Mochiko Fried Chicken

5 from 12 votes

Ever since I went to Hawaii I've been craving this Mochiko Fried Chicken. It's so crispy, juicy, and pairs perfectly with a garlic sriracha aioli and a light sprinkling of furikake.

Prep Time4

Cook Time30

Total Time4 30

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb chicken thigh cut into 2" pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp msg optional
1/2 tbsp sriracha omit if you are sensitive to spice
2 cloves garlic grated
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup mochiko flour
1 egg

Dredge

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Garlic-Sriracha Aioli

1/2 cup mayo
2 tbsp sriracha
1 clove garlic grated
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Oil

3 cups neutral oil for frying; I used avocado oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Trim chicken thighs of any excess fat and cut into 2" pieces and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine grated garlic, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, sriracha, sake, cornstarch, mochiko flour, and egg. Whisk together until thoroughly combined (refer to video for batter consistency).
Add your chicken to the marinade and mix well. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, white pepper, and salt. Drop in your chicken and toss in the dredge, coating thoroughly. **Optional for extra crunch** Let the chicken rest for 30 minutes until the batter has absorbed some of the dredge, then toss again in the dredge to add additional batter to the chicken.
In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, heat oil to 350F and fry chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. For best results, use a thermometer here to ensure the oil temp does not drop below 325F. If it does, remove chicken and fry in smaller batches.
Remove chicken from oil and immediately season with kosher salt.
To make the garlic-sriracha aioli, combine mayo, sriracha, grated garlic, salt and sugar. Serve with the chicken, top with furikake seasoning, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

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!

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.

Marinate for at least 4 hours! - I highly recommend you marinate the chicken overnight; if you are crunched for time, marinate for at least 4 hours!

Dredge, rest, and dredge again - 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!

Watch the 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 and the chicken will turn out soggy.

Nutrition