A recipe for Mochiko Chicken (Hawaiian Fried Chicken)! Pieces of chicken are marinated in a mochiko cornstarch mixture and fried until crisp and tender.
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I first came across Mochiko Chicken (Hawaiian Fried Chicken) in The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook and it quickly became a favorite recipe that I have adapted little by little over the years.
Pieces of chicken (I usually go with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but you can also use chicken breasts) are coated in a mixture of egg, soy sauce, Mochiko, cornstarch, sugar, green onion, garlic, and ginger, then refrigerated four hours to overnight. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator about 15 to 30 minutes before cooking and fry the pieces in hot oil (be careful not to overcrowd) until crisp, golden, and cooked through.
This marinade creates a light, crisp exterior with minimal effort. I especially love preparing the chicken the night before, then having an easy option for lunch without having to dip and coat each individual piece. Serve the Mochiko Chicken on its own as an appetizer or pair with steamed white rice, shredded cabbage, and Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (recipe from My Forking Life).
Notable Ingredients
Mochiko is a starchy, gluten-free flour made from sticky sweet rice. It is most often used to make mochi (Japanese rice cake). I have been able to find Mochiko in the international or gluten-free section of larger grocery stores and in Asian markets with Japanese ingredients. It is also available on Amazon: Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour.
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Mochiko Chicken (Hawaiian Fried Chicken) Recipe
Adapted from The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook
Mochiko Chicken (Hawaiian Fried Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons mochiko flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 green onions finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
For Serving:
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Thinly sliced green onions for garnish
- Sesame seeds for garnish, optional
- Steamed white rice
- Hawaiian macaroni salad
- Shredded cabbage
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the egg, soy sauce, mochiko, cornstarch, sugar, salt, chopped green onions, garlic, and ginger.
- Use the flat side of a meat tenderizer to gently flatten the chicken. Slice into about 2 inch pieces. Add the pieces to the marinade and toss to thoroughly coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours to overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 15-30 minutes before frying.
- In a large wok, bring 1 inch of vegetable oil to high heat. Once heated and shimmering, reduce heat to medium.
- Gently place 7-9 pieces of chicken into the oil. Be careful not to overcrowd. Fry for 2 1/2-3 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken and drain on paper towel-lined plate. Remove any pieces of batter between batches of chicken.
- Top with green onions and (optionally) sesame seeds and serve on its own or paired with rice, shredded cabbage, and/or macaroni salad.
Linda Rice
Tara this looks so delicious. I can hardly wait to plan this for dinner and am sure I will enjoy cooking it.
Tara
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Sandi
I use sweet rice flour quite a bit in gluten free baking. I haven’t thought to use it for savory dishes too.
Julie
Such an interesting way to use this ingredient. I love this kind of food and will have to try this.
Sara
Oh my, this looks like a delicious way to enjoy fried chicken!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
I’ve never tried Mochiko fried chicken before but I definitely think I have to now, it looks delicious!
Calleigh Keibler - TheForkBite
My kiddo would love this fried chicken for lunch. Can’t wait to try this at home. Looks so delicious!!
Duke Gibo
Hey I use to live in Hawaii and boy when that Island life food craving comes over me… um, It’s hard to shake it lol So I remember I had worked for this local family at their drive-in diner-like restaurant and they specialized in this bite-size boneless fried chicken that had the heritage background of Japan, The Japanese culture in a name to which I couldn’t remember for the longest time. So I did a google search for a few keywords and Boom! Right away I recognized the name from your article “Mochiko chicken” Hell yea! I am definitely going to make a huge batch all for myself and probably eat it for morning noon and night, for about 3 days easy hehehe Thank you sooo much I can now settle a major craving I’ve had for years. – Duke
Anusha
You had me at Mochiko! I m a big fan of glutinous rice flour and this recipe is such a unique way to use it. Beautiful pictures very artfully composed. ❤️
Emily Liao
Oh boy, this Hawaiian fried chicken is to die for! Perfectly crisp and the flavors on point.