Hawaiian Mochiko Chicken Recipe

mochiko chicken drizzled with mayo on grey plate and napkin on the side

5 from 3 votes

Easy Asian comfort food with BIG flavor: Hawaiian Mochiko Chicken! The fried chicken dish that's simple, homey, and so delicious!

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Marinating Time:4

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Party Food

Cuisine: Asian, Fusion Food

Keyword: chicken, Hawaiian, Mochiko

Servings:

Calories: 756kcal

Author: The Subversive Table | Lis Lam

Equipment

Large Bowl
Dutch oven
candy thermometer
Cooling rack
rimmed sheet pan

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken thighs (cut into 2-inch strips)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup mochiko flour (also known as glutinous rice flour, sweet rice flour, or sticky rice flour)
1/2 cup potato starch (can be subbed with corn starch)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp Mirin (Japanese/Korean sweet cooking wine)
2 green onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch ginger, minced

Garnish:

Spicy Mayo (Hellman and Wazo both make a good spicy mayo. If you don't have access, add 1-2 Tbsp sriracha to 1/4 cup mayo.)
Furikake

Instructions

Make marinade. In a large bowl, add Mochiko flour, potato starch, eggs, sugar, soy sauce, Mirin, green onions, garlic, and ginger. Whisk together until well combined.
Marinate chicken. Add chicken thighs and mix to combine. Cover and marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Set up deep frying station. Get ready to deep fry the chicken by setting up a Dutch oven with a candy thermometer clipped to the side. Add 2 inches of oil or enough so the chicken can float while frying.
Deep fry chicken. Heat oil over medium heat until the temperature hits 350F/175C. Add chicken and fry in batches until golden and crunchy, being careful of oil splatter, about 4-5 minutes. Remove chicken and transfer to a cooling rack fitted over a sheet pan. Repeat until all the chicken is finished frying.
Garnish. Finish with spicy mayo and furikake. Enjoy immediately!

Video

Notes

*If you don't have access to Mochiko Flour, any other brand of glutinous rice flour also works. I recommend Koda Farms' Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour as a nod to Mochiko Chicken's roots and origins. But any kind will work.

**Store leftovers, tightly sealed, in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the air fryer or oven at 400F for 5 min until hot and crisp. Don't forget to shake the Air Fryer basket as it cooks.

***Mochiko Chicken is not a super crispy fried chicken recipe. If you prefer the kind of chicken that shatters with every crunchy bite, I suggest Korean Fried Chicken instead!

Nutrition