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Japanese Fried Chicken Nuggets

Because NOT All Fried Food Is Junk-Food

Quick answerMakes 3-4 People servings, ready in 25-30 minutes, cook at 320F / 160C, Japanese cuisine.
By Jaron Kimhi··👁 407 views
Japanese Fried Chicken
Let's make things straight. I've never been to Japan, so I have no idea if they serve this recipe there, but they love chicken and they love fried food. So this Japanese Fried Chicken is something I'd expect to eat there. It's a super easy recipe that takes less than 30 minutes. You might need to make sure you have all the Japanese ingredients at home, but after that it's really a breeze. I'm using corn starch for crunchiness — it's really great and less heavy than the regular fried chicken you're used to (not that I don't love that too). Feel free to use either chicken breast or thigh. The thigh meat is much juicier, though...

Tips For Success:

  1. Thigh meat is better than breast (unless you have something against dark meat)
  2. The sauce is for dipping immediately after frying. Do it quickly and remove to a clean paper towel
  3. The actual dipping sauce you see in the picture was made with mayo, soy, paprika, mirin and some chili
Not really in the mood for Japanese Style Chicken? Why not try our Indian Butter Chicken recipe and stay in the familiarity of the Asian continent.

Method

  1. 1

    Making the Marinade· 5-15 Minutes

    Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Cut the chicken into your preferred nugget size (if not done previously). Put the chicken in the marinade bowl for a minimum of 5 minutes. 15 minutes will give it a richer flavor.

    IngredientsCutting-chickenMaking-marinadeBreading
  2. 2

    Frying the chicken· 10-15 Minutes

    Heat the oil to 320F / 160C. In a bowl (or a ziplock bag) put the chicken and corn starch together. Shake to coat the chicken from all sides. Remove the chicken from bowl, shake gently to remove excess starch and fry in the hot oil till golden brown. While the chicken is frying mix all the sauce ingredients together. Once the chicken is ready dip it immediately after removing from the oil. One second for each side and then straight to a paper towel.

    Sauce-ingredientsfrying-the-chickenfrying-the-chickenfrying-the-chickenJapanese Fried Chicken
Recipe by

Jaron Kimhi

Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.

More recipes by Jaron →

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Categories
Chicken
Cuisines
Japanese
Tags
chickenjapaneseGluten FreeFried

Questions & answers

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
Yes, breast works fine — just know thighs stay juicier and more forgiving when frying, so watch the breast pieces closely and don't overcook them.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Swap the soy sauce for tamari — that's the only change you need, everything else in the recipe is already GF.
What if I don't have mirin or rice vinegar?
The recipe doesn't offer swaps for those, and they're key to the sauce flavor, so track them down if you can — most grocery stores carry both.
How long should I marinate the chicken?
Five minutes is the minimum, but 15 minutes gets you noticeably richer flavor — don't go less than 5 or the chicken won't absorb much at all.
Why do I dip the chicken in the sauce right out of the oil?
That one-second dip while it's still hot helps the sauce cling and caramelize slightly without turning the crust soggy — then straight to the paper towel so it stays crispy.