Chicken Tempura (Printable)
Light, crispy battered chicken strips fried to golden perfection with a tangy ginger-soy dipping sauce.
# What You’ll Need:
→ For the Chicken
01 - 1.1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 1/2 tsp salt
03 - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
→ For the 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
→ For Frying
09 - 4 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
→ For the 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
# How-To Steps:
01 - Cut 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 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking powder 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—do not overmix.
05 - Heat vegetable oil in deep pan or fryer to 350°F.
06 - Dip seasoned chicken strips into batter, allowing excess to drip off, then carefully add to hot oil.
07 - Fry in batches for 3-4 minutes until golden and crisp, 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 until sugar dissolves, then cool to room temperature.
10 - Serve chicken tempura hot with dipping sauce on the side.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The batter stays impossibly light and crispy thanks to sparkling water and the dont overmix rule that changed everything
- That tangy ginger dipping sauce hits all the right notes between salty and slightly sweet
- Everything comes together in under 40 minutes even if you are new to frying
02 -
- Overmixing the batter creates gluten and makes the coating tough instead of light and shattering
- Crowding the pan drops the oil temperature and you will end up with greasy chicken instead of crispy
- The sparkling water needs to be freezing cold straight from the fridge for the best results
03 -
- Chopsticks work better than a whisk for mixing batter because they do not overwork the flour
- The first batch is always the tester one for oil temperature and timing