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This Mafa Chicken is made with bite-sized pieces of chicken breast marinated overnight, coated in Wondra flour, and fried until golden and crispy. It is one of my family’s favorite fried chicken recipes, especially with honey mustard sauce on the side. If you love homemade fried chicken breast nuggets, this recipe is such a fun one to try.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“So flavorful and delcious! Yum! Where has this been my whole life? My new favorite!” – Betsy
“We used to get Mafa Chicken at the Eastside Café in Ontario. Never found it since. This recipe is amazing. My family loves it.” – Shelly
“Wow, I will be using this recipe more often. Crispy, breaded chicken is a favorite. You can’t tell there’s tofu, which my kids will never know!” – Kristyn
Why I Love These Fried Chicken Nuggets
Mafa Chicken is one of those recipes that feels extra special in our family. I first tried it after marrying into a family from Weiser, Idaho, and it was love at first bite. My husband’s family makes a big batch during the holidays, and there are always bags of leftovers in the fridge that everyone keeps sneaking pieces from.
This recipe is especially popular in Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho, particularly around Ontario, Oregon and Weiser, Idaho. You may also see it spelled “mah fah” or “mah fry” chicken. It was traditionally made with bone-in chicken, but we love this boneless version made with chicken breast pieces. They fry up like crispy homemade chicken nuggets, but with a flavor that is completely different from regular chicken nuggets.
The tofu in the marinade might surprise you, but don’t skip it. It blends right into the sauce and gives the chicken coating a texture that is light, crisp, and so good. My kids never know it is there.
🩷 Emily
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are cut into bite-sized pieces, similar to fried chicken breast nuggets.
- Tofu: Tofu blends into the marinade and helps create the unique texture in the crispy coating.
- Soy sauce: This gives the chicken a salty, savory flavor that soaks in while it marinates.
- Sugar: A little sweetness balances the soy sauce and garlic in the marinade.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic gives the marinade its bold flavor.
- Eggs: Eggs are stirred in right before coating the chicken, not before the overnight marinating time.
- Wondra flour: This instant flour coats the chicken lightly and helps it fry up crisp.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point for frying.
- Accent flavor enhancer: optional, adds some umami flavor.
- Honey mustard sauce: Honey, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard make the creamy dipping sauce.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Spice: Add a pinch of cayenne or a little Hot Honey to the sauce if you want some heat.
- Chicken tenders: You can use chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts. Remove the tough white tendon before cutting them into pieces.
- Chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless thighs can also work, but the texture will be a little richer and less like classic chicken nuggets.
- Fermented bean curd: One reader from the Ontario area mentioned using fermented bean curd instead of plain tofu for a stronger, more traditional flavor.
- Flour substitute: Wondra flour gives the best texture for this recipe, but in a pinch you can try all-purpose flour. The coating may be a little heavier.
- Sauces: Honey mustard is our favorite, but Sweet and Sour Sauce, Blue Cheese Sauce, Ranch Dressing, BBQ Sauce, Hot Honey, and Fry Sauce are all good options.
How to Make Mafa Chicken
- Blend the marinade. Add the tofu, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Marinate the chicken. Cut the chicken breasts into chicken nugget-size pieces. Place the chicken in a large bowl or container, pour the marinade over the top, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
- Add the eggs. Right before cooking, stir the eggs into the marinated chicken mixture. Do not add the eggs before the chicken marinates overnight.
- Coat the chicken. Add Wondra flour to a shallow dish or large bag. Coat each piece of chicken well, working in batches if needed. If the coating starts to look wet while it sits, give the pieces another quick dusting before frying.
- Fry in batches. Heat oil to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry the chicken in small batches so the pieces do not overlap. Cook until golden brown and the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit inside.
- Drain and serve. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and place it on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. Serve hot with honey mustard sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the chicken evenly. Try to keep the pieces close to the same size so they cook at the same rate.
- Seal it well while marinating. The marinade has a strong smell, so cover the bowl tightly or use a sealed container.
- Add the eggs right before frying. This is one of the most common questions on this recipe. The chicken marinates without the eggs, then the eggs are stirred in before coating.
- Do not overcrowd the oil. Too many pieces at once can lower the oil temperature and make the coating soggy.
