Cook: Fried Japanese Chicken Sando
We all know that fried chicken sandwiches are delicious. I recently got my hands on one of Popeye’s famous chicken sandwiches and have been thinking about how I wanted to create my own. I’ve been scouring my favorite food sites for Japanese inspired chicken sandwiches and wanted to share what I came up with. I made some modifications to the recipe I found on Bon Appetit and added in some fun additional flair. I also used my favorite Asian slaw recipe to top off the sandwich. I hope you guys enjoy, it’s one of my favorite new recipes.
Makes 3 sandwiches
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
5 tbsp of seasoned rice wine vinegar (3 tbsp for the chicken marinade and 2 tbsp for the cabbage salad)
2 tbsp shoyu
Japanese 5 spice (togarashi) or Asian seasoning
Neutral oil (canola, vegetable or peanut)
1/2 cup of Kewpie mayonnaise
2 tbsp Sriracha
6 hamburger buns with sesame seeds
1/4 small head of purple cabbage
1/2 small red onion
1 tbsp of sesame oil
2 scallions
1/3 cup cornstarch
Furikake flakes
Directions:
Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and trim the chicken thighs (cut off any excess fat) and put in a large plastic bag. Add in 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tbsp of soy sauce and about a tbsp of Japanese 5 spice or Asian seasoning. Push out the air and spread the marinade around so the chicken is evenly coated. Let it sit while you get everything else ready.
Mix 1/2 cup of Kewpie mayo with the 2 tbsp of Sriracha in a small bowl (or add more if you like it spicier!)
Thinly slice 1/4 of purple cabbage and set it in a medium sized bowl. To coax the water our sprinkle some kosher salt on top and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Thinly slice 1/2 red onion and after your cabbage has soaked in the salt, wipe away excess water and then add the red onions. Mix in 2 tbsp of rice wine vinegar and 1 tbsp of sesame oil plus furikake to taste. This will be the cabbage slaw for your sandos but it can also be a great side dish on it’s own!
Thinly slice 2 scallions, these will be used later.
Preheat broiler. You’ll toast the buns for only about 45 seconds right before you’re ready to serve.
Heat oil in your Dutch oven. It should be about 1” to 1 1/2” inches from the bottom. Heat over medium high and using an instant-read thermometer, you’ll want the oil to reach 350°. It should take around 10 minutes. Once it gets higher than 300°, Bon Appetit recommends lowering the heat to maintain 350°. I followed this and think it makes all the difference in getting the chicken cooked but keeping it ultra juicy and moist.
While the oil is heating, mix the cornstarch and furikake flakes into a medium to large sized bowl. Using tongs, shake off excess marinade and coat the chicken pieces in the cornstarch mix. The pieces should be completely covered.
When your oil is at 350°, carefully place each piece in the oil and turn it every few minutes until the crust is crispy and golden brown. This should take about 6-7 minutes. I liked to use an electric thermometer and when the temp reaches 165° I know it’s done. You might need to turn the temp up a little bit when you cook because you’ll notice that the oil temp drops when the chicken is placed in. After it’s cooked, let the chicken cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.
When you’re ready to assemble, stick the buns in the oven for about 45 seconds.
Spread your sriracha mayo over the bottom bun and cover with green onions.
Place a piece of chicken on top and then add on your slaw.
Serve with any additional hot sauce, we love TRUFF!
Sprinkle kosher salt to get your cabbage a little softer and to get the excess water out. It only needs to sit about 15 minutes before you can wipe the water off with a paper towel.
