Colin Mills
Senior Recipe Developer
HelloFresh

Japanese Chicken & Okonomiyaki Waffles

Recipe courtesy of Colin Mills
Sponsor: Kikkoman

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients

Japanese Fried Chicken:

• ¼ oz grated garlic
• ½ oz grated fresh ginger
• 3 ½ Tbsp Kikkoman^® Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp sake
• 1 Tbsp Kikkoman^® No Preservatives Added Non-GMO Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 Tbsp Kikkoman^® Rice Vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, cut into 1-in strips
• 7 ½ oz cornstarch

Okonomiyaki Waffles:

• 12 ¼ oz green cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 ½ oz scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
• 1 ¾ oz beni-shoga (pickled ginger)
• ½ oz katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
• 3 lg eggs
• ½ c cold water
• 4 oz all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Plating:

• 3 ½ oz Japanese mayonnaise
• 3 ½ oz Kikkoman^® Unagi Sushi Sauce
• ¼ oz katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
• ½ oz aonori (seaweed flakes)

Directions

Japanese Fried Chicken:

1. Add ginger and garlic to a large bowl. Add the soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar and 1 tsp of salt. Stir to combine.
2. Add the chicken and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. While chicken is marinating, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set a wire rack in a second rimmed baking sheet and line rack with a triple layer of paper towels. Place the cornstarch and 1 ½ tsp of salt in a wide bowl.
4. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 325°F.
5. Strain chicken from marinade (a few bits of remaining garlic and ginger left on chicken is OK). Coat chicken with cornstarch, shake off excess, and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Using tongs, add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, to oil in a single layer.
7. Cook, adjusting the deep fryer if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 300 and 325°F, until chicken is golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes.
8. Using a spider skimmer, transfer chicken to the paper towel-lined baking sheet with rack. Return oil to 325°F and repeat with remaining chicken.

Okonomiyaki Waffles:

1. Combine the cabbage, scallion whites and half of the greens, the beni-shoga, katsuobushi, eggs and water in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the flour. Stir with a fork and beat heavily until a thick batter with plenty of bubbles forms. Set aside.
2. Pour in enough batter to just fill a lightly oiled, hot waffle maker. Cook 4-6 minutes, or until golden brown and the egg is fully cooked. Transfer to a plate.

Plating:

1. Place a hot okonomiyaki on a plate. Top with about 1 c fried chicken.
2. On top of the chicken, drizzle in a grid pattern first with the Japanese mayonnaise, then with the Unagi Sushi Sauce.
3. Garnish with some of the remaining scallion greens, the reserved katsuobushi and aonori.

Chef Notes

Aonori is a type of edible seaweed, beni-shoga is pickled red ginger and katsuobushi is smoked and fermented skipjack tuna flakes. For kitchen or home service, okonomiyaki waffles can be made in advance and kept warm or reheated in an oven while chicken is fried.

Project Management: Summit F&B
Photography: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley