The chicken is sprinkled with flour and soaked in egg liquid, and fried in oil. The fried chicken is saked in sweet and sour sauce, and then sprinkled with tartar sauce. This is eaten with hot rice.
You can eat it at a popular Japanese restaurant.
What is Chicken-Nanban and can I eat it?
Materials of Chicken-Nanban
Chicken, tartar sauce, eggs, flour, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sake and cooking oil
Tartar sauce mayonnaise, onions, boiled eggs, parsley
| Low-gluten | Low FODMAPs | |||
| with Egg |
| Restaurant |
Chicken nanban has its roots in dishes from Portugal
Chicken nanban is one of the Japanese-style fried chicken. The feature is that the fried chicken is soaked in sweet and sour sauce and that it is covered with tartar sauce. Served with raw vegetables such as lettuce.
It is a local dish that originated in Miyazaki prefecture of Kyusyu island, but is now widespread throughout Japan.
Chicken nanban is often eaten with steamed rice, but it can also be eaten as a dish when drinking alcohol.
By the way, the name “Nanban” is a Portuguese who came to Japan around 1550.
At that time, the Portuguese introduced to Japan a dish called Nanban-zuke, which is made by pickling ingredients in sweet and sour sauce containing chili peppers.
The chicken nanban is an application of this to chicken.
Try to eat Chicken-Nanban!
How much ?
- $8～11 (Set menu）at a Japanese restaurant.
- $3～5 (Single item) at a side dish section of a food market.
Where can I eat Chicken-Nanban?
You can eat it at a popular restaurant that serves Japanese food, but it is not a popular dish, so it is only available at some restaurants.
On the other hand, in the delicatessen section of food supermarkets, they are often sold in packs.
Precautions when eating Chicken-Nanban
Not Gluten-free, but few Gluten
The wheat ingredients used in chicken nanban are the flour sprinkled on the surface of the chicken and the flour that is the raw material for soy sauce.
Since the amount of flour used for one chicken nanban is 5g or less, the amount of gluten is sopposed to 0.5g or less. People with celiac disease can’t eat it, but other gluten-free dieters can eat it.
Low FODMAPs
The only ingredients that are high in FODMAPs are flour and onions, both of which are used in small amounts, so it can be thought to be a low-FODMAPs dish.
Alcohol
Sometines, cooking liquor was used to season the chicken before it is fried. Alcohol evaporated during cooking, but be careful if you care about alcohol.
Japanese writer’s comment for Chicken-Nanban
Chicken nanban is popular with young people because it’s cheap and full, and it’s a popular menu in college cafeterias and restaurants near college.
Bento boxes with chicken nanban may be sold at convenience stores.
By the way, is there a dish similar to chicken nanban in Portugal today? If you are Portuguese, please tell me.
