Chicken Mochiko is delicious bite-size pieces of tender chicken thighs dredged in mochiko flour (sweet rice flour) and deep fried. It’s one of many Hawaiian dishes brought to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants.
Mochiko chicken is a simple dish of boneless chicken pieces that are marinated in a mix of soy sauce and other seasonings along with Mochiko rice flour (also called glutinous rice flour). Later the chicken is dredged in a seasoned flour-and-cornstarch mixture and then deep fried.
why you’ll love this mochiko chicken recipe
This easy recipe for mochiko chicken is a lot like my Japanese Chicken Karaage. Both are dredged bite-size pieces of boneless skinless chicken marinated and deep fried to a crispy golden brown.
The main difference is that Karaage Chicken uses potato starch, while Mochiko Chicken uses mochiko sweet rice flour. Karaage Chicken is also traditionally double-fried for an extra crispy outer shell. I sometimes like to double fry my Chicken Mochiko, too, though. You can never make it too crispy!
Ingredients you need to make Mochiko Chicken
For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.
Here are the ingredients you need to make this Mochiko Chicken recipe:
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: I prefer to use chicken thighs over chicken breasts because the meat is more tender and flavorful.
- Soy sauce: Use regular soy sauce or substitute lower-sodium soy sauce.
- Salt and pepper: I recommend kosher salt or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sriracha: You can substitute any chile paste or other hot sauce you like (or even leave this ingredient out if you don’t like any heat.)
- Ginger garlic paste: (or substitute ½ and ½ fresh minced ginger and fresh minced garlic)
- Cornstarch: This is also called corn flour. You can substitute potato starch if you like.
- Mochiko flour: You can buy this flour in any Asian supermarket or Japanese market, or order it online.
- Egg: Use one large egg.
- Oil for frying: Any type of neutral-flavored, high smoke point oil works here. Use canola oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower seed oil, avocado oil, etc.
- All-purpose flour: This is used in the dredge.I
- Optional garnishes: Shichimi Togarashi, furikake, lemon juice, lime juice, sliced green onions, sliced chiles, fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, mint), etc.
What is mochiko flour (sweet rice flour)?
Mochiko is rice flour made from glutinous rice (also called sweet rice or sticky rice). It’s used in many Japanese and Hawaiian recipes including mochi and Mochi Donuts. It is also used to thicken sauces and as a coating for fried foods. Mochiko is naturally gluten free.
How to make it
For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.
This Mochiko Chicken recipe is easy to make. Here’s how:
- In a bowl combine the marinade ingredients and whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Add the pieces of chicken to the marinade, toss to coat well, and marinate, in the refrigerator, for at least 2 hours, ideally 8 hours or as long as overnight.
- Combine flour, cornstarch, and seasonings.
- Dredge the marinated chicken pieces in the dry mixture.
- Heat oil in a heavy, high-sided pan until it shimmers.
- Add the chicken pieces and cook, turning occasionally, until they are crisp and golden brown all over.
- Remove chicken from the oil and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Season your the chicken with furikake, shichimi togarashi, or salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
How to serve it
Serve Mochiko Chicken garnished with Shichimi Togarashi, furikake, or just flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Try squeezing lime juice or lemon juice over the top if you like. Or garnish it with thinly sliced green onions.
I like eating this crunchy Hawaiian style fried chicken with steamed rice or Onigiri and a tangy pickled vegetable salad like Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad), Cucumber Kimchi, Vietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrots, or Takuan (Japanese-style pickled daikon radish). You could even serve it with Pickled Onions or Pickled Jalapenos.
Mochiko Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup Mochiko flour
- 1 large egg
- Oil for frying
For the dredge mixture
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine soy sauce, black pepper powder, salt, sriracha, ginger garlic paste, corn starch, mochiko flour, and egg. Whisk thoroughly until combined.
- Add chicken to the marinade and mix well. Cover and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, ideally 8 hours.
- In a large bowl, make the dredge mixture by combining the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, pepper, and salt. Drop the marinated chicken pieces and toss them in the dredge, coating them thoroughly.
- In a heavy, high-sided pan, heat about 4 inches of oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Drop the chicken pieces into the hot oil and fry them until they are crisp, golden brown, and cooked through. Once done, transfer the fried chicken onto a plate.
- Serve immediately.
Perfectly crunchy and tender. The flavour was amazing. I highly recommend this recipe.