At the table
Let the fried pieces cool slightly, then enjoy the crisp coating with the basil. Check the chili level and whether the chicken has small bones before ordering.
Contains chicken. Marinades can include egg white, soy sauce and cooking wine; wheat may be present in sauces. Ask about ingredients and shared frying oil if you avoid particular foods.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
The coating can use potato, sweet-potato or tapioca starch.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Peppery and savory.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Crisp crust; juicy meat.
- How it’s made
- Marinate chicken with egg white, coat in starch and deep-fry; add fried basil.
The coating can use potato, sweet-potato or tapioca starch.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Taiwan.
About this regional connection
Taiwan: A Taiwanese specialty.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有鹽酥雞吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
From Tainan to Taiwan’s street carts
Taiwanese salt-crispy chicken is said to have first appeared in Tainan, inspired by the American-style fried chicken popular in Taiwan during the 1960s. Small chicken pieces are marinated, coated, fried, then seasoned with pepper salt and chili. The snack spread across Taiwan’s streets; today, carts may offer seafood and vegetables alongside chicken, and shops vary their sauces. That evolution helps explain its place in Taiwan’s flexible street-food culture.