Fried Chicken Tenders (Sasami)

Cut off any white tendon from:

6 tenders

Then marinate for 30 minutes or more in:

2-3 t sake
2-3 t soy sauce
1 garlic clove finely minced (and/or ½ t ginger paste, and/or ½ t sesame oil)


(The amount of soy sauce and sake depends on the size of your tenders. You don't want a bunch of excess liquid, you just want to flavor the tenders.)

Put 5 T flour in a disposable plastic bag. Add the marinated tenders and shake bag to coat them.

Put 1 egg in a wide bowl and mix it. Dip the tenders, one at a time, in the egg.  

Put 1 C panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) in a disposable plastic bag. Shake the tenders, one at a time, in the breadcrumbs to coat. Lay the coated tenders on a tray, ready to cook.

Heat about 1 cm of canola or grapeseed oil in a small frying pan. When the oil is hot, turn the fire to low and add 3 of the tenders, making sure the are straight in the pan. (To test the oil temperature, put the end of a wooden chopstick in the oil. When the oil is the right temperature, the oil on the chopstick will bubble.)

Cook until golden brown on one side, gently turn and cook the other side until golden. Drain on a rack over newspaper (to catch any dripping oil). Repeat with the next 3 tenders.