Mochiko Fried Chicken

Check out the Mochiko Fried Chicken recipe video below!

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Ingredient Tips for Mochiko Fried Chicken

• MOCHIKO FLOUR – What is Mochiko flour, and why does it make great fried chicken? Mochiko flour is a type of sweet rice flour that is often used for making mochi, as a batter for fried chicken, or other Japanese sweets and desserts. In this case, we’re using it as a batter to make ultra crispy fried chicken! As this is a KEY ingredient in this dish, there is technically no substitute for it. 🙁

• CHICKEN – In this recipe, I used chicken thigh, as it tends to be juicer and does not dry out as easily. If you want to sub with chicken breast, I would recommend brining it to ensure it stays as moist as possible. I included sriracha in the chicken marinade but if you are sensitive to spice, feel free to omit it!

• WHITE PEPPER – I get asked all the time if you can sub black pepper for white pepper – and my answer is, it depends BUT you need to watch the ratio. White pepper has a milder flavor profile than black pepper, so it’s not a 1-1 substitute. I would start with less black pepper and add as you go. (But really, you should have white pepper in your pantry! It’s a staple in mine!)

• MSG – As always, this is optional 🙂

• NEUTRAL OIL – My favorite neutral oil is avocado oil, but you can also use canola or vegetable oil! I don’t use olive oil when cooking Chinese food for two reasons: 1. It has a low burning point and 2. I find that the flavor profile does not usually go with the dish.

• SAKE – I haven’t found a substitute for sake that I love, as I find that it has a distinct flavor profile that is hard to replace in a recipe. You can try sherry, mirin, shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, or even chicken stock, but I would highly encourage you to use sake if you can.

Want the crispiest wings made in the air fryer? Try my Air Fryer Chicken Wings, which is the top recipe on my site!

Recipe Tips for Mochiko Fried Chicken

• BATTER CONSISTENCY – Refer to the recipe video at the top of the page to see what the batter consistency should look like!

• MARINATE YOUR CHICKEN – I highly recommend you marinate the chicken overnight; if you are crunched for time, marinate for at least 4 hours!

• DREDGE, REST, DREDGE – This step is OPTIONAL but if you have the time, let your chicken rest for 30 minutes after being tossed in the dredge. Once 30 minutes is up, toss the chicken in the dredge one more time to add additional batter. This will result in an extra crunchy chicken with awesome texture!

• OIL TEMPERATURE – Do not let your frying oil drop below 325F when frying! I highly recommend you use a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. If you see it dropping below 325F, fry your chicken in batches. Frying at a low temperature will result in too much moisture (AKA SOGGY!)

If you liked this Mochiko Fried Chicken recipe, check out some other fried chicken recipes:

• Taiwanese XXL Fried Chicken

If you tried this Mochiko Fried Chicken or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!