This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how different countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat.
Sometimes food research just doesn’t make sense. See summer potato salad for Christmas in Belarus, for instance. When I went to dive into Japan, I was expecting perhaps a fancy seafood-based meal. I did NOT expect this. However, the tradition in Japan is to go to KFC. Yup, the Colonel’s house is the hot spot in Japan at Christmas. How popular? People. Make. Reservations…at KFC. I don’t get it, but they love some fried chicken, corn and mashed potatoes with gravy. Who am I to disagree? I decided I would try my hand at a different kind of fried chicken recipe. It’s already worked for me once before, and I think I did it again! My only regret is that this was a hectic workweek and I didn't have time to make biscuits. But, as this is the holidays, I did add some unexpected ingredients to the process to give it a little Japanese flair. Interested? Check out this juicy, crunchy, umami-fried chicken recipe below!
Japanese Fried Chicken
Brine
~6 cups of buttermilk
Salt and Pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Breading
2 cups AP flour
⅓ cup Furikake Yuzu
3 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp ground mustard
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
Other
~1 cup Ponzu
Frying oil
Pour about 4 cups of buttermilk into a large bowl and stir in some salt and pepper. Place the chicken into the seasoned buttermilk and add more buttermilk to cover the chicken. Place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
A few hours prior to cooking, whisk all of the breading ingredients in a large casserole dish until combined and stir in a few tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade.
Pour the ponzu into a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on the foil.
One piece at-a-time, remove the chicken from the buttermilk and briefly dip in the bowl of ponzu. Then drop into the breading mixture and turn to coat. Place the breaded chicken onto the rack-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken.
Place the prepared chicken in the fridge, uncovered, for about 2 hours to allow the breading to set.
When ready to cook, heat your oil to 350 degrees. Drop in the chicken and fry for about 6-8 mins, maintaining an oil temperature around 330 degrees. Hold the fried chicken in a warm oven while you prepare the remaining pieces.
Serve with your favorite sides.
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Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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