00:00One explosion of flavour is a perfect dish, that's what one of my readers said after making this chicken nambun
00:06recipe.
00:06Golden chicken hits tangy vinegar sauce and a mountain of creamy tartar. Let's cook.
00:12For a printable version of this recipe, visit my website, just google chicken nambuns that you do find me.
00:19For this recipe, we're using 450g of chicken breast.
00:25Chicken breast fibres don't all run the same way, so start by laying it on a cutting board and splitting
00:32it into three.
00:33Trim off the thick root end, then separate the section with that thin white line running across, and you'll have
00:40neat thirds.
00:42You'll notice each piece has its own grain direction.
00:45Now, slice against the grain with a slight diagonal. Hold a knife perpendicular to the fibres, then lay it down
00:52a touch so each slice has a broad face.
00:55Keep the thickness even at 1.5-2cm. Uniform pieces will save you from uneven cooking later.
01:04Take a fork and stab the surface of each piece lightly all over, then blot them thoroughly with paper towels.
01:14Sprinkle the chicken with salt and black pepper. We're seasoning the meat itself before any coating goes on.
01:21Time to dust with flour.
01:23Toss the chicken in a mixture of 3 tablespoons of cake flour, or all-purpose if that's what you got,
01:29plus 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Shaking off any excess to leave just a thin coat.
01:36This first dry layer is crucial. It anchors the egg coating that comes next and builds that delicate shell that
01:43fries up crisp.
01:45Beat your two eggs in a bowl until the yolks and whites are fully combined.
01:50Shake off excess flour from each piece of chicken, dunk them into the egg, submerge,
01:56then cover and pop the bowl in the fridge while we sort out the two-star sauces, tartar and nambanzu.
02:09While your chicken rests in the egg wash, let's make the tartar sauce.
02:13Finely dice about a quarter of an onion and scrape it into a bowl of water to help tame the
02:21bite.
02:21Next, we'll finely dice one small pickled gherkin, or fresh cucumber, and one hard-boiled egg.
02:29Into a bowl they go, along with 4 tablespoons of Japanese mayo,
02:33half tablespoon of lemon juice,
02:362 teaspoons of whole milk,
02:381 teaspoon of sugar,
02:40half teaspoon of ketchup,
02:42and a pinch of some pepper.
02:44Got pickle juice from your gherkin jar?
02:46Or, you can replace half the milk and sugar with pickle juice for an extra layer of complexity.
02:54Thoroughly drain the onions and then add them to the bowl along with a sprinkle of dry parsley.
03:00For the mayo, ideally Japanese mayo like Kewpie is a great choice.
03:04But if not, you can use your regular mayo or try making my homemade Japanese-style mayo.
03:11Whisk until creamy and taste test.
03:14As always, all ingredients and exact measurements for this recipe can be found in the description box below.
03:20If you want a shortcut, skip this tartar step and use a store-bought bottle.
03:26Then cover and refrigerate until serving.
03:30For the nambanzu, add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce,
03:343 tablespoons of rice vinegar,
03:36or apple cider is fine,
03:392 tablespoons of sugar,
03:40and 1 tablespoon of mirin to a small saucepan.
03:44If you want to try the very traditional version,
03:46skip the mirin and use the traditional 1-1-1 vinegar-soy-sugar ratio.
03:51And some restaurants in Miyazaki even blend half dark koikuchi and half light usukuchi soy sauce,
03:58if you have them both.
04:00Heat on medium, stir to fully dissolve the sugar.
04:03Let it boil for a minute,
04:05then take off the heat,
04:06and add one dried red chili,
04:09which I split and de-seeded for a touch of heat.
04:13Let it cool to room temperature.
04:15Heat a deep pot of oil to 170 degrees Celsius.
04:20I'm using rice brown oil,
04:22but any of your usual neutral oil with a high smoke point is fine.
04:27Lift each chicken piece to let excess egg drip off,
04:31then gently drop them into the pot.
04:34Skin side down if your chicken breast has skin.
04:38Authentic Chicken Namban uses only this egg coating,
04:41which creates its signature tender texture.
04:43If you crave that satisfying crunch anyway,
04:47you can dunk the egg coated pieces with a light layer of starch before frying.
04:51It's not authentic, but it does deliver textural contrast.
04:58Fry for about 3 minutes,
05:00and here's the hard part.
05:01Resist touching them for the first 60 seconds.
05:07You're looking for pale golden with vigorous even bubbling.
05:11If they're browning too fast, notch the heat down.
05:14Remove the chicken and let it rest on a wire rack for exactly 3 minutes.
05:19While you do that, start the first frying for the next batch.
05:25Then increase your oil temperature to 180 degrees Celsius.
05:29Return the rested chicken for a final 2-minute fry.
05:33This double-fry technique creates the perfect balance of crispy exterior and juicy interior.
05:40And here's where timing makes or breaks your chicken number.
05:44This is the critical sauce moment.
05:47The instant you lift the chicken from that second fry,
05:50let the excess oil drain for 15-30 seconds on your rack.
05:56Then immediately dip each piece into your room temperature nanban sauce for 10-20 seconds.
06:03There will be leftover nanbanzu,
06:06so feel free to repurpose the leftover sauce for stir-fries or other dishes.
06:15Arrange your glazed chicken on plates with some fresh salad,
06:19and generously top with a chilled tart sauce.
06:22The contrast of temperatures and textures here is remarkable.
06:26Sprinkle with a bit of extra parsley and black pepper if you like.
06:30Don't use any dressing for salad.
06:32Use the tart sauce and nanbanzu to enjoy it.
06:35This dish is particularly great to be enjoyed as part of a complete meal with steamed Japanese rice,
06:42authentic meat soup,
06:43and some fresh salad on the side.
06:47And there you have it.
06:49Golden juicy chicken meets tangy vinegar glaze
06:52and melts under a blanket of creamy tart sauce.
06:56Want even more delicious recipes?
06:58Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description.
07:02Okay, let's go over the ingredients one more time.
07:05And if you're ready to cook, grab the written instructions by clicking the full recipe box
07:09with a picture that's about to pop up on your screen.
07:13Here we go, the link to the full recipe is on the screen for you now,
07:16and if you want to make a perfect soup to go with,
07:18don't miss my miso soup recipe popping up on your screen as well.
07:22Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye.
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