盐酥鸡
yánsūjī
Popcorn chicken in Chinese is 盐酥鸡 (yánsūjī).
盐酥鸡 refers to small pieces of breaded or battered chicken that are deep-fried until crispy. This dish is typically seasoned with salt, pepper and often five-spice powder and it is frequently served with basil leaves.
What does it mean word for word?
The name 盐酥鸡 literally translates to 'salt crispy chicken', where 盐 (yán) means salt, 酥 (sū) means crispy or flaky and 鸡 (jī) means chicken.
Is it said differently in some regions?
盐酥鸡 is the standard way to refer to this specific Taiwanese street food snack in Taiwan.
How do you pronounce it?
yánsūjī
Did you know?
- The character 酥 (sū) used in 盐酥鸡 is also used to describe the texture of traditional Chinese flaky pastries, not just fried foods.
- If you order this in Taiwan, you will likely receive a paper bag or a small cup rather than a plate, as it is designed to be eaten while walking.
- In Taiwan, the experience of eating 盐酥鸡 is often paired with 珍珠奶茶 (zhēnzhu nǎichá) or bubble tea as the quintessential street food combination.
Examples in context
- 你吃过爆鸡丁吗？Have you tried popcorn chicken?
- 今晚我们去尝尝爆米花鸡粒怎么样？How about we try some popcorn chicken tonight?
- 我想吃一份盐酥鸡。Wǒ xiǎng chī yī fèn yán sū jī.I want to eat an order of popcorn chicken.
- 这里的盐酥鸡很香。Zhèlǐ de yán sū jī hěn xiāng.The popcorn chicken here is very fragrant.
- 一份盐酥鸡要多少钱？Yī fèn yán sū jī yào duōshǎo qián?How much is one order of popcorn chicken?
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Xiaowen are at a night market.
- 志强 Zhiqiang晓雯，我们要买盐酥鸡吗？Xiǎowén, wǒmen yào mǎi yán sū jī ma?Xiaowen, do we want to buy some popcorn chicken?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好啊，我也想吃。Hǎo a, wǒ yě xiǎng chī.Sure, I want some too.
- 志强 Zhiqiang那我去买一份。Nà wǒ qù mǎi yī fèn.Then I will go buy an order.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen谢谢你，志强。Xièxiè nǐ, Zhìqiáng.Thank you, Zhiqiang.
