Plum-Flavored Fried Chicken Tenderloin

 

[Ingredients: Serves 4]

・Chicken tenderloins: 8 pieces

・Long green chilies (or shishito peppers): 8

・Salt and pepper: A pinch

・Shiso leaves (perilla): 16

・Frying oil: Appropriate amount

<Okaka-Ume (Bonito Flake & Pickled Plum) Mixture>

・Pickled plums (umeboshi): 3–4

・Sake: 1 tbsp

・Mirin: 1 tbsp

・Soy sauce: 1.5 tbsp

・Dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi): 8–10g

<Batter>

・Wheat flour: 5–6 tbsp

・Egg: 1

・Panko (bread crumbs): 1.5 cups

[Preparation]

・Remove the tendons from the chicken tenderloins. Make a horizontal slit halfway through the thickness—without cutting all the way through—and open them up flat like a book. Make shallow score marks on the opened side, then lightly season with salt and pepper and dust with a little flour (not included in the listed measurements).

・Wash the long green chilies, pat dry, and make a small slit in each to prevent them from popping during frying.

・For the <Okaka-Ume> mixture: Remove the pits from the pickled plums, mince them into a paste with a knife, and mix with the other ingredients.

・Wash the shiso leaves, pat dry, and trim off the stems.

・For the <Batter>: Beat the egg and mix it with the flour. If the batter is too thick, add a little water (not included in the listed measurements).

・Begin heating the frying oil to 170°C.

[Instructions]

1. Sandwich one-eighth of the <Okaka-Ume> mixture inside each chicken tenderloin and press gently. Coat one side of each shiso leaf with the <Batter>, then sandwich the cut side of the chicken tenderloin between two shiso leaves (make 8 pieces in total). 2. Coat the ingredients with the flour and breadcrumb mixture (prepared for the coating) in that order, then fry in hot oil until golden brown. Next, add the long green peppers; once they turn a vibrant green, remove them from the oil and sprinkle with a little salt (not included in the listed ingredients).

3. Cut the fried items from step (2) into bite-sized pieces and arrange them on a plate with the long green peppers.