Simple Mochiko Chicken Recipe

If you like any meal with chicken, then you'll definitely love this scrumptious recipe for baked mochiko chicken. This Japanese dish has a blend of flavors that will surely satisfy your palate. Like many Japanese meals, the baked mochiko chicken can be served as a rice bowl. Hence, it's a hearty meal on its own. Another great thing about the dish is that it involves baking, which is much healthier than deep-frying.

Are you thinking of making this tasty meal at home for you and your family or friends? Thankfully, recipe developer and blogger from Best Friends for Frosting, Melissa Johnson, created a simple step-by-step guide that you can easily follow along with in your own kitchen. According to Johnson, the recipe is super simple. So, even beginners should try their hand at preparing this tasty dish. And don't be alarmed by the prep time. Four hours of that time the chicken will be marinating!

It is important to note that this recipe has no substitutes, but luckily, most of the ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery store or specialty Asian market. So, what are you waiting for? It's time to get shopping so you can make your very own baked mochiko chicken for dinner.

To make the caked mochiko chicken, you will need a handful of ingredients — and most of them you probably already have in your pantry — such as soy sauce, garlic cloves, ginger, flour, cornstarch, olive oil, and green onion. For the less common items like garlic salt, mirin, mochiko, and sesame seeds, you can scout them out at your local supermarket or specialty Asian market. Then, of course, you will need the main ingredient, which is the boneless skinless chicken thighs. That's it! Now, let's get cooking.

The preparation time for this dish will take about 30 minutes, and the recipe has a cook time of 24 minutes. You will save on prolonging the prep time if you measure the ingredients beforehand. When done, have your chicken ready and make sure it's thawed for easy cutting. Place your chicken on the chopping board, and slice it into small pieces, about 1 inch. Next, place the pieces of chicken on a small plate, and set it aside.

In a clean mixing bowl, pour in the soy sauce, then add mirin, garlic, and ginger. Mix everything well. When the marinade is ready, you can then grab your sliced chicken thighs and add them to the mixture. Combine thoroughly to make sure all sides of the chicken are nicely coated. Let it marinate for four hours. You can cover the bowl with plastic wrap to keep dust and any debris from entering the marinade mixture.

Grab another clean bowl, and combine the remaining dry ingredients, including the flour, cornstarch, mochiko, and garlic salt. Before coating the chicken in the dry flour mixture, turn on the oven so it preheats. Set the temperature to 425 F. While you're waiting for the oven to heat up, you can move on to the next steps. You're almost done with the prep work, and not too far off from enjoying this delicious chicken recipe!

Now it is the time to get your marinated chicken. Drain the liquid from the mixture, then dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Flip each piece to make sure all sides are coated. Set the chicken aside when done, and move on to the next quick step. Grab a sheet pan and apply a bit of cooking spray. Get your chicken, and place each piece onto the oiled sheet pan.

Spray cooking oil over the chicken to nicely coat each piece. Next, pop the chicken in the oven, and bake for about 12 minutes. Take note of the time, as you'll need to cook the other side of the chicken, so you may need to set up a timer for this step. When it's time, flip your chicken and bake for another 12 minutes. 

When cooked, place the mochiko chicken over rice. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds. Serve immediately, and enjoy!