Yuzu kosho fried chicken! Crunchy, juicy little pieces of Japanese-style fried chicken, with the tantalising taste of yuzu kosho. Serve with rice donburi-style for a complete meal, or as a dish to share in a family dinner. Even cold leftovers are delicious. You can't go wrong!
When I got that gift pack of Japanese ingredients from The Essential Ingredient, I was super excited and shared some pics and videos on my Instagram Stories. One of the first replies I got was from my brother's girlfriend Ayano (she is Japanese and they both live in Japan).
"Furikake! Miso! Yuzu kosho is the best!"
I asked her if she had any ideas to use the ingredients, and her first suggestion was to use the yuzu kosho in a marinade for fried chicken. Um... that sounded amazing. Decision made!
Yuzu kosho is a Japanese condiment made from yuzu, chilli and salt. You can buy it at Japanese groceries, or (duh), The Essential Ingredient. It's fragrant, salty, and spicy, and I knew that the bright flavour would cut through the richness of the fried chicken. (Some other ideas: Ayano says she likes mixing yuzu kosho with soy sauce for an intoxicating sauce for sashimi; and I've read that you can mix it with mayonnaise for a lovely dipping sauce).
But let's get to the chicken! This is basically a Japanese-style tori no kara-age fried chicken. You chop up some skin-on chicken thighs, and marinate in water and sake. You then drain the pieces, and mix them with some egg, yuzu kosho, flour, cornflour and salt, and then deep-fry!
Deep frying is a little tricky - I think using a good, stable, heavy bottomed saucepan is key, as well as keeping good temperature control. I have a thermometer that clips onto the side of the pan, which helps me keep an eye on the oil temperature. You want it to stay between 170-180°C so that the pieces don't cook too slowly and become greasy, or alternatively, burn before they cook through. A thermometer removes the guesswork!
A few ideas for serving the fried chicken - I liked it piled on a bowl of rice, with some finely sliced Chinese cabbage (wombok) on the side, like a donburi-bowl, for an individual meal. (Hot tip for home cooks: use sushi rice so that it sticks together in delicious little clumps). Otherwise you can serve it without rice, as a snack / entrée / one dish in a shared meal. If you're doing that, I'd still suggest some thinly sliced cabbage on the side for a fresh crunchy contrast. Either way, it's nice to have a few lemon wedges on the side to squeeze over as you eat. I don't habitually keep Kewpie mayonnaise at home, but if you have it, it would make a most excellent accompaniment.
This fried chicken is so succulent and juicy, and the yuzu kosho really adds a wonderful flavour. A total treat. Give it a go!
Have you made this recipe? Leave a comment below! Tag me on Instagram @sarahcooksblog and hashtag #sarahcooksblog
Sarah received complimentary yuzu kosho from The Essential Ingredient but was not obligated to post nor compensated in any other way.
"Furikake! Miso! Yuzu kosho is the best!"
I asked her if she had any ideas to use the ingredients, and her first suggestion was to use the yuzu kosho in a marinade for fried chicken. Um... that sounded amazing. Decision made!
Yuzu kosho is a Japanese condiment made from yuzu, chilli and salt. You can buy it at Japanese groceries, or (duh), The Essential Ingredient. It's fragrant, salty, and spicy, and I knew that the bright flavour would cut through the richness of the fried chicken. (Some other ideas: Ayano says she likes mixing yuzu kosho with soy sauce for an intoxicating sauce for sashimi; and I've read that you can mix it with mayonnaise for a lovely dipping sauce).
But let's get to the chicken! This is basically a Japanese-style tori no kara-age fried chicken. You chop up some skin-on chicken thighs, and marinate in water and sake. You then drain the pieces, and mix them with some egg, yuzu kosho, flour, cornflour and salt, and then deep-fry!
Yuzu Kosho Fried Chicken |
Deep frying is a little tricky - I think using a good, stable, heavy bottomed saucepan is key, as well as keeping good temperature control. I have a thermometer that clips onto the side of the pan, which helps me keep an eye on the oil temperature. You want it to stay between 170-180°C so that the pieces don't cook too slowly and become greasy, or alternatively, burn before they cook through. A thermometer removes the guesswork!
A few ideas for serving the fried chicken - I liked it piled on a bowl of rice, with some finely sliced Chinese cabbage (wombok) on the side, like a donburi-bowl, for an individual meal. (Hot tip for home cooks: use sushi rice so that it sticks together in delicious little clumps). Otherwise you can serve it without rice, as a snack / entrée / one dish in a shared meal. If you're doing that, I'd still suggest some thinly sliced cabbage on the side for a fresh crunchy contrast. Either way, it's nice to have a few lemon wedges on the side to squeeze over as you eat. I don't habitually keep Kewpie mayonnaise at home, but if you have it, it would make a most excellent accompaniment.
Yuzu Kosho Fried Chicken |
Yuzu Kosho Fried Chicken
A Recipe by Sarah Cooks
Ingredients
3 boneless chicken thighs
50 millilitres sake
50 millilitres water
1 egg
1 tablespoon yuzu kosho
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornflour
Vegetable oil for frying
Method
Cut the chicken thighs into small bite-sized pieces. Place into a bowl with the sake and water. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours or up to overnight.
Drain any excess liquid from the chicken. Add the egg and the yuzu koshou, stir to mix. Add the flour and cornflour and season with salt, and stir to mix.
Heat 5 centimetres of vegetable oil in a medium heavy based saucepan to 170-180C. (If you don't have a thermometer, you can test it by placing a cube of bread in the oil. The oil should bubble up around it straight away and take about one minute to brown).
Fry the chicken pieces in batches for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel.
Continue until all the chicken is cooked. Season generously with salt and serve with a wedge of lemon on the side.
Serves 4-6 depending on what you serve it with
Have you made this recipe? Leave a comment below! Tag me on Instagram @sarahcooksblog and hashtag #sarahcooksblog
Sarah received complimentary yuzu kosho from The Essential Ingredient but was not obligated to post nor compensated in any other way.
0 comments