Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Japanese Chicken Nanban
日式南蠻雞
Recipe overview
Japanese Chicken Nanban is a Miyazaki yoshoku family dish of fried chicken, sweet-vinegar Nanban sauce and chilled Japanese tartar; it is not karaage, Tonkatsu, katsu, teriyaki, yulin chicken or American fried chicken. Trim and dry boneless thighs, lightly coat with flour then beaten egg, and deep-fry in batches at about 170°C to at least 75°C; no Panko. Briefly coat each hot side in flowing rice-vinegar, soy, sugar and water sauce so the coating stays intact. Make cold tartar with fully cooked egg, mayonnaise, finely diced onion, drained pickles and lemon; never heat it. Never wash raw chicken; separate raw/cooked tools. Check allergens, sodium/sugar and hot-oil safety; never use water on an oil fire and refrigerate chicken, tartar and rice separately.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 4, 800 g: thawed, even, dried Boneless chicken thighs
- 2 for coating, 1 fully cooked for tartar; flour 80 g eggs
- 80 g, pickles 60 g, half lemon, cabbage 350 g, hot rice 800 g Onion
Chicken seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Nanban sweet-vinegar sauce
- 100 ml rice vinegar
- 80 ml Japanese soy sauce
- 70 g sugar
- 50 ml water
Japanese tartar
- 150 g Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- up to 1/8 teaspoon salt
- a pinch (optional) White pepper
Deep-frying oil
- 1.5–2 litres high-heat oil
02
Tools
- heavy-based pot or wok
- heavy-based pot or wok
- wooden spoon or spatula
- wooden spoon or spatula
- large bowl
- small bowl
- measuring cup
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- knife
- cutting board
- tongs
- food thermometer
- heat-resistant gloves
03
Steps
Step 1
Step 1
Thaw refrigerated and inspect; never wash.
Step 2
Step 2
Trim even thickness and dry thoroughly.
Step 3
Step 3
Boil one egg fully, cool and chop.
Step 4
Step 4
Mix egg, onion, pickles, mayo, lemon; chill tartar.
Step 5
Step 5
Boil vinegar, soy, sugar, water until dissolved and flowing.
Step 6
Step 6
Season, lightly flour and shake excess.
Step 7
Step 7
Coat in two beaten eggs; no Panko.
Step 8
Step 8
Heat frying oil about 170°C, no smoke.
Step 9
Step 9
Fry 1–2 at a time, 165–175°C for 5–7 minutes.
Step 10
Step 10
Reach 75°C centre; rack-drain 30–60 seconds.
Step 11
Step 11
Briefly dip/baste each hot side 10–20 seconds, not soggy.
Step 12
Step 12
Slice 2 cm on cooked board; serve cold tartar, cabbage, hot rice.
Common mistakes
- Do not skip ingredient checks or doneness checks, and never mix raw and cooked food tools.
Tips
Do not skip ingredient checks or doneness checks, and never mix raw and cooked food tools.
