Japanese Chicken Nanban with Tartar Sauce
Fried chicken in a light egg batter cooked to perfection in a sweet and sour sauce, Japanese Chicken Nanban is a dinner you’ll want on rotation. Topped with homemade tartar sauce for the most delectable combination!
Servings 2 people
Calories 626kcal
Cost $10
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts around 500 g / 1 lb, flattened slightly so it’s all one thickness
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 egg whisked lightly
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper pinch
For the sweet and sour sauce:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp mirin sub sugar
Optional:
- shichimi togarashi
- ½ onion small, cut into 2 quarters
- 1-2 pieces ginger sub 1 tsp minced ginger
For the nanban sauce (tartar):
- 4 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise
- 1 boiled egg chopped finely
- ½ onion small or shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tsp tomato sauce / ketchup
- Salt and pepper pinch
To serve:
- lettuce or cabbage, sliced finely
- cucumber sliced diagonally
- cherry tomatoes
- seaweed flakes / aonori sprinkled over the nanban sauce
- sushi rice
Instructions
- Prepare any serving ingredients such as a salad or sushi rice for serving.lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sushi rice
- In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and mirin.2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp mirin
- In another small bowl, mix together the nanban sauce ingredients (Kewpie mayonnaise, boiled egg, chopped onion, tomato sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper). Store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.4 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise, 1 boiled egg, ½ onion, 1 tsp tomato sauce / ketchup, Salt and pepper
- Coat chicken breasts in flour and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper.2 chicken breasts, ¼ cup all purpose flour, Salt and pepper
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Coat the floured chicken breasts in the egg next, then place into the hot pan and fry for 5-6 minutes on both sides (around 10-12 minutes total).2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 egg
- Once the chicken is cooked through, turn the heat down to medium-low and pour in the sweet and sour sauce mix along with the optional ½ onion pieces, ginger and shichimi togarashi for extra flavour. Allow the chicken to absorb the sauce for a minute, before flipping and coating the other side.shichimi togarashi, ½ onion, 1-2 pieces ginger
- Remove the chicken from the pan, and cut into slices. Place the slices on a plate alongside a salad or on a bowl of rice and top with your nanban sauce. Add any extra garnishes such as aonori or extra shichimi togarashi and enjoy!seaweed flakes / aonori, shichimi togarashi
Video
Notes
- Chicken - If using thicker pieces of chicken, slice them into thinner pieces and flatten slightly until they’re an even thickness. This will help them cook evenly.
- Flour - You can use a sifter or strainer to neatly sprinkle the flour evenly over the chicken if you prefer.
- Oil - Drain out as much oil as possible between cooking the chicken and adding the sweet & sour sauce.
- Avoid Overcrowding - Leave plenty of space between each piece and cook in batches if you need to.
- Frying - Deep fry instead of pan fry for a crispier coating. You might like to use a 50/50 mix of flour and potato starch or cornstarch to make it even crispier.
- Add Umami - Add a splash of dashi stock to the tartar sauce for extra umami flavour.
- Garnish Ideas - Sprinkle aonori seaweed flakes and/or shichimi togarashi over the tartar sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 626kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 331mg | Sodium: 1598mg | Potassium: 1049mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 349IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 3mg