the giant hand-held version.
What starch is used for Taiwanese fried chicken cutlet?
Coarse sweet-potato starch (地瓜粉) is the authentic coating — it fries into the bumpy, craggy, glassy crust that defines Taiwanese fried chicken. Cornstarch or potato starch will work in a pinch but give a smoother, less craggy result. For the real night-market texture, it's worth seeking out at an Asian grocery.
How do you keep the cutlet crispy?
Two things: pound the chicken thin so it cooks fast without overcooking, and fry twice — once at a lower temperature to cook it through, then again hotter to set a glassy, long-lasting crust. Rest the cutlets on a rack (not paper towels) so steam escapes and the bottom stays crisp. Season and eat while hot.
Can I make a Taiwanese chicken cutlet in an air fryer?
Yes. Coat the marinated, pounded cutlet in sweet-potato starch, spray both sides generously with oil, and air-fry at 400°F for 12–14 minutes, flipping once, until deep golden and crisp. The crust is slightly less craggy than deep-fried, but dusted with five-spice salt it's still a great, much lighter version.
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