Japanese Fried Chicken Fingers Recipes

JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN (KARAAGE CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towel. Put the chicken and the Marinade ingredients into a ziplock bag or a bowl.
• Massage the bag well ensuring that all pieces are coated with the marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Heat enough oil in a deep pot or pan to 160°C/320°F (note 3). The depth of the oil should be about 3-4cm/1¼-1½".
• Meanwhile, drain excess marinade from the chicken, place the chicken pieces on paper towels to remove excess liquid, and put them in a bowl.
• Sprinkle over the corn flour and turn chicken to coat every piece with corn flour.
• Fry chicken in batches. Add several chicken pieces to the oil one by one and fry for about 2.5-3 minutes (note 4). You may want to move the chicken pieces around as they tend to stick to the bottom of the pot/pan.
• Take the chicken pieces out of the oil and rest for at least 3-4 minutes (note 5) on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
• Skim any flour crumbs from the oil if there are any and increase the temperature of the oil to 190-200°C/374-392°F (note 3).
• Put the chicken pieces back into the oil in batches and fry for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until golden brown and crunchy. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
• Serve immediately with shredded lettuce and parsley for decoration if using.

CRISPY CHICKEN FINGERS

Steps:

• Cut the chicken lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Put the flour in a shallow dish. Whisk the milk, cayenne, eggs and a pinch of salt and pepper in another shallow dish until combined. Put the breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish.
• Dredge the chicken fingers in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg mixture, and finally coat with the panko breadcrumbs, pressing to help adhere well. Set aside on a piece of wax paper or a baking sheet.
• Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the chicken fingers, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken fingers to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and season with salt. Serve with honey mustard, spicy ketchup and/or ranch dressing for dipping.

JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN FINGERS

Steps:

• 1. Mix the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sake and sugar together. Place the chicken fingers in the marinade and marinate at least 3 hours or overnight.
• 2. Place the potato starch in a shallow bowl. Remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge in the potato starch Deep fry until golden browned and done.

KARAAGE (JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Mix garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sake, mirin, sesame oil, black pepper, cayenne, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Place chicken in the marinade and mix until thoroughly and evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 10 hours.
• Set up your dredging station: Place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. Add potato starch to a wide, shallow bowl.
• Remove chicken from the refrigerator. Stir to coat with marinade. Toss 2 or 3 pieces at a time in the potato starch until evenly coated. Shake off any excess starch and place chicken on the wire rack. Repeat to dredge remaining pieces.
• Tap the rack on the baking sheet to remove any loose chunks of starch, then transfer the baking sheet and rack of chicken to the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Without crowding, lower chicken carefully into the hot oil in batches. Fry, tossing occasionally, until cooked through and the outside is crunchy and browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken.

CHICKEN KATSU

Steps:

• Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour, egg and panko crumbs into separate shallow dishes. Coat the chicken breasts in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip them into the egg, and then press into the panko crumbs until well coated on both sides.
• Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken in the hot oil, and cook 3 or 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

CRISPY CIDER-BATTERED CHICKEN FINGERS

Steps:

• Cut each chicken breast into 6 finger-sized strips, and transfer into a mixing bowl.
• Season with kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne and toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over top and shake the bowl to coat the strips. Toss until all the surfaces are completely coated, and then transfer onto a rack or plate. Place in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes, or until ready to fry.
• Meanwhile, whisk self-rising flour and sparkling apple cider together in a mixing bowl to form a thin batter. Batter should be somewhere between a thin pancake batter and a crepe batter, but still thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Place in the refrigerator to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
• Mix Dijon mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar together for dipping sauce in a bowl.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Dip each chicken finger into the batter to coat. Deep-fry in batches in the hot oil until golden brown, crispy, and no longer pink in the centers, 3 to 4 1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with dipping sauce.

