Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
Make Hawaiian mochiko chicken without deep frying by using this air fryer adapted recipe. Chicken is marinated overnight in a sweet soy sauce mixture, then breaded with mochiko (a type of Japanese rice flour) just before air frying. You still get that crisp, flavorful fried chicken but without the mess of deep frying. Air fryer mochiko chicken is also a great gluten free fried chicken alternative!
*This post may contain affiliate links
What Is Mochiko Chicken?
Mochiko chicken is a very popular Hawaiian fried chicken dish. It is also commonly made among the Japanese American community. Just thinking about it pulls at my deep-rooted Asian heart strings. Ahhhh, now I’m reminiscing about family vacations to Hawaii and big church potlucks. Anyway. So what makes mochiko chicken so different from other American fried chickens?
Well, one of the biggest differences between mochiko chicken and American fried chicken is that mochiko chicken is breaded in mochiko, not wheat flour, hence the name. Mochiko is rice flour made from glutinous rice, or sweet rice. In Japanese, this rice is called mochikome. It is the same kind of rice that mochi is made from. When you grind this rice into a flour, it’s called mochiko.
Is Mochiko Chicken Hawaiian or Japanese?
Even though mochiko chicken uses a Japanese ingredient, it appears as though it originated in Hawaii. I cannot actually find any sources that give exact information on the history of mochiko chicken, though, so if you know of any please send them my way!
Mochiko chicken most likely originated from the influence of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii, much like another beloved Hawaiian dish: the spam musubi. It seems most likely that mochiko chicken is derived from the Japanese fried chicken dish: karaage. Japanese karaage, however, is marinated and then breaded using potato starch and/or wheat flour. Mochiko chicken recipes use mochiko and cornstarch, and it is often mixed into the marinade to form a batter.
How to Make Mochiko Chicken in the Air Fryer
I feel like one of the hallmarks of mochiko chicken for me is that it’s actually fried in a batter, not a dry breading. Wellllllll, unfortunately batters don’t work out too great in the air fryer. So in order to make mochiko chicken work in the air fryer, I had to change the recipe to use a breading method, like a standard fried chicken recipe.
To achieve this, I increased the amount of mochiko that is typically used for this dish. I also added some salt into the breading. Fat adds flavor, but when you air fry, you get way less fat in your food since you’re cooking with less oil. While some may enjoy the health benefits of air frying, this also means that your food will not carry the same flavor as when you deep fry. I add this extra salt into the breading in order to bring some of that flavor back.
Can You Make this Recipe by Deep Frying Too?
If you want to make mochiko chicken the traditional, deep fried way, you can eliminate the salt in the breading. Decrease the amount of mochiko to 1/4 cup. Instead of marinating and then breading, you can simply mix the dry ingredients right into the marinade. It will become a very thick, sticky mass. That’s okay. Let the batter marinate the chicken overnight, then scoop it right into hot oil to deep fry.
Is Mochiko Chicken Gluten Free?
Yes! At least.. this recipe is! Mochiko chicken is breaded entirely in mochiko, which is gluten free, and cornstarch.
What do you eat with Mochiko Chicken?
You can serve mochiko chicken hot, as a main dish. Think of a Hawaiian plate lunch. Serve it with rice, maybe some Hawaiian macaroni salad, and some Hawaiian cole slaw. You could also serve it as a side dish – it’s great to bring to potlucks if you make a big batch. It can be eaten at room temperature as part of a bentou lunch box. It can even go into musubi!
I mean, the reality is, you can eat however you want to eat. Mochiko chicken is delicious, so… breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert(?!). No one’s judging.
I hope I’ve convinced you to give this recipe a try! Let me know how it goes and if there are any other Asian recipes you want adapted for the air fryer!
Air Fryer Mochiko Chicken
Make easy Hawaiian mochiko chicken without the deep frying with this air fryer adapted recipe! Bonus: it's also naturally gluten free.
4.76 from 25 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 12 minutes mins
Marinating Time 1 day d
Course Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Hawaiian
Equipment
Air fryer
Ingredients
Chicken & Marinade
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup green onion chopped
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Breading & Air Frying
- 3/4 cup mochiko
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- canola or vegetable oil spray
Instructions
Cut chicken thighs roughly into 1.5-2 inch cubes
Whisk all marinade ingredients together
Pour marinade over chicken, coating all sides well, and marinate for at least 2 hours. Marinating overnight is HIGHLY recommended.
When ready to air fry, whisk mochiko, salt, and cornstarch together.
Shake off excess marinade from chicken and lightly coat in the breading mixture. The breading may become wet and sticky; that's okay.
Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees F.
Place breaded chicken into basket. (You may need to air fry in two batches, depending on how large your air fryer is).
Spray with canola oil, particularly targeting any areas of breading that are still dry.
Air fry at 390 degrees F for 10-12 minutes (depending on how thick your chicken pieces are), shaking and spraying again with oil halfway through.
Mochiko chicken can be served hot or at room temperature as part of a musubi. Leftovers will keep in the fridge.
Tried this recipe?Click on the stars to add a rating, or add a comment below!
Keyword gluten free
Other Hawaiian Recipes on Mochi Mommy
If you liked this recipe, make sure to check out my other Hawaiian inspired recipes!
- Zippy’s Chili Copycat
- Honolulu Cookie Company Copycat
- Chocolate Haupia Pie
- Sweet Potato Haupia Pie Bars
air fryerair fyerbentoeasyGluten Freehawaiian foodlunchmain dishmochikorecipessavoryside
