Japanese Chicken Food

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.

JAPANESE MUM'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients in a saucepan over a high heat.
• Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Remove any scum that rises to the surface.
• Increase the heat, turning the drumsticks frequently in the liquid, and cook until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze.
• Arrange the chicken on a serving platter, remove the garlic clove and chili from the liquid, and spoon the glaze over.
• NOTE It's a glaze rather than a sauce, so there's not a whole lot of it.

JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN (CHICKEN KARAAGE)

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken, cut off any excess fat and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Using a sharp knife, score the chicken, especially in fibrous parts of the meat. Use the point of the knife to poke small holes in the chicken, then cut the chicken in bite-size (1 1/2-inch) pieces.
• In a mixing bowl combine the chicken, sake, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well, rubbing the marinade into the chicken. Marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Add the egg slowly to the chicken while mixing with your hands. Add the cornstarch and lightly toss to coat the chicken. In a medium saucepan heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer reads 335 degrees F. Fry the chicken, a few pieces at a time, until golden brown, about 10 minutes (the internal temperature of the meat should be 165 degrees F). Shake off any excess grease. Cool and reserve the oil for another use. Plate the chicken and garnish with lemon wedges to serve.

YAKITORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Soak the skewers in a bowl of water while you prepare everything else, to prevent them from burning. Tip the soy, mirin, sake and sugar into a small saucepan, and cook over a medium heat for about 15 mins until the sauce is glossy.
• Remove the skewers from the water and thread each one with a piece of chicken, followed by a piece of spring onion. Repeat twice more so the skewer is well stacked. Fill all four skewers.
• Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat - you want to cook the chicken fairly gently so it soaks up the sauce. Put the skewers in the pan, then brush with the sauce. Cook for 10 mins, turning regularly and brushing in all the sauce. Serve immediately.

JAPANESE CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN - KARA-AGE

Steps:

• Cut chicken in bite size pieces. In a plastic container or large ziploc bag, combine grated ginger, garlic, soy sauce and Sake.
• Put the chicken in the marinade and mix chicken well. Put the chicken in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a deep frying pan or a wok, heat vegetable oil to 180 degree Celsius or 350°F
• Dust the chicken with potato starch and fry in the oil until golden. To make them really crispy, lift chicken from the oil with chopsticks or tongs from time to time so that the chicken will be aired out (so to speak).

CRISPY JAPANESE-STYLE CHICKEN BURGERS

Steps:

• Mix together the mirin, garlic, soy and ginger to make a marinade. Mix 1 tbsp of this into the mayonnaise, then cover and chill. Put the chicken in a large bowl, pour over the remaining marinade and leave at room temperature for 10 mins, or longer in the fridge if you have time.
• Spread the cornflour over a plate and roll the chicken pieces in it until coated. Heat 2cm oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Carefully add one-third of the chicken and fry for about 8 mins, turning occasionally, until crisp and cooked through. Lift from the oil, set aside on kitchen paper, then repeat with the rest of the chicken. Serve in the rolls with the mayonnaise and lettuce.

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.

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.

YAKITORI (JAPANESE CHICKEN SKEWERS)

Steps:

• Marinade: Smash and peel garlic cloves, then place in a small saucepan. Slice unpeeled ginger into coins (about 5 slices); add to the saucepan, followed by the mirin, soy sauce, and honey. Over medium-high heat, bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent honey from burning; allow to simmer for about 1 minute. Set aside to cool by placing into a large skillet filled with cold water.
• Trim root ends from scallions; then cut the white and light green parts into 1-inch pieces. (Reserve green stalks for garnish.) Set aside. Slice each chicken thigh into 4 equal pieces. If using skewers, thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers, alternating with pieces of scallion.
• Place skewers on a rimmed baking sheet and pour marinade to coat chicken and scallions. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (and up to 3-4 hours), flipping the skewers in the marinade every 5-7 minutes. (Note: Chicken can be marinated the day before and stored, covered, in the refrigerator overnight.) While chicken marinates, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat grill pan over high heat, 5-10 minutes (time will vary, depending on pan). Reserving the marinade, place chicken skewers on the hot grill and cook for 2-3 minutes; place a heavy plate or skillet on the chicken and press down to create grill marks. Flip skewers and repeat, 2-3 more minutes. Place the chicken, still in the grill pan, in the oven and bake, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, finish the sauce.
• Pour the marinade back into a saucepan and add the miso. Bring to a boil (which will kill off any bacteria from the raw chicken) and reduce slightly, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove grill pan from oven and transfer skewers to a plate. When the sauce has reduced, brush it over the chicken. Slice reserved scallion greens and sprinkle over the skewers before serving.