Japanese Nanban Chicken Recipe

It was a dark and stormy night (not really); dinner was an hour late, the sun had set about 30 minutes ago and there was little timeĀ to do off-camera lighting setup. I hadĀ hastilyĀ arranged the Chicken Nanban into cocktail glasses and hoped it looked fancy.

…Letā€™s be honest, my attempts were in vain and I might as well add that Chicken Nanban is NOT a fancy dishā€”itā€™s messy, ugly and tastes freakingĀ amazing.

Every juicy bite explodes with sweet and tangy nanban sauce which givesĀ me a boost in appetite. I normally scrape the batter off my fried edibles, but for this particular dish, I attack the batter bits soaked in saucesā€”it’s just that good.

Japanese Nanban Chicken Recipe

Even better, this recipe includes instructions on how you can neatly fry the chicken in the oven rather than using a deep fryer or a pan and dealing with the stove clean up afterwards.

Japanese Nanban Chicken Recipe

nanban_chicken_6

I first tried Chicken Nanban at JaBistroĀ located in downtown Toronto, which was phenomenal. I then did some research and decided to try Otaku Food’s Chicken Nanban with my own cooking method, which you can find below. Although the length of the ingredients list may seem intimidating, I assure you the recipe is actually really easy to follow and prepare.

Japanese Nanban Chicken Recipe

Chicken Nanban Recipe

YIELD: 4 portions to be served with side of rice or saladĀ 
ACTIVEĀ TIME: 30Ā minĀ 
TOTAL TIME (active + inactive time): 1 hr 35Ā min
CREDITS: Adapted from Kyushu Style Chicken NanbanĀ fromĀ Otaku Food

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb of chicken breasts (or 3 chicken thighs de-boned, or 1 pound chicken wings)
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • 3/4 cup flourĀ (for batter)
  • salt and pepper for light seasoning
  • 1/4-1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

Nanban Sauce

  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Tartar Sauce

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise, preferably a Japanese brand (I used Kewpie brand)
  • 1 boiled egg
  • 1 tbsp chopped onions
  • 1 tbsp chopped cucumber
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley (or 1/2 tsp dried parsley)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tspnĀ dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Nanban Sauce (Can be made a few days ahead)

  1. Mix the nanban ingredients in a saucepan overĀ medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside, or refrigerate if using at a later date.

TartarĀ Sauce (Ingredients can be prepped night before and mixed day of)

  1. Chop the boiled egg, onion and cucumber into fine cubes (roughly 0.3 cm).
    Stir all the tartar sauce ingredients in a small bowl to combine. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

Chicken

  1. Pre-heat oven to 450Ā°F. Fill an oven safe casserole dish with about 1/4″ frying oil and place into oven to heat for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken with flour, dip inĀ the whisked egg and coat with flour again. Let sit for 15 minutes for the batter to adhere to the chicken.
  3. Slide the chicken carefully into the hot oil until the dish is about 70% filled. To avoid overcrowding, you may have to fry the chicken in several batches.
    Bake each side of the chicken breast for about 13 minutes. (For deboned chicken thighs, 10 minutes each side, for chicken wings, 5 minutes each side). Check to make sure the chicken is cooked and transfer to a paper towel lined plate (to soak up the oil). Continue with the rest of the chicken.
  4. Cut the chicken breasts into thick slices and soak in the nanban sauce briefly. Remove from the sauce and arrange on a serving dish, pouring 1/8 of the nanban sauce on top followed by theĀ tartar sauce. Serve hot.

NOTES

  • The key to preventing the chicken from absorbing too much frying oil is to start with very hot oil and avoid overcrowding. Overcrowding will bring down the oil temperature which will allow the oil seep into the food. Learn more about this topic from Food52.
  • To check for doneness, stab the chicken in a thick areaā€”if clear fluid is released, the chicken is done. If pink fluid is released, bake for 2 more minutes and check again.

 

Easter Bread Egg Ring

I had a spur of the moment Easter baking session using Allrecipesā€™ tasty Braided Easter Egg Bread recipe. I am super impressed! The recipe was very easy to follow and it was a pleasure to bite into sweet warm bread straight from the oven. As you can see, I dyed the eggs beforehand to give the bread wreathĀ a bit of color andĀ I love the result!Ā 

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