Furikake!?!? Say What?

This furikake fried chicken is comfort food from my Hawaiian roots.

This isn’t your Grandma’s fried chicken. It’s crunchy and chock full of Hawaiian style umami! It’s served with a Sriracha Aioli to make sure you are getting the complete experience. 

Reading this post your first question might be what is furikake? Furikake is a Japanese seasoning made of dried seaweed, sesame seeds, and sometimes bonito flakes. There are many different varieties. The variety used in this recipe is Nori Furikake. You can usually find it at any well-stocked Asain grocery store. If you can’t find this fantastic rice seasoning mix near you-you can order it HERE.

Growing up in a military family I’ve never had just one place that I was able to call home.

I can tell you where I was born and where I’ve lived, but where I’m from – that’s much more complicated.  The places I’ve lived and the people that  I’ve met along the way, have given me a rich fabric that inspires my cooking. This Hawaiian chicken recipe is no exception. I know it’s weird that I’m a white girl living in California that cooks so much Asain and Polynesian inspired food. Even some of my Asian friends are pretty impressed. I feel like you learn to love the food you grew up with and these flavors are the foods that I cut my teeth on. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the fabric that makes up my childhood. Knowing how to make the real Hawaiian Mac Salad is one of the things I am most proud of. It’s a humble thing, but not everyone can do it.

There are a few flavors that are so distinctly Hawaiian – furikake is one of those flavors.

If you haven’t tried furikake, you are seriously missing out on a magical thing. Furikake is a rice seasoning mix that has nori seaweed and sesame seeds. You can shake furikake on rice, or eggs, or sprinkle onto a bowl or ramen. It’s fantastic!

Or, you can use it to make some ridiculous Hawaiian fried chicken. The flavor combination is something to behold. It’s crispy…and salty…and sesame-seedy. Then – when topped with a spicy sriracha aioli – you have something beautiful. It’s tasty Hawaiian Style at it’s best.

My first experience with Furikake was in middle school.

I lived in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. My best friend at the time, Rachel, lived next door. She was half Japanese and half Irish. Her dad was in the same mobile unit as my dad. We often hung out after school. When we were at her house, she would often make us an after-school snack. One of the snacks I remember most was onigiri with furikake. I was so taken in by the flavors that I hadn’t experienced before. The soft rice formed into these triangularly shaped rice balls then sprinkled with the furikake seasoning. The other thing that we sometimes had after school was graham crackers smeared with chocolate frosting. You probably guessed that I grew up in an era where Twinkies and Ding-Dongs were in every lunch box at school.

One of my superpowers is being able to reverse engineer a recipe.

Even as a little girl I can remember being at a restaurant and my mom saying, “Wow this is an amazing sauce, I wonder what’s in it?” and I would chime in with, “Oh that’s tarragon.” My mom would look at me quizzically like, “How do you even know that?” She still thinks I’m a little different. I’ll take it. In my mind, it is a pretty awesome superpower to have!

After all the fantastic local food we had on our recent vacation to Hawaii, I was ready to come home and start experimenting – to bring back those flavors of my youth. Know that Furikake Fried Chicken is only the first in a line up of Hawaiian recipes that will be coming to the blog shortly. 

I hope you enjoy this delicious Hawaiian Fried Chicken. Don’t miss the Hawaiian Mac Salad recipe. It’s legit!

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Furikake Fried Chicken

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 203kcal

Author: Laura

This Hawaiian style fried chicken is impressively umami-filled. Top it with spicy sriracha aioli. Are your taste buds ready? 

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Ingredients

• 2 lbs Chicken boneless breasts or thighs

Marinade

• Milk
• Sriracha
• Rice Wine Vinegar

Furikake Crunch

• 1 cup All purpose flour
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• ⅓ cup Furikake

Oil For Frying

• 2 cups Coconut Oil

Sriracha Aioli

• 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Sriracha

Instructions

Marinade the Chicken

• Combine milk, vinegar, and sriracha in a glass or plastic bowl. 
• Cut chicken into nugget-sized pieces and place into marinade. 
• Marinate for a few hours. (Up to overnight)

Bread the Chicken

• Combine flour, panko, and furikake in a shallow bowl. 
• Remove chicken from marinade and place into flour mixture one piece at a time. 
• Coat well. Set aside to rest. 

Fry the Chicken

• Place coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet.
• Heat over medium-high heat. Oil should be about 360℉. 
• Place chicken in hot oil. Don't over-crowd the chicken in the oil.
• During cooking, try to keep oil temperature between 350-375℉. It will fluctuate as you add chicken. 
• Fry until golden brown. Flip over several times during cooking. 
• A safe internal temperature of the chicken should be 165℉.

Sriracha Aioli

• Combine mayo and sriracha to taste. 
• You can thin with a small amount of water if needed. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Comfort Food, Hawaiian, Poultry

Keyword chicken, Comfort Food, hawaiian

Nutrition

Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 134mg | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Tried this recipe?You know I want to see it! TAG ME @FoodologyGeek or give your post a #foodologygeek!

Ad: I’ve tried these spice and have loved the blends so far. Here is a link to try out the Furikake blend from Raw Spice Bar.

Furikake Nori Gomasio, Freshly Ground, 1 oz – 4 oz
from: RawSpiceBar