Hanamaulu Chicken – Bringing Hawaii Home

The foundations of Hawaiian society are formed in the areas of food, family, and hospitality. My husband’s family has deep roots in the Hawaiian Islands and has had a long and fruitful history there. One certain approach to gather the whole family together is to prepare a traditional meal. Since leaving Kauai, where he was reared by his grandparents, he finds himself missing the island’s home-cooked meals and the comforting memories they provide. We felt this need and wanted to share our love of Hawaiian cuisine with our kids, so we taught ourselves how to make Hanamaulu Chicken. And as Grandma used to say: “People gotta eat.” So, there’s no reason not to eat healthily.

I like to refer to this dish as a “recipe to bring back fond memories” for two reasons. First, because it tastes so good and reminds me of wonderful times with family and friends, and second, because my spouse had to play around with the recipe until he got it exactly perfect. I’ll be honest and say there were several flops along the way, but with a lot of hard work and a genuine desire to create the best possible Hanamaulu Chicken for our family, he succeeded. Throughout the islands, you may find restaurants where you can order this chicken dish as part of a traditional Box Lunch. Most restaurants serve it with rice, an oriental salad, won tons, char sui, macaroni salad, and wonton soup. I want to publish these recipes for future reference.

What you’ll need to season a pound of chicken:

Black Pepper, 1/2 Teaspoon

Peel and break up one medium-sized piece of ginger root.

Use about half a teaspoon of salt.

4 tsp. of sugar

Vinegar, White, 1/2 Tablespoon

Sesame Oil, 1/2 Tablespoon

Ground Ginger, 1 Tablespoon

12 teaspoon of oyster sauce

MSG, 1/2 Tablespoon

Garlic Powder, 1 Tablespoon

Black Pepper, 1/2 Teaspoon

Soy sauce, 4 Tablespoons

Chicken Thighs, One Pound

What you need to make 5 lbs. of chicken:

Pepper, Black, 1 1/2 tsp

1 hefty chunk of ginger root, peeled and chopped finely.

1 Tablespoon of Salt

Dozen Tablespoons of Sugar

White Vinegar, 1 Tablespoon

1 1/2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

1 cup of Ginger Juice

Oyster Sauce, 1.5 Tablespoons

MSG, 1.5 teaspoons

Garlic Powder, 2 Tablespoons

Soy Sauce, 1 quart (12 TBSP)

Thighs from a 4-5 lb. chicken

Preparing Chicken:

Only chicken thighs should be used in this dish. After deboning them, split them in half horizontally. Please, just keep it on your skin. It may take some time until you find your groove with this method, but trust me when I say the wait will be well worth it. After you’ve finished cutting and deboning, poke each piece all over with a fork.

How to Make a Marinade:

Throw everything except the chicken into a big bowl and mix it up according to the amount of the recipe you’ve chosen. Tupperware containers with lids are my go-to. When the marinade’s ingredients are well combined, add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate the chicken for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator, turning and re-coating the chicken many times. The chicken will taste better after a longer marinating time.

A word about the use of MSG. For purported health reasons, MSG is avoided by many. MSG is used to improve the texture and taste of meat. Incorporating it into this recipe has increased the marinade’s ability to permeate the meat. You may skip using it; however, you may need to increase the marinating time.

Preparing the Batter:

This batter mixture should be used for every pound or chicken you decide to fry.

1.5 ounces of Wheat Flour

1 Pepper, Black

I would double this combination if I were cooking 2 pounds at a time and storing the remainder for later use.

We’ve finally gotten to the cooking stage.

You should cook the chicken once it has marinated for the right period of time. A deep fryer is ideal, but any vessel that allows the chicken to be submerged entirely will do. Peanut oil is a great cooking oil. It can withstand greater temperatures and is less heavy than, instance, vegetable oil. Fry at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, or use a frying thermometer to determine the oil temperature.

Warning against frying chicken, or any other meat:

Get the meat out of your fridge and let it sit at room temperature for a while before frying. If your meat is really cold, it will cause the oil temperature to drop and the meat to be undercooked. The objective is to keep the oil at a constant, high temperature. Crispy, juicy meat may be achieved by frying it in very hot oil.

The chicken has been marinated and may now sit at room temperature while the oil is heated to 375 degrees.

Coat every piece totaling chicken in the aforesaid batter, and then put them into the heated oil in batches of no more than four. Fry the chicken for 4-6 minutes, or for 6 minutes if the chunks are very large. After cooking is complete, transfer chicken to a straining rack or using paper towels to dry. Be sure to let the chicken cool off on a rack before eating it.

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