I can hear you now. “Karen, are you kidding? Fried Chicken? Japan? Christmas Dinner? You aren’t serious.” Oh but I am. I bet you didn’t know that many families in Japan celebrate at their Christmas dinner table by having no other then KFC Fried Chicken. While I am a fan of all food, this is definitely an idea that I could get behind. We Americans will have KFC or Fried Chicken year round and not bat an eye about it. For many of us, it’s a quick dinner that we don’t have to think too much about on a normal week night. Rolling up to the Colonial’s for a no stress bucket of chicken has filled many of our bellies on different occasions. But just like I know many folks who take advantage of Chinese Takeout for their Christmas dinner, the Japanese have done the same thing. But where did this tradition come from? Well, it actually dates back to the 70’s.
According to the Business Insider, an estimated 3.6 million families celebrate Christmas in Japan by eating KFC for their dinner. In fact, if their Christmas meal isn’t preordered, people could ultimately be waiting in lines for hours to take advantage of the secret blend of herbs and spices.
This is all thanks to a man named Takeshi Okawara, who was the manager of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken Franchise in Japan. Early on to his time at the Franchise, he had an idea to sell a “Christmas Party Barrel” inspired by America’s elaborate Turkey dinners for the Holidays but featuring Chicken instead. And so in 1970, the idea took flight and by 1974, the official KFC Holiday Promotion began. It was known as Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii: Kentucky for Christmas. Millions of families over the last 50 years have known that Santa and the Colonel went hand and hand.
I can’t say we’ve ever had a bucket or barrel of Fried Chicken on our Christmas dinner table. Although, it wouldn’t have been argued over. Our family is a family of eaters. And we LOVE food of all kinds. The person who would have been especially happy with this would have been my Father. He was a well known lover of Fried Chicken of all kinds. My fondest memory of this obsession was when I went to work for a day with him as a young teenager. He spent the majority of his career as a Meat Cutter, and many of those years were at Super Fresh Supermarkets, which is where I went with him that day. As we took a walk around the store, we stopped by the Fried Chicken Counter, where he was apparently VERY well known. Turns out Dad would often grab a couple pieces of Fried Chicken and store them in the pocket of his meat coat, a fact that I was told not to share with my Mother. As I got older, that news got out and I frequently teased him about his Fried Chicken love, asking why occasionally there was KFC boxes in the back of his truck.
So Dad would have been very happy to have the Colonel show up on his Christmas table. Am I going to attempt to debunk Harland Sanders blend of herbs and spices? Umm no. It’s a week away from Christmas! Who has time for that?
What I did decide to do though was a Japan take on Fried Chicken. Instead of a buttermilk soak, we did a Teriyaki marinade. This gives the chicken more flavor in the meat itself and infuses a little extra Asian flavor.
Once that is pulled out of the marinade, pat it dry as much as possible before sending it through a SBP: Standard Breading Procedure. Flour, egg and more flour that is seasoned up right. This is where our flavors come in strong.
Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt, Cracked Black Pepper, Parsley, Chinese Five Spice and Cayenne Pepper are added into the second flour and mixed through liberally. The chicken is then passed through all three once but then brought back through the egg and second flour twice. This puts more of a coating on the chicken leading to more crunch.
At this point, you get to choose your destiny. I am opting to air fry this one to cut a few Holiday calories. To be fair, we have actually also pan fried this recipe and it worked over very well also. Spray your air fryer rack liberally and your chicken as well. This will prevent stickage on both ends.
Cook your chicken until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, flipping half way through to ensure even cooking and browning.
Now to give this more Asian flavor, I developed a Sweet and Spicy Asian Glaze. In a small mixing bowl, add sriracha & honey, minced fresh garlic, a hit of yuzu hot sauce if you can get it, salt and pepper. Mix this and drizzle it over your finished chicken.
Serve this up with your favorite stir fried vegetables and some rice and you have a delicious take on favorites in two different countries. I hope you enjoy this if not for Christmas but for any night you need a switch up from the norm.
Japan’s Fried Chicken with Hot & Sweet Asian Glaze and Stir Fried Vegetables
Serves 4
Prep Time: 3 Hours including Marinade Time
Cook Time: 30-45 minutes
- 4 Chicken Breasts, Skin On & Bone In for Best Results
- 2 cups Teriyaki Sauce
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour, divided
- 4 Whole Eggs
- 3 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 3 Tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 Tbsp Dried Parsley
- 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Tbsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- Hot & Sweet Asian Glaze
- 1/2 cup Sriracha Sauce
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1 tsp Yuzu Hot Sauce (available at Trader Joes)
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Marinate chicken breast in Teriyaki sauce for 2 hours or more to enhance flavor.
Set up three dishes: 1 with 1 cup of the all purpose flour, 1 with the 4 eggs slightly beaten and 1 with the remaining flour and all the spices.
Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry thoroughly.
Pass the chicken through the breading procedure one full time. After coating all the chicken once, dip it back in the egg and seasoned flour mixture a second time.
Spray the bottom of your air fryer tray thoroughly with cooking spray and the chicken as well.
Cook in your air fryer until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, flipping half way through to ensure even cooking and even browning.
While the chicken is cooking, in a small bowl, combine the sriracha, honey, yuzu hot sauce, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Mix to combine and serve on chicken when ready.
Enjoy!
Steve
Yum