Lewis Butler Makes Japanese Fried Chicken & Sweet Potato Waffles

chicken thighs

🥗Healthier: chicken breast

💰Cheaper: chicken drumsticks

Breast is leaner, drumsticks are usually less expensive.

sake

🥗Healthier: rice vinegar

💰Cheaper: white wine

Rice vinegar adds acidity without alcohol.

mirin

🥗Healthier: honey + water

💰Cheaper: sugar + water

Honey provides sweetness with fewer calories.

potato starch

🥗Healthier: cornstarch

💰Cheaper: all-purpose flour

Cornstarch is often easier to find and less expensive.

Scald whole milk to just over 100-112 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring it doesn't boil.

Combine dry yeast with a little flour in the scalded milk to activate it.

Set the mixture aside in a warm place until foamy.

Add more scalded milk and the rest of the flour to achieve a pancake batter consistency.

Mix in melted butter, two large eggs, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract.

Bake sweet potatoes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour until tender, then mash them into the batter.

Combine the sweet potato mash with the batter, mixing until well combined.

Marinate chicken thighs with crushed ginger, garlic, light sodium soy sauce, and mirin for about an hour in the fridge.

Heat canola oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for frying.

Coat marinated chicken thighs in potato flour or potato starch mixed with togarashi seasoning.

Deep fry chicken thighs for about four minutes on each side until they reach an internal temperature of 160-170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare the waffle batter in a professional waffle iron, spreading it out evenly and cooking until crispy on the outside and moist inside.

Serve two pieces of waffle per person topped with fried chicken, sprinkled with togarashi, garnished with curled green onions and powdered sugar.

Prepare maple syrup infused with garlic cloves for serving.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens