Last summer our family took a week-long trip to Hiroshima and Kyushu. As soon as our train arrived at the station in Beppu, Oita, I had one food in mind that I wanted to try and that was Chicken Tempura called Toriten (とり天) – Oita’s specialty food!
What is Chicken Tempura?
If you never heard of “chicken tempura” before, you’re not alone. I even thought chicken tempura is a westernized version of tempura. I lived in Japan for 20 years before coming to the United States, and I go back to Japan to visit my family almost every year. However, I had never tried chicken tempura or even seen it on the menu anywhere until my trip to Oita. Invented by a restaurant in Oita prefecture, Chicken Tempura, or Toriten (とり天) in Japanese, is a popular food mostly enjoyed in this region. As straightforward as the name implies, chicken tempura is tempura-style fried chicken. Chicken breast or thigh is cut into strips, marinated in soy sauce, garlic, and ginger mixture, coated in tempura batter, and deep-fried. The main difference between chicken tempura and regular tempura is the dipping sauce. While regular tempura is commonly served with this dipping sauce made with dashi and soy, chicken tempura is often dipped in kabosu ponzu sauce with Japanese karashi hot mustard.
How to Make Chicken Tempura
Ingredients You’ll Need
To marinade the chicken:
Boneless, skinless chicken breast. I usually prefer chicken thigh when it comes to fried chicken, but leaner meat works best for chicken tempura. That’s what they use in Oita as well. The meat stays moist, juicy, and tender because it is well coated with tempura batter. You can also use chicken tenders. Freshly ground black pepper and salt Sake (Japanese rice wine) Soy sauce Grated ginger and garlic – for a touch of aroma
For the tempura batter:
Egg Cake flour (Why? Read the next section) Potato starch or cornstarch Cold water Oil for deep frying
3 Easy Tips to Make Crispy yet Fluffy Chicken Tempura
Here’s my guide on deep-frying technique, which is essential for making Japanese fried food. Beyond that, here are a few more things you can do to improve your tempura.
1. Use cake flour and mix with potato starch
You can use regular all purpose flour, but cake flour has less gluten which helps to make the batter crisp. By mixing it with potato starch, you’ll create a batter that helps keep tempura crisp and retains the shape for a longer time. You can sub potato starch with cornstarch.
2. Don’t overmix the batter
Always mix your tempura batter using chopsticks for only a few seconds and not more than 1 minute, leaving lumps in the mixture. Over-mixing the batter will result in the activation of wheat gluten, which causes the flour mixture to become chewy and dough-like when fried.
3. Keep the batter chilled
A cold batter is a must to achieve the unique fluffy and crisp tempura texture. Since gluten will be activated more at a warmer temperature, we want to avoid that. To keep the batter cool before frying, you can either chill all the ingredients (water, egg, and dry ingredients) or place a bowl in the ice water.
What to Serve with Chicken Tempura
We often serve tempura with steamed rice and miso soup. On the tempura plate itself, there should be a mound of shredded cabbage and tomato wedges by the side. Just like all Japanese fried food, shredded cabbage is the typical side as it helps refresh the palate and cut the grease of the dishes. To make very fine and fluffy shredded cabbage, I highly recommend this cabbage slicer! We eat shredded cabbage with dressings such as Sesame Dressing, Wafu Dressing, etc. No cabbage on hand? You can also serve the dressing with a simple salad like spring mix or romaine with tomatoes.
Dipping Sauces
Now the dipping sauces! Chicken tempura is commonly enjoyed with ponzu sauce with a dab of karashi mustard instead of tempura dipping sauce. The citrus soy sauce cuts off the greasy taste and imparts a refreshing note to the deep-fried food. If you visit the Kyushu region, look out for kabosu ponzu (the bottle shown in the 2nd picture above). Kabosu (カボス), a type of Japanese citrus, is really hard to find outside of Japan. You can find bottled ponzu at Japanese/Asian grocery stores or online stores. Alternatively, try my homemade ponzu sauce (so delicious, highly recommended!) or simply mix soy sauce with lemon juice. Karashi Mustard: This Japanese hot mustard is a mixture of crushed mustard seeds of Brassica juncea and horseradish. It is used as a condiment in oden, gyoza, and tonkatsu. Sold in powder form or paste form in tubes, karashi mustard is spicier and more potent than mild yellow mustard. The closest substitute would be English mustard and Chinese hot mustard powder.
How to Store and Reheat Tempura
If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer. To reheat, place the tempura pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the ovcen at 425°F for 3-4 minutes, flip over, and bake for another 3 minutes or until hot. You could also reheat in the air fryer at 350°F, making sure there is space between each piece. Fry for 3-4 minutes on one side, turn over and fry for another 3 minutes. The next time you have a craving for fried chicken and are about to fire up your deep fryer, give this Chicken Tempura recipe a try! Your family (or dinner guests) may be surprised to learn about chicken tempura, but they would be very happy that you bring this Oita’s specialty to the dinner table.
Your Ultimate Guide on How to Make the Best Tempura
Check out this ultimate guide on How to Make the Best Tempura. You’ll find plenty of helpful tips and tricks for making the crispy batter and delicious dipping sauce.
More Popular Japanese Chicken Recipes
Chicken Katsu Baked Chicken Katsu Authentic Chicken Teriyaki Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
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