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1
Combine the water, garlic, shallots, ginger, and lime juice in a pot large enough to hold all the chicken pieces in a single layer. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. The broth is ready when it is fragrant and the aromatics have begun to soften — the smell is clean and faintly sour, not sharp.
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2
Add the chicken pieces to the simmering broth. Reduce the heat so the surface barely trembles. Poach, turning once, until the flesh is cooked through but the skin remains pale and the juices run clear when the thickest piece is pierced. This is where the dish lives or dies: the poach must be gentle enough that the skin does not colour and the flesh does not tighten — a rolling boil produces neither the paleness nor the moisture that define ayam pop.
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3
Lift the chicken pieces from the broth and allow them to drain and dry on a rack. The surface should feel dry to the touch; any surface moisture will cause the oil to spit and the skin to stew rather than crisp.
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4
Heat the oil in a wok or deep pan to frying temperature. Working in batches, lower the dried chicken pieces into the hot oil skin-side down. Fry briefly until the skin is just crisp and blistered but the flesh has not coloured beyond pale gold. The sound shifts from an aggressive sizzle to a quieter, steadier hiss when the surface moisture has cooked off and the skin has set.
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5
Remove the chicken and drain on a rack. The finished piece is white at the flesh, with a thin, crisp, barely coloured skin. Serve immediately.