Tatsutaage (Marinated Fried Chicken)
A recipe for Tatsutaage (Marinated Fried Chicken) from the cookbook, Effortless Japanese Cooking! Boneless chicken bites are marinated briefly in a soy sauce mixture, then coated in potato starch and fried until golden.
Servings 2 -3 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 boneless, skin-on chicken thigh 10 ounces (300 grams)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 3-4 tablespoons potato starch or alternate coating (wheat flour, cornstarch, rice flour, mochiko)
- canola oil for frying
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Trim excess fat, skin and sinew from the chicken thigh and cut it into about 10 bite-size pieces.
- Place the pieces in a plastic bag and add the ginger juice, grated garlic, soy sauce and mirin.
- Seal and massage from the outside to coat evenly. Marinate for 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer the marinated chicken to another bag or a clean bowl. Add the potato starch and shake or toss until all pieces are evenly coated.
- Heat 2 inches (5 centimeters) of oil in a large skillet to 320˚F (160˚C). When it's ready, small bubbles will form slowly around the tip of a disposable chopstick dipped in the oil.
- Lightly dust the chicken again with the potato starch, shaking off the excess, then carefully add to the oil.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the chicken starts to firm up, then flip. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally until light golden.
- Increase the heat to 356˚F (180˚C) and fry for another 1-2 minutes until crispy and golden.
- Fully cooked chicken vibrates slightly when touched with chopsticks in the oil. As you remove the chicken, hold it just above the oil for a few seconds to allow excess oil to drip off.
- Transfer to a wire rack to finish draining, and serve immediately.