Healthy Mochiko Chicken Recipe (sweet and savory)

Mochiko Chicken Recipe

I often get lost scrolling through the various cooking shows and love trying to come up with new ways to make the recipes I see on these shows “healthier.” Just last week I was literally drooling watching one of my favorite chefs make a fried chicken dish, and I knew I had to tackle this one next. The recipe was for Mochiko chicken. I had never heard of this, so I immediately went to Google to find out more about this tasty treat.

Mochiko is a fancy Japanese word that means mochi flour. This type of flour is made from sticky rice that is cooked, then dried, and ground up into a powder. It’s sometimes called sweet rice flour and is a very delicate flour that can not only be used as a breading for chicken but can be used in desserts as well. Unlike traditional flours, it doesn’t have a starchiness to it, and it is a great option for gluten-free recipes.

Having never seen this type of flour in the store, I set out on a mission to find it. While it’s listed on the websites for Safeway, Walmart, and Target, after hitting up multiple local stores, I realized this task was far more difficult than I expected. I wondered if maybe this ingredient could easily be swapped out for another flour, but I didn’t want to take that chance. I mean, it is a Mochiko chicken recipe, after all. I then pondered actually making the flour myself, but luckily, I avoided that test by finding the flour on Amazon. Crisis averted.

It is often tricky to air fry ingredients that are best suited for frying the traditional method, especially when a dredge is involved. Truth be told, I wasn’t quite sure I could make it work, but I was up for the challenge of making a Mochiko chicken recipe and am pretty pleased with the results.

Mochiko Chicken Recipe

Healthy Mochiko Chicken

Coach Cristina tackled a healthy Mochiko recipe and we all win!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: Mochiko
Servings: 0
Calories: 222kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless

Mochiko Marinade

  • ¼ cup liquid aminos
  • ¼ cup Swerve sugar substitute
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tsp ginger grated
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup green onion chopped
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch

Breading

  • ¾ cup Mochiko flour
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
  • Mix marinade ingredients and pour on top of chicken.
  • Marinate chicken overnight.
  • Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees.
  • Combine Mochiko flour, cornstarch, and salt and pepper.
  • Lightly coat each piece of chicken and place ina single layer in air fryer.
  • Lightly spray each piece of chicken with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Air fry for roughly 12 – 15 minutes.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Chef’s Tip: This chicken dish pairs really well with sticky rice and a favorite steamed veggie like asparagus.

Nutrition

Calories: 222kcal | Fat: 10g | Protein: 20g | Carbohydrates: 17g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!