Chicken Tempura (Printable Version)
Golden, crispy battered chicken with a light tempura coating and tangy dipping sauce
# What You Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 1.1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 1/2 tsp salt
03 - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
→ Tempura Batter
04 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
05 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 3/4 cup ice-cold sparkling water
08 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
→ Frying
09 - 4 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
→ Dipping Sauce
10 - 1/4 cup soy sauce
11 - 1/4 cup mirin
12 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
13 - 1 tbsp sugar
14 - 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
# Method:
01 - Slice chicken breasts into thin strips approximately 1/2 x 2 inches. Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels and season evenly with salt and pepper.
02 - Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking powder in a mixing bowl until fully combined.
03 - Lightly beat egg in separate bowl, then incorporate ice-cold sparkling water.
04 - Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients. Stir briefly with chopsticks or fork just until combined, leaving batter slightly lumpy. Avoid overmixing.
05 - Heat vegetable oil in deep pan or fryer to 350°F.
06 - Dip seasoned chicken strips into batter, allowing excess to drip off.
07 - Carefully add battered chicken to hot oil. Fry in batches for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crispy, turning once halfway through. Avoid overcrowding the pan.
08 - Transfer cooked chicken to wire rack or paper towels to drain excess oil.
09 - Combine soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sugar, and ginger in small saucepan. Heat gently while stirring until sugar completely dissolves. Cool to room temperature before serving.
10 - Arrange chicken tempura on serving plate and serve immediately with dipping sauce on the side.
# Expert Tricks:
01 -
- The texture is impossibly light and crispy, unlike heavy batters that leave you feeling weighed down
- Sparkling water is the secret ingredient that creates those gorgeous airy bubbles in every bite
02 -
- Overworking the batter kills the bubbles and makes the coating heavy and tough instead of light
- Crowding the pan drops the oil temperature and makes the chicken soggy instead of crisp
03 -
- Keep your batter bowl over another bowl filled with ice to maintain that crucial cold temperature
- Use chopsticks to mix the batter because they are gentler than a whisk and help prevent overmixing