• Marinade: Combine the chicken in water, sugar and fish sauce. Mix well and marinade for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight.
  1 lb chicken thigh, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ cup water
• Make the flour dredge: Whisk together all of the flour dredge ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add all of the chicken, including the marinade, into the flour and use tongs to toss the chicken until all pieces are coated, making sure all the pieces are separated from each other.
  ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon granulated garlic, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, ½ teaspoon baking powder
• Dredge the chicken: Use tongs to pick the chicken pieces out of the flour, one by one, and place them on a plate or tray in a single layer; this is to make sure no pieces are stuck together and therefore not properly coated in flour. Retoss any piece as needed to ensure complete coverage. If possible, let the chicken sit for 15-20 mins while you do the next steps; this sitting time allows the moisture from the chicken to moisten the flour coating, preventing it from falling off when frying.
• Make the toasted rice powder: In a small skillet or pot, add the raw rice and the makrut lime leaves and toast over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Once the makrut lime leaves are dry and crisp, remove it, then continue to toast the rice until it is dark brown. Once done, pour into a bowl and let cool for 1-2 minutes, then transfer both the rice and the lime leaves to a coffee/spice grinder or a heavy-duty mortar and pestle. Grind into a powder that's mostly fine but not completely powderized.
  ¼ cup raw jasmine rice, 1-2 makrut lime leaves
• Make the liquid dressing: Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  2 ½ tablespoon fish sauce, 2 ½ tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon sugar
• Fry the chicken (the first time): Add about 1 inch of frying oil to a medium pot or wok and heat it to 350°F (175°C). Add the chicken, one at a time, but don't crowd the pot - you’ll need to fry in 2-3 batches.

  After all the pieces are in, fry the chicken for 2 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown, maintaining the oil temp between 320-350°F. Scoop them out with a wire skimmer and rest on a rack or paper towel-lined tray. Repeat with the remaining chicken, keeping the batches separated as you will need to refry them.
• Fry the chicken again: (Only double-fry what you will eat now, the rest you can refrigerate for up to a week and fry or air-fry them again when ready to eat). Once the first batch of the chicken has cooled for at least 5 minutes, bring the oil back up to 350°F and fry them again for 1 more minute for additional crispness. Scoop them out and drain on a rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Assembly

• Note: This recipe is for 4 servings, but only toss the chicken you'll eat now with the dressing so it won't become soggy. I will give the dressing ingredient amounts for 1 portion, and you can scale it up as needed. Each portion of fried chicken is about 120g.

  In a mixing bowl, PER EACH SERVING OF CHICKEN (see note above), add 1 tablespoon of the toasted rice powder, ¼ teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder, and as much chili flakes as you want (start with ¼ teaspoon if unsure). Then, per serving, add 1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon (~19 ml) of the liquid dressing and stir to create a slurry.
• Add about 2 tablespoons of red onion per serving, then add the chicken and toss quickly with a spoon to get all of chicken coated evenly, scraping down the sides once or twice. Add the the chopped herbs and toss to mix. Serve immediately on top of jasmine rice.
  ¼ small red onion, ½ cup chopped cilantro, Jasmine rice