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–+ servings

Authentic Chicken Nanban (with Japanese Tartar Sauce)

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 4 portions

Ingredients 
 

  • 450 g chicken breast skin on, or boneless chicken thigh
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 tbsp cake flour or all purpose
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch or potato starch
  • 2 eggs
  • cooking oil for frying

Japanese Tartar Sauce

  • 1 small pickled gherkin or fresh cucumber
  • ¼ onion rinse after mincing to reduce sharpness
  • 1 hard boiled egg
  • 4 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
  • ½ tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp whole milk
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp ketchup
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • parsley dried or finely chopped fresh, for color

Nanbanzu

Instructions 

  • Butterfly cut 450 g chicken breast so that the thickness is about 1.5-2cm (3/4 inch) all over.
    butterflied chicken breast on a cutting board
  • Cut into large pieces, then pierce each piece all over with a fork. Pat dry with kitchen paper, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides and place them in a bowl.
    chicken breast pieces in a steel mixing bowl
  • Add 3 tbsp cake flour and 1 tbsp cornstarch to the bowl. Toss until evenly coated.
    chicken breast pieces coated with starch in a metal mixing bowl
  • Crack 2 eggs into a separate bowl and whisk until the yolks and whites are combined. Shake the excess flour off of each piece of chicken before placing them in in the bowl with the egg.
    starch coated chicken breast pieces in mixing bowl with whisked egg
  • Submerge the chicken pieces in the egg mixture, then cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the other components.
    velveting chicken with egg and starch in a steel mixing bowl

Tartar Sauce

  • Finely dice 1 small pickled gherkin, ¼ onion and 1 hard boiled egg.
    finely diced pickled gherkin and boiled egg on a wooden cutting board with knife
  • Place them in a mixing bowl and add 4 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise, ½ tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp whole milk, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp ketchup, 1 pinch salt and pepper and a pinch of parsley. Mix until everything is combined.
    ingredients to make tartar sauce in a steel mixing bowl before mixing
  • Cover and refrigerate until serving.
    mixed tartar sauce in a steel mixing bowl

Nanbanzu

  • Take a small sauce pan and add 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu). 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp mirin, and 1 dried red chili pepper split lengthways and deseeded. Heat on medium and stir to dissolve the sugar, boil for one minute then take it off the heat and leave to cool to room temperature.
    nanban sauce in a pot on the stove top

Chicken Nanban

  • Preheat a deep pot of cooking oil to 170 °C (338 °F). Once hot, hold up each piece of chicken to drain off excess egg and place them in the oil with the skin side facing down. Fry for 3 minutes.
    chicken frying in a pot of oil
  • Transfer to a wire rack and rest for 3 minutes. Increase the oil temperature to 180 °C (356 °F).
    battered chicken on a wire rack
  • Add the chicken pieces back in and fry once more, this time for 2 minutes.
    second fry for chicken nanban
  • Rest on a wire rack for 15-30 seconds, then roll each piece in the nanban sauce for 10-20 seconds. Rest each piece on a wire rack while you coat the others.
    coating fried chicken in nanban sauce
  • Transfer to a serving plate and spoon the chilled tartar sauce over the top. Sprinkle with extra parsley for color. Serve with rice, shredded cabbage or your choice of sides. Enjoy!
    final plating of chicken nanban with shredded cabbage, tomato wedges and tartar sauce

Notes

Rinse minced onion under cold water for 30 seconds, then squeeze in kitchen towel to remove harsh compounds.
You can replace half the milk and sugar with pickle juice for extra complexity.
For traditional tender texture, use pure flour coating. For extra crunch (non-traditional), dust egg-coated chicken with cornstarch before frying.
Dip hot fried chicken immediately into room-temperature nanban sauce. The temperature contrast forces liquid deep into the egg coating's air pockets for maximum flavor absorption.
There will be leftover of nanban sauce, so feel free to use it for stir-fry for another day.
Storage: Store sauced chicken in airtight container for 1-2 days (coating will soften). Keep tartar sauce separate in its own container for up to 2 days.
Meal Prep: Prepare components up to 24 hours ahead. Tartar sauce improves overnight, nanban sauce keeps refrigerated for 1 week, and chicken can be seasoned and butterflied in advance.
Serving Ideas: Freshly cooked Japanese rice, Traditional miso soup, Cucumber Sunomono Salad, Spinach Ohitashi, Japanese Potato Salad, Hiyayakko (Cold Tofu).