- Let the oil come back to temperature between batches. This helps each batch fry up crisp instead of greasy.
- Use a thermometer. Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part.
- Drain on a wire rack if you can. Paper towels work, but a wire rack keeps the bottom from steaming and softening.
- Serve hot or cold. This is one of those recipes that people love both ways. We always end up snacking on cold leftovers from the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mafa Chicken is a Japanese-American fried chicken recipe that is especially popular in Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho, particularly around Ontario, Oregon and Weiser, Idaho. It is made with marinated chicken, a light flour coating, and a crispy fried outside.
Not exactly, but this boneless version is similar to fried chicken breast nuggets. The pieces are bite-sized and fried, but the tofu, soy sauce, garlic, and sugar marinade gives Mafa Chicken its own unique flavor. The closest thing is the nuggets from Chick-fil-A.
The tofu blends into the marinade and helps give the coating a light, crispy texture. You will not taste it the way you would in a tofu dish, and most people do not even know it is there.
Add the eggs right before coating and frying the chicken. Let the chicken marinate overnight without the eggs, then stir them in when you are ready to cook.
Wondra flour is a brand of instant flour. It is finely ground, pre-cooked, and dried, which makes it great for light batters and fried coatings. You can usually find it near the regular flour at the grocery store.
You can use all-purpose flour if needed, but Wondra flour gives this recipe its best light and crispy coating. Regular flour may make the coating a little thicker.
Keep the oil around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If the oil is too cool, the chicken can turn greasy. If it is too hot, the outside can brown before the chicken cooks through.
The chicken should be golden brown on the outside and reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit inside. A meat thermometer is the easiest way to check.
This recipe is best deep fried because that is what gives it the classic texture. You can try an air fryer or oven, but the coating will not be quite the same.
Yes! A lot of people love Mafa Chicken cold. We usually serve it hot the first night, then snack on the leftovers straight from the fridge.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: The chicken needs to marinate overnight, so this is a great recipe to start the day before you want to fry it. Keep it covered tightly in the refrigerator.
- Before frying: Stir in the eggs right before coating the chicken. Do not add the eggs before the overnight marinating time.
- Storing: Store leftover Mafa Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Let the fried chicken cool completely, then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat in the air fryer or oven until hot and crispy. The microwave works in a pinch, but the coating will soften.
Pairing Ideas
I love serving Mafa Chicken with white rice, fried rice, or chow mein. It also goes well with Fresh Spring Rolls, Mango Avocado Coleslaw, Chow Mein, Sushi Bake or Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad. For a party or game day spread, serve it with a few dipping sauces so everyone can choose their favorite.
More Tasty Fried Chicken Recipes
Mafa Chicken is crispy, flavorful, and such a fun recipe to share with family and friends. The overnight marinade gives the chicken so much flavor, and the Wondra flour coating fries up beautifully. Make it for a holiday, game day, family dinner, or anytime you are craving some flavorful homemade fried chicken breast nuggets.
If you try this Mafa Chicken, I would love for you to leave a rating and comment below. Let me know if your family serves it hot, cold, with honey mustard, or with another favorite dipping sauce. 💛
Mafa Chicken
Ingredients
Batter:
- 1 package tofu
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 6 garlic cloves
- 7 chicken breasts
- 2 eggs
- Wondra Flour
- oil, for frying
- Accent flavor enhancer, (optional, to taste)
Dipping Sauce:
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Blend the batter ingredients thoroughly in the blender til you have a smooth mixture.
- Cut up chicken breasts into chicken nugget-size pieces and marinate in the above mixture in the fridge overnight. (If it is cold enough, we keep the chicken in the garage. If you keep it in the fridge put a good seal over the chicken and sauce because this stuff has a strong smell!)
- Before cooking stir 2 eggs into the mixture and thoroughly coat each piece of chicken in “Wondra” flour.
- Deep fry at about 350 degrees until pieces are brown and completely cooked.
- Place fried chicken pieces on a wire rack while you cook the remaining chicken pieces. Optional: sprinkle on some Accent flavor enhancer.
- Serve with dipping sauce.
For the dipping sauce:
- Mix mayonnaise, honey, and mustard. Chill and serve.
Notes
- Let the chicken marinate overnight for the best flavor.
