Miso Popcorn Chicken

I love fried chicken, but I don’t have the patience to brine, buttermilk and deep fry whole pieces; it’s potentially dangerous, takes so much oil, and in general is a long process.

I came across kaarage chicken at my favourite restaurant (Kozan- in Geneva) and absolutely fell in love with the flavour and texture of it. Kaarage is a Japanese style fried chicken, where thighs are cut into nugget/bite size and seasoned with soy sauce, using potato starch to dredge. The end product is an extra crispy exterior and super juicy umami rich interior.

This recipe is heavily inspired by the dish I had, but since potato starch is something quite hard to find in conventional supermarkets, I wanted to use more accessible products. Using miso to marinate the chicken brings out even more umami, and helps tenderise the meat of the chicken, the ginger is there to help the chicken taste lighter and fresh. If you’re into fried chicken this is definitely a recipe for you.

prep/cooking time: 40-45 minutes

serves: 2-3 people

Ingredients

~600g skin-on boneless chicken thighs, or skinless, boneless, cut into 3 cm chunks

1 tbsp white miso

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp mirin

2 tsp sake

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1/4 cup (35g) plain flour

1/2 cup (60g) cornstarch

Shichimi togarashi, for garnish optional

spring onion, for garnish optional

neutral frying oil

Method

1. In a bowl add the miso, soy sauce, mirin, sake and grated ginger, mix thoroughly to combine. Add in the chicken chunks into the marinade, and let sit for 15-30 minutes covered at room temperature.

2. Place the flour and cornstarch onto 2 separate bowls for dredging.

3. In a medium heavy based pot, add enough oil to fill it up 1/2 way. Turn the heat up to medium high or until it registers 170°C.

4. Take the pieces of chicken out from the marinade, coat them in the flour, tapping the excess off. Cover the floured chicken bits in the cornflour, and gently pop them into the pre-heated oil - you will have to fry in batches. Fry for 3-5 minutes or until all sides of the chicken are crispy and golden brown, and the meat is cooked. Since the chicken pieces aren’t very big it shouldn’t take long for them to cook.

5. Transfer the cooked chicken onto a wire rack or a paper lined plate, continue the frying process until all the chicken is cooked. When all the chicken is cooked, turn the heat up to 190°C and refry the chicken for a few seconds until crispy- this will only take a few seconds, watch your chicken as leaving them in too long can result in burning. Remove from the oil, and place on a paper lined plate.

6. Sprinkle with shichimi togarashi and some fresh spring onion before serving.