Chicken thighs marinated overnight in Mochiko flour and deep fried to perfection. The best meal for quick easy dinners that the whole family will love! Mochiko chicken is usually eaten on top a bed of rice.
What is Mochiko Chicken?
Mochiko Chicken originated in Hawaii with the help of Japanese influence. It is bite sized pieces of chicken that are marinated in a shoyu mixture along with mochiko flour (sweet rice flour). The Mochiko flour gives it a slightly different texture. It’s not crunchy but slightly chewy and crispy. It is so tasty and delicious! It’s one of my favorite things from Hawaii and I love introducing it to other people.
The Recipe
The marinade is a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, mochiko flour and a little bit of Mirin. I love using chicken thighs because it holds the flavor so well and is a little more fatty than breasts. Mochiko chicken is one of my FAVORITE dishes! The chicken soaks up so much of the marinade which makes it so juicy, tender, and packed with flavor. The key ingredient is the Mochiko sweet rice flour and you can find this at most Asian grocery markets.
The best thing about this recipe is that it takes 5 minutes to throw and prepare. Throw all the ingredients together to marinate, stick it in the fridge, and then you can go about your day until you’re ready to fry. When frying, just be sure to not overcrowd the pot. This will help the chicken cook quickly and cook evenly.
This dish has a perfect balance of salty taste (from the shoyu) and sweet (flour and sugar). My mouth is watering now. I’m just writing this because it so so tasty! This is probably one of the dishes I make for Warren more often.
Back in Hawaii, when people would bring this to potlucks, it was always a favorite! There would be a couple of aluminum pans full of them. It pairs perfectly with a bowl of rice and that’s honestly all you need for an amazing meal! I also eat it just by itself as an appetizer or a quick savory snack.
How to Serve It
Mochiko chicken is often served as a main dish with steamed rice, vegetables, and sometimes Mac salad. It can also be enjoyed just as a snack or appetizer. I personally eat mine both ways! At some places on Oahu they pour like Tangy sauce over it or even spicy mayo or kewpie mayo! I like to eat mine as it just because the chicken itself is already super flavorful.
Mochiko chicken is definitely a recipe that you should try! It’s a family favorite and so easy to make. All the flavors come together and really make it an amazing dish! I love this recipe so I hope you do too!
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Mochiko Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- ¼ cup mochiko flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup shoyu (soy sauce)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add mochiko flour, cornstarch, sugar, shoyu, eggs, salt, garlic, green onions, and ginger. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside.
- Trim some fat off chicken and cut into 1 inch thick pieces.
- Add pieces of chicken into bowl with marinade and mix. Transfer to ziplock or cover with saran wrap and place in fridge for at least 8 hours (or overnight).
- Fill a pot with 1"-1 1/2" high with vegetable oil. Deep fry on medium heat until chicken is a nice golden brown color. Try not to overcrowd the pot and separate the pieces so they don't stick together when cooking.
- Place on paper towel to cool and cook the next batch doing the same thing(: Enjoy!!