Chicken Tempura – Light and crispy breaded chicken deep fried until golden brown! Chicken tempura is perfect served over rice as a easy meal!
Chicken Tempura
Anything that has tempura in the name is what I go for at a Japanese restaurant. Something about that light and airy breading is just so perfect and delicious! While I normally go for tempura vegetables, I decided to try experimenting with coating chicken in tempura batter and deep frying it. The results were AMAZING!
After all of the love that my chicken katsu recipe has recieved, I am on a mission to try other varieties of Japanese deep-fried chicken. After this chicken tempura recipe, karaage chicken will be up next!
Common questions about making Japanese chicken tempura
What is tempura made of?
Tempura is a light batter made from either iced water or sparkling water, egg, flour, and corn starch. Some of these ingredients can vary from recipe to recipe.
What oil is best for tempura?
Any neutral oil that can be used for deep-frying. Personally, I used canola.
What can I tempura?
Just about anything! Some of the most popular things are:
- Sweet potatoes
- Onion rings
- Zucchini
- Broccoli
- Shrimp
- Mushrooms
- Eggplant
How do I reheat tempura?
Tempura doesn’t reheat super well but if you do want to reheat it, place it in the oven to reheat it, turning it over half way to make sure both sides crisp up.
What do you eat with tempura?
Tempura can be served with a variety of different things such as:
- A bowl of short-grain white rice
- Noodles
- In a bento box
- With a side dish such as Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) or Yaki Onigiri
What is the difference between tempura and katsu?
While both are deep-fried and breaded, the coating is made from slightly different ingredients. Tempura does not have the breadcrumbs on it that katsu does is one of the main differences.
Can’t get enough of this chicken katsu recipe? Try these other recipes!
Chicken Tempura
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground garlic
- Pinch of ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup cake flour
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- Neutral oil
Instructions
- Thinly slice chicken breasts into 1/2" pieces before transferring to a bowl.
- Mix together soy sauce, mirin, garlic powder, ground ginger, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken and refridgerate for 15-20 minutes to marinade.
- Place ice in a large mixing bowl and then place a medium mixing bowl on top of the ice. Add the egg in and lightly mix it using chopsticks. Add in club soda and cake flour. Mix until just combined.
- Place corn starch in a bowl and then roll each piece of chicken in it to coat it. Once the chicken is coated, transfer it to the batter and make sure it is completely covered.
- Bring oil to about 350 degrees in a pot. Once hot enough, transfer about 2-3 pieces of the coated chicken into the oil to fry until crisp and golden on one side (about 2 minutes). Flip and continue to cook (about 2-3 minutes more).
- Transfer cooked chicken to a plate lined with paper towel to help keep it from getting soggy. Serve immediately.
Never miss a Mildly Meandering recipe
Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter
