What the FORK! I can’t believe I haven’t shared this recipe before. Because it’s really good! Sometimes it’s just so nice to have a big bowl of soul food. The type of food that fills you up and makes you feel really good. That’s why I decided to create a very tasty rice bowl with tempura chicken. And let me tell you, this stuff is tasty! It’s also pretty easy to make and it’s perfect for busy people. The frying of the tempura chicken takes the most time, but after that it’s time to dig in! So let’s get into it, I mean… Let’s cook!
For this recipe you’ll need the following ingredients for one person:
– 150 grams of chicken
breast
– Tempura batter mix, I used the one by Obento
– 75 grams of rice, I used basmati rice
– 3 spring onions
– Vegetables if you like, I recommend steamed broccoli
– Pepper, salt and garlic powder to taste
For the sauce:
– 2 to 3 big tablespoons of
ketchup, it depends on how thick you like your sauce
– 1 teaspoon of honey
– 15 grams of sugar
– A splash of water
Let’s start off with cooking the rice according to the instructions. My bag of rice only took twelve minutes, so I used that time to slice up the chicken breast. If you want to, this would also be the time to steam some vegetables. After doing that, I used about 30 grams of the Tempura batter mix and added a splash of water. I did this based on feeling, but you can use the instructions of the batter mix if you like. I like my batter a bit thicker, so I mixed it up myself. I also added some salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
Heat up some oil and make sure it’s hot enough for the chicken breast to fry up immediately. While heating up the oil, it’s time to dip the sliced chicken breast into the tempura batter. Make sure it’s evenly coated before you shake of the excess and fry it up in the pan. Take the chicken breast slices out when they start turning golden brown. Hold them to the side for about five minutes and then fry them again.
Frying the tempura chicken twice will keep the meat tender on the inside, and crunchy on the outside. You see, the first time frying the chicken is to cook it. The second time you fry it, it’s for the golden brown and crunchy crust. If you were to leave the chicken in the pan to get golden brown and crispy, it would take a really long time. By then the chicken will be dried out on the inside and that’s why frying twice is the better option.
Let the twice fried tempura chicken rest for a while. In the meantime, it’s time to put the now cooked rice in a bowl. This is going to be the base for your rice bowl with tempura chicken. To finish it off, you are going to need a tasty sweet and sour sauce. Mix the ketchup, honey, sugar and a splash of water together. Add more water if want more and a thinner sauce. Add more ketchup if you want a thicker sauce, and make sure you taste it. A good sweet and sour sauce needs balance, so check if you like the taste.
Heat up the pan in which you’ve fried the chicken and put the sauce in there. Heat it up on medium heat until it starts to boil and caramelize. This is the moment you put tempura chicken back in the pan, so you can take a minute to fully coat it with the sauce. Turn off the heat, and pour the sauce and the chicken over in the bowl with rice. Add some sliced spring onions for some crunch and a bite. You can also add some vegetables like broccoli or bimi with some sesame seeds.
Now, doesn’t that look awesome!? I mean, this is the easiest rice bowl with tempura chicken you’ve ever made. Make sure you stir the sweet and sour sauce through your rice. This gives every bite an explosion of flavor. And since you’ve sliced the chicken breast, you can also have a piece of tempura chicken with every bite. Writing this article makes me hungry again, haha! I hope you try this amazing recipe and don’t forget to let me know if you like it.
Grab your chopsticks and get to it,
Kaya-Quintana
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