KARAAGE (JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• In a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the chicken, combine ginger, garlic, sake, soy sauce and sugar. Toss chicken pieces in marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
• Fill an aluminum or thin stainless steel pot (best for quick temperature adjustments), with sides at least 5 inches tall, with about 3 inches of peanut oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Place several layers of newsprint or paper towels on a sheet pan.
• While the oil heats, place a wire rack over a second sheet pan. In a bowl, combine potato starch, salt and pepper. Remove one piece of chicken at a time from marinade, and tuck in any jagged bits or skin as you roll it in starch mixture to coat. Rest it on the rack. Repeat with all chicken pieces.
• Gently shake off excess potato starch before cooking each piece of chicken. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time, keeping oil temperature around 325 degrees (temperature will fall when you add chicken) and no lower than 300 degrees. Fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oil using a wire-mesh spoon or long chopsticks, and cool on newsprint or paper towels.
• When all the chicken has been fried once, increase the oil's temperature to 375 degrees. Fry chicken pieces a second time, keeping the oil between 350 and 375 degrees, until the crust is deep golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain on newsprint or paper towels. This second frying makes the coating stay extra crisp, even if you don't serve it immediately.
• Serve hot or at room temperature, with a lemon wedge, and lettuce and cucumber slices for a cool, fresh contrast, if you like.

CHICKEN KARAAGE (JAPANESE CHICKEN NUGGETS)

Steps:

• Cut the chicken into large, bite-sized pieces. Place into a large zip-top bag or bowl.
• Measure the 1/2 cup of soy sauce and add the grated ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken. Mix together well by stirring (bowl) or kneading with your hands (bag) so that everything is coated well. Cover the bowl/zip the bag and put it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to marinate.
• In a medium bowl mix 1 part corn flour and 1 part white flour. There is no way to know exactly how much you will need, so keep the bags and a measuring spoon at the ready in case you run out.
• After 1 hour, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Remove the chicken from your bowl or bag and coat in the flour mixture. Set aside. (Remember that there may be bits of ginger or garlic stuck to your chicken, so if you want to remove it, do so either before or during flouring.) I recommend dipping the chicken in flour a second time before frying.
• FOR DEEP FRYER. --Set your fryer to 350 degrees F and deep fry in vegetable oil until the nuggets are golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• FOR SKILLET. --Fill a deep skillet with about 1 inch of vegetable oil and set to high heat. (The temperature is good when a drop of water sends you running to duck and cover. That or you can use a thermometer.) Add as many nuggets as can comfortably fit in the pan at one time. They probably will not be completely covered in oil.
• After about 2 minutes (or when the part submerged in oil looks a tasty brown color), use a pair of tongs to turn each nugget over. You will have to keep a close eye on the nuggets, especially the small ones that will cook faster. When they look done, remove them to a plate prepared with paper towels to sop up excess oil. Repeat until all nuggets are fried.
• Serve with the side of your choice and a slice of lemon (optional).

BREADED CHICKEN FINGERS

Steps:

• Place chicken strips into a large, resealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, mix the egg, buttermilk and garlic powder. Pour mixture into bag with chicken. Seal, and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.
• In another large, resealable plastic bag, mix together the flour, bread crumbs, salt and baking powder. Remove chicken from refrigerator, and drain, discarding buttermilk mixture. Place chicken in flour mixture bag. Seal, and shake to coat.
• Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Carefully place coated chicken in hot oil. Fry until golden brown and juices run clear. Drain on paper towels.

JAPANESE-STYLE DEEP FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together eggs, salt, pepper, sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and bouillon. Add chicken pieces, and stir to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Remove bowl from refrigerator, add potato starch and rice flour to meat, and mix well.
• In a large skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Place chicken in hot oil, and fry until golden brown. Cook meat in batches to maintain oil temperature. Drain briefly on paper towels. Serve hot.

FRIED CHICKEN FINGERS (TENDERS)

Steps:

• Heat oil in frying pan.
• In a shallow dish, combine flour, seasoned salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Mix with fork until well blended.
• In a separate shallow dish, "scramble" the eggs with the milk.
• Coat each tender with flour mixture, then egg mixture, then another coat of flour mixture.
• Fry until golden brown, about 5 - 7 minutes per tender. Can cook in batches.