Mochiko chicken is a Hawaiian style bite size fried chicken that you often find on plate lunches or at okazuyas. It's savory and sweet with a thin batter coating that is really easy to make.
It's literally 3 steps.
Rather than dredging the chicken pieces in egg and then flour separately, everything is all mixed together in the bowl and then fried; so unlike southern fried chicken, there isn't really a thick crispy coating. Instead, the coating is thin (and slightly chewy), locking in the flavor of the marinated juicy chicken. It's really good and worth the effort to deep fry in your own kitchen.
Confession time.
I've made this recipe many times for Hawaiian pot lucks, or Hawaiian football tailgates. And years ago, I made this for our ski club's Hawaiian luau, calling it "mochiko chicken". When Wes asked for the recipe, I gave it to him, and he said, "Hey, where is the mochiko flour in the recipe?!"
Sorry, I substitute the mochiko with all purpose flour because I find that the mochiko burns too easily. And to me, the substitution doesn't taste any different. Hence the title of this post says, "Sort of".
Maybe I should think about renaming this dish to "Pupu Chicken", which in Hawaii means bite sized appetizer-style chicken. But then again, those that are not from Hawaii might not find the name appetizing...
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| Add all ingredients to a large bowl |
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| Mix and refrigerate overnight |
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| Shallow or deep fry chicken pieces |
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| Drain on paper towels |
Anyways, this "mochiko" chicken is best served hot or warm, and is freezer friendly! Pictured above, I made two freezer meals pairing the chicken with a side of edamame and stir fried ong-choy.
Enjoy!
Yields 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
- 2 eggs
- 1½ t salt
- 1/3 c soy sauce
- ¼ c sugar
- 1 t pepper
- 2 t garlic powder
- 2 t ginger powder
- 2 T dried onion flakes
- 1/3 c all purpose flour
- 1/3 c cornstarch
Procedures:
1. Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate overnight
2. The next day, deep fry chicken pieces in a pan of heated oil, until golden brown and cooked through.
3. Drain excess oil on a sheet lined with paper towels, and serve warm.