Yangnyeom Chicken
ヤンニョムチキン
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Yangnyeom chicken is Korean fried chicken coated in a sticky, sweet and gently spicy sauce, and it has become a firm favorite in Japan too. In this school-lunch version, crisp potato-starch-coated chicken is tossed in a glaze of ketchup, soy sauce, sugar and mirin, so the flavor is sweet and savory first, with just a touch of heat. The method lets you cook once for the whole family: the toddler portions are set aside before the gochujang goes in, and the older kids' share is finished with as much or as little spice as they like.
Toddlers to adults. Portion out the children's share before the final seasoning, then season the rest for adults.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 96 gchicken thigh
- 1.8 gsakeSake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- 10.8 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
- to tasteoil for deep-frying
Seasonings
- 0.3 ggarlic paste (tube)Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 0.3 gginger paste (tube)Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 2.1 gsoy sauce
- 2.4 gsugar
- 8.4 gketchup
- 0.5 gsake (for the sauce)Sake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- 0.3 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- 0.8 ggochujang
- 12 gwater
- 0.3 gwhite sesame seeds
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- sake (酒)
- Sake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
- garlic paste (tube) (にんにくチューブ)
- Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- ginger paste (tube) (しょうがチューブ)
- Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- sake (for the sauce) (酒（タレ用）)
- Sake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
Directions
Video is in Japanese — the steps below are synced to it, so tap ▶ on a step to jump to that moment.
- 1
Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and rub in the sake. Coat the pieces with potato starch.
- 2
Deep-fry in oil heated to 170°C (340°F) for about 4 minutes, turning the pieces over after 2 minutes. Finish by turning the heat to high and frying for about 1 more minute. Watch out for spattering oil.
- 3
Put the garlic paste, ginger paste, soy sauce, sugar, ketchup, sake, mirin and water in a pot and bring to a boil. If you are also making a toddler version, use only about 70% of the combined seasonings and leave out the gochujang.
- 4
Add the chicken and simmer over low heat, tossing to coat it in the sauce. Turn off the heat, add the white sesame seeds and stir. Set aside the toddler portions at this point. For elementary-school age and up, add the remaining seasonings and the gochujang, tasting as you go, and heat through briefly.
Because no soy sauce is used in the marinade, the chicken comes out lighter in color than karaage. Adjust the amount of gochujang to the level of spiciness you like. To freeze, pack single-meal portions into freezer bags and aim to eat them within about 2 weeks.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 328.5 kcal | 657 kcal | 328.5 kcal |
| Protein | 16.2 g | 32.4 g | 16.2 g |
| Fat | 23.4 g | 46.8 g | 23.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14.1 g | 28.2 g | 14.1 g |
| Fiber | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 10.5 mg | 21 mg | 10.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Potassium | 324 mg | 648 mg | 324 mg |
| Phosphorus | 175.5 mg | 351 mg | 175.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | Phosphorus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 328.5 kcal | 16.2 g | 23.4 g | 14.1 g | 0.2 g | 0.8 g | 10.5 mg | 0.6 mg | 324 mg | 175.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 657 kcal | 32.4 g | 46.8 g | 28.2 g | 0.3 g | 1.5 g | 21 mg | 1.2 mg | 648 mg | 351 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