- Add the eggs right before coating and frying, not before marinating.
- Cut the chicken into similar-size pieces so they cook evenly.
- Fry in small batches so the coating gets crispy.
- Keep the oil around 350 degrees Fahrenheit and let it come back to temperature between batches.
- Chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit inside.
- Wondra flour gives the coating the best light, crispy texture.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the oven or air fryer for the crispiest leftovers.
- Mafa Chicken is also good cold, especially straight from the fridge the next day.
- Other dipping sauces that go well with Mafa Chicken include sweet and sour sauce, hot mustard, BBQ sauce, ranch, hot honey, and fry sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Interesting, I’m from the Ontario area, but we don’t use plain Tofu. We use a fermented bean curd (Tofu) from a company called Dragonfly out of Taiwan. Gives it a great flavor We got the recipe from the Sugai family that owned the Eastside Cafe.
Awesome chicken, served hot or cold.
I’ll have to try that next time we make it!
So flavorful and delcious! Yum! Where has this been my whole life? My new favorite!
Wow, I will be using this recipe more often. Crispy, breaded chicken is a favorite. You can’t tell there’s tofu, which my kids will never know!
Yummy! This look so delicious and tasty! My kids are going to love this recipe! So excited!
I love Mafa Chicken! Are you from treasure valley? Or family from treasure valley? Just wondering because I thought this recipe came from the treasure valley my dad has been making it for years let me know 🙂
Yes! Emily and Erica live in Treasure Valley, and our parents live there as well. It’s a beautiful place!
My family used to own the East Side Cafe in the late eighties/early nineties. We still serve Mafa Chicken in our restaurant today – Far East Restaurant in Ontario, just blocks from the old East Side location. My mother learned the original recipe from the founders of the East Side.
Oh wow! What a small world! That is so awesome, thanks for sharing!
I’m confused about the 2 eggs. Do they go into the marinade before the chicken is refrigerated, or right before it’s breaded?
You stir the eggs in right before you bread them. It’s better to let it marinade without the eggs.
I have to know where your husband is from cause there is only one place I know that make mafa! Your recipe is slightly different than what I do but similar!
He is from a little town in Idaho called Weiser. 🙂
LOL I lived in Payette and Fruitland area in the 80’s and 90’s. We used to get Mafa Chicken at the Eastside Café in Ontario. Never found it since. This recipe is amazing. My family loves it.
That is crazy you have heard of Mafa! That is probably where the Original idea came from lol small world!
Idaho Native – I would get mine from Orphan Annie’s in Caldwell – sadly they closed and I am looking for a replacement. There is a restaurant in Mt. Home that does Mafa Shrimp, when I asked if they could do chicken they said no. So it must be premade or frozen. Sad. I will be trying this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I’m from Weiser! My mom used to make the best Mafa Chicken when I was young. I recently got her recipe box from my dad….but sadly no mafa chicken recipe. I searched the web and cracked up when I saw your recipe…..it was humorous because I follow your site and have made many of your recipes. I lived in Maui and love love love your Hawaiian recipes. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. My son and I love cooking together on these cold rainy Pacific Northwest nights. Go Wolverines!!!!
any substitute for wondar flour? i can’t find it in my country
You can use regular flour.
What is Wondra flour? I’ve never heard of it.
It’s a finer flour in a canister. Usually above the regular flour at the grocery store.
This sounds great! Do you use the silken tofu that’s on the regular shelf, not refrigerated? Or is it the refrigerated stuff in water? I think the texture could be way wrong if you don’t use the right kind of tofu. Thank you!
I have always used the refrigerated stuff in water.
I just love your web site. Reminds me back when I was growing up. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much for this nice comment! That is totally our goal. We want to make delicious recipes that remind you of home. 🙂
Making this today for the 4th of July. I live in the little town of Weiser Idaho.
We love Weiser! Emily’s husband Beau is from Weiser. This recipe came from his family.
is it firm tofu?
yes!
Can you coat the pieces in all purpose flour or does the Wondra make a difference?
Wondra flour is what makes it so light and crispy and good! You can use all-purpose but it won’t be as tasty!
A family secret recipe and it tastes better than Chick-fil-A?! I absolutely will be trying this out this weekend. So glad they let you share!
What type of tofu? Silken or firm…