Fried Chicken with Tartar Sauce (Chikin Nanban)
チキン南蛮 Chikin nanbanSay it: chee-keen nan-BAHN
Chicken nanban is a Miyazaki favourite: juicy fried chicken thighs, hot from the oil, dipped in a sweet-sour vinegar marinade and finished with a generous spoonful of Japanese egg tartar sauce. The contrast — crisp coating, tangy sauce, creamy richness — is what makes it so popular. It appears on school lunch menus and family tables across Kyushu and beyond, and in Miyazaki it is practically a local emblem, served with shredded cabbage and rice.
Fried Chicken with Tartar Sauce (Chikin Nanban)
チキン南蛮, Chikin nanban
Pronounced chee-keen nan-BAHN
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, egg, soy. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the chicken
For the nanban vinegar
For the tartar sauce
To serve
Method
Make the nanban vinegar first. warm the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and mirin in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes — do not let it boil hard. Pour into a shallow bowl and leave to cool.
For the tartar sauce, soak the chopped onion in cold water for 5 minutes, then drain and squeeze it dry in your hand. Stir it together with the mayonnaise, chopped hard-boiled egg, pickles, rice vinegar and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Chill until needed.
Pat the chicken thighs dry, open them out flat and cut each into two even pieces, then pound lightly to an even 1/2 inch (1.5 cm). Rub with the salt, pepper, soy sauce, sake, garlic and ginger and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 340°F (170°C). Drain the chicken briefly, dredge each piece in flour and shake off the excess, then dip it into the beaten egg so it is well coated.
Fry the chicken in batches of three or four pieces for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the coating is deep golden, crisp at the edges and the meat is cooked through (165°F / 74°C at the center). Lift onto a rack to drain.
While the chicken is still hot, lay each piece in the nanban vinegar and turn it once so the coating drinks up the sauce, about 30 seconds per side, then return it to the rack — it should be soaked, not soggy.
Slice the chicken into 3/4-inch (2 cm) strips, cutting on the diagonal. Pile the shredded cabbage and hot rice onto plates, lay the chicken alongside and spoon the tartar sauce generously over the top. Serve immediately.
Regional variants
Before chicken, the same sweet-sour marinade was used for fried fish — aji nanbanzuke is still a standard in Kyushu homes. Home cooks also make a lighter version by pan-frying or air-frying pounded chicken breast and serving the vinegar on the side.
Cook's notes
- Fry in small batches so the oil temperature does not drop — a crowded pot gives pale, greasy chicken.
- Soak the chicken in the vinegar only while it is hot; leaving it in too long softens the crust.
- Rinsing the onion takes the raw bite out of the tartar sauce; make it an hour ahead if you can.
Serve with
Shredded cabbage, steamed Japanese rice, and cold beer or barley tea.
Make ahead and storage
The nanban vinegar and tartar sauce keep, covered, for 3 days in the fridge; fry the chicken just before serving and reheat leftovers in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 8 minutes.
