Taiwanese Style Fried Chicken

1. In a bowl, combine chicken thighs, grated garlic, soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, orange juice, sugar, Chinese five spice powder, ground white pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well and marinate for atleast 1 hour or overnight.

2. Toast Sichuan peppercorns and white peppercorns for 2-3 minutes then transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind into a powder then mix with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon sugar.

3. Fill a pot with neutral oil about half way up and heat over medium heat to 350F or 175C.

4. Toss the chicken along with any juices in the bowl with tapioca flour until small beads form around the chicken.

5. For the first fry, cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Be sure to work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.

6. For the second fry, raise the oil temperature to 400F or 205C. Working in batches again, place the fried chicken into oil and fry for 1 minute until golden brown and crispy. Remove then sprinkle with Sichuan-white peppercorn mixture.

7. Pat dry Thai basil leaves then fry for 1-2 minutes or until crispy. Serve with chicken and enjoy!