It’s hard to miss Family Mart’s famous “FamiChiki” if you’ve been to Japan. I remember how I was so impressed by how yums it was when I ate it for the first time in 2018. The last time I went to Tokyo? Not so much, but it might just be my 28 year old self being harder to impress. At this point, having a FamiChiki at least once on any Japan trip seems to be a rite of passage so I will most definitely be having it no matter what I think🤭

Since I’ll not be in Japan anytime soon to have the real deal, I made an inspired version at home with my trusty air fryer! We’ve nailed yet another crunchy and satisfying recipe and made it low oil!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 14 - 16 minutes

Serves: 2 (or 1 if you want to eat them all😂)

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade:
- 2 x 200g boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- Neutral oil (for air frying)
Wet Batter:
- 1 egg, beaten
Dry Batter:
- 1/3 cup cake flour
- 1/3 cup rice flour
- 3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs (optional, for extra crunch — note: original Famichiki doesn’t use this)
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp chicken powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Generous dash of white and black pepper

Method

Marinate the chicken with soy sauce and sugar. Mix well and let it sit while you prep the coating.
In one bowl, beat the egg (wet batter).
In another bowl, combine all dry batter ingredients and mix well.
Coat each piece of marinated chicken in the egg mixture, then dip into the dry batter. Ensure that the chicken is well covered then dust off all the excess. The dry batter should cling on as a thin layer without any excess falling off anymore.
Place the chicken pieces inside the air fryer, leaving space between each.
Air fry at 190ºC for 14–16 minutes, flipping halfway. I usually let my battered chicken go into the air fryer dry, then spray or brush on oil only after 4 - 5 minutes, when there is a dry-ish exterior. For the last couple of minutes, you can flip the chicken thighs back to the original side and turn up the heat to 200ºC if you wish. Keep a good watch and adjust accordingly since air fryers performance differ.
Let rest for a 1-2 minutes before biting into them, ENJOY!~

Product(s) Highlight

Storage & FAQ

Q1 Can I use chicken thighs or breast?
Yes, but boneless skin-on thigh will give you the juiciest results, closest to the real Famichiki texture.

Q2 Can I make this in the oven?

From my experience of replicating air fryer recipes in the oven – Yes. But the air fryer cuts cooking time short and the result is even crispier than what an oven can achieve.

Q3 Can I substitute the cake and/or rice flour with any flour?

You can, but cake flour ensures the batter remains light and thin, which is akin to Famichiki. Rice flour really helps with crisping and crunching. I have not tried this recipe with plain flour, but I’d imagine it to be coarser and less refined in texture on the outside. I also assume that although it comes out of the air fryer crispy when fresh, it’ll probably not stay crispy for as long as if its made with rice flour.