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Japanese Chicken Nanban (with Homemade Tartar Sauce)

5 from 4 votes
By Yuto Omura
https://sudachirecipes.com
Chicken Nanban is a delicious Japanese fried chicken dish from Miyazaki prefecture. Made with succulent chicken thighs coated in a fluffy egg batter, cooked in a sweet vinegar sauce and then topped with rich homemade Japanese tartar sauce, chicken nanban is one of the most popular fried chicken dishes in Japan!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 2 portions
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 2 portions

Ingredients 
 

Tartar Sauce

  • 1 small pickled gherkin
  • ⅛ yellow onion(s)
  • 1 hard-boiled egg
  • ½ tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp tomato ketchup
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • ¼ tsp dried parsley

Nanban Sauce

  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1½ tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Chicken

  • 300 g boneless chicken thigh(s) boneless, skin-on preferred
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp cake flour
  • 1 medium egg(s)
  • 2 tbsp potato starch or corn starch
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil flavourless, high smoke point like vegetable oil or canola
  • 1 bunch chili threads optional garnish
  • 4-6 lettuce leaves optional for serving

Instructions 

  • Start by finely dicing 1 small pickled gherkin, 1 hard-boiled egg and 1 hard-boiled egg and placing them in a mixing bowl. 
    Finely diced pickled gherkin, onion and boiled egg on a wooden chopping board
  • Add ½ tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp tomato ketchup, ¼ tsp dried parsley and 1 pinch salt and pepper to the bowl.
    Japanese tartar sauce ingredients in a steel mixing bowl
  • Mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
    Japanese tartar sauce mixed in a steel mixing bowl
  • Transfer the tartar sauce to a sealable container and chill in the fridge until its time to serve.
    Japanese tartar sauce in a glass jar
  • To make the nanban sauce, take a small bowl and mix 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1½ tbsp rice vinegar together. Set aside for later.
    Chicken nanban sauce mixed in a glass bowl
  • Cut 300 g boneless chicken thigh(s) into bitesize pieces and place them in a bowl. Add 1 pinch salt and pepper and 1 tbsp cake flour and mix until the chicken pieces are evenly covered.
    Chicken thigh coated in flour
  • Crack 1 medium egg(s) into the bowl and mix until the chicken is fully coated in the egg.
    Chicken thigh mixed with egg
  • Add the 2 tbsp potato starch and mix until well incorporated and lump-free.
    Adding potato starch to chicken and egg in a steel mixing bowl
  • Heat a pan on medium. Once hot, add 2 tbsp cooking oil and swirl it around until evenly coated. Add the chicken and fry for 3 minutes on each side.
    Chicken thigh with fluffy egg batter in a frying pan
  • Once the chicken is cooked through, turn the heat down to medium-low, push the chicken to one side and wipe away the excess oil with kitchen paper.
    Wiping excess oil out of the frying pan using kitchen paper
  • Add the nanban sauce and move the chicken around the pan until each piece is fully coated.
    Pouring nanban sauce into the pan
  • Once the sauce is slightly thickened and glossy, remove the pan from the heat.
    Fried chicken coated in nanban sauce
  • Arrange 4-6 lettuce leaves on a serving plate (optional) and make a mountain of chicken in the middle.
    Chicken nanban stacked on top of lettuce leaves
  • Top with a generous amount of tartar sauce and 1 bunch chili threads for decoration.
    Chicken nanban topped with homemade tartar sauce and chili threads
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Leftover tartar sauce can be kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
I recommend serving chicken nanban with rice.