Recipe: Sencha brined chicken karaage




Sencha Brined Chicken Karaage

Matcha salt, Matcha Nori dipping sauce/mayo


Inspired by Chef Alex Fuentes from SingleThread, this recipe is his take on a classic Japanese dish. The use of sencha imparts the tea's distinct umami and earthy background flavours into the chicken. Everything is eventually tied together with a simple matcha seasoning salt and matcha/nori mayonnaise based dipping sauce.


Watch a recording to the live cooking demonstration here.


List of Ingredients

  • 1 # Boneless Skin OR Chicken Thighs
  • ½ C Cooking Mirin
  • 1 ea Ginger, small knob
  • ¼ C Kosher Salt
  • 3 tbsp D:Match Sencha
  • 2 C Potato Starch
  • ½ C Rice Flour
  • 1 qt Frying Oil (Canola, Peanut etc)
  • 3 tsp D:Matcha Matcha Powder
  • 1 ea Egg yolk
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 ¼ C Neutral Vegetable Oil (Canola)
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • ¼ tsp Dashi Powder/MSG
  • 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
  • 1 ea Lemon (Optional garnish)

Instructions

  1. Start off by bringing water to a boil and brew the sencha for the Brine.
  2. Finish mixing and cooling the brine recipe
  3. Next cut the chicken thighs into 1 in. pieces
  4. Brine for 4-6 hours but no longer to prevent oversaturation
  5. While brining, begin prepping the matcha mayo, karaage dredge and matcha salt
  6. After 6 hours, strain and discard used brine.
  7. Toss the chicken in karaage dredge and evenly coat/dust off excess dredge
  8. Heat the oil up to 325* F (163°C)
  9. Fry the pieces for roughly 90 seconds or until lightly brown
  10. Pull and let cool while raising the oil to 350* F (177°C)
  11. Fry a second time for 45 seconds or until golden brown
  12. Pull and drain over paper towels, sheet rack, season with matcha salt

Recipe for brine (for 750ml)

  • 500g - Water
  • 16g - Salt
  • 50g - Mirin
  • 20g - Sencha tea leaves
  • 15g - Ginger
  1. Wrap the sencha tea leaves and ginger slices in cheesecloth to allow for easy removal later
  2. Bring half the water to simmer around 80°C and pour over the tea and ginger and let steep for 90 seconds
  3. Add the remaining water that is cold or even ice to cool down the hot tea
  4. Add the salt and mirin; mix well and store
  5. Pour brine over chicken thigh pieces. (1x Brine covers ~1# of meat)

Recipe for mayo (for 500ml)

  • 50g - Egg yolk
  • 5g - Dijon mustard
  • 1g - Salt
  • 3g - Sugar
  • 6g - Matcha powder
  • 20g - Water
  • 14g - Rice vinegar
  • 1g - Dashi powder
  • 300g - Neutral oil
  1. Begin by bringing the water up to a light simmer and whisking with the sifted matcha powder
  2. Let cool down by continual whisking
  3. Once at room temperature add the remaining ingredients besides the oil and mix well
  4. While whisking vigorously add the oil in a steady stream to begin the emulsion, you should use up all the oil but depending on desired consistency you might need some water to thin out
Recipe: Sencha brined chicken karaage - d:matcha Kyoto