Mochiko Fried Chicken (VIDEO)

Crispy Mochiko Chicken in a wooden bowl with furikake and a spicy mayo sauce.

5 from 12 votes

Mochiko Fried Chicken (VIDEO)

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

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Hawaiian

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb chicken thigh cut into 2" pieces
2 cloves garlic grated
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp msg optional
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
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Oil

2 quarts 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, msg if using, mochiko flour, and egg. Whisk together until thoroughly combined (refer to video for batter consistency).
Add the 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. Working a few pieces of chicken at a time, add them to the dry batter and press them in to fully coat the chicken pieces.
To make the garlic-sriracha aioli, combine mayo, sriracha, grated garlic, salt and sugar. Serve with the chicken, top with furikake seasoning, and enjoy!
In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, heat oil to 350F over medium high heat. Fry the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. 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.

Video

Notes

mochiko flour - this 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.
chicken - I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs; you could use chicken breast but I prefer thighs because they're juicier.
MSG - I use msg as an optional flavor enhancer.
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.

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.

Storage and Reheating - Store any leftover Mochiko Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The chicken will soften as it sits - this is normal. If you want to restore some of the crispiness, you can reheat in the airfryer at 375F for 5-7 minutes. If you don't care about restoring any crispiness, you can reheat in the microwave until warmed through.

Nutrition