Start off by slicing 3/4 pound chicken breast into strips (about 1/4 inch thick).
Then place the sliced chicken into a bowl along with 1 pressed garlic clove, 1/8 teaspoons black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce. Then mix everything together and let it marinate for about 1 hour at room temperature.
Now fill 1/2 of a large bowl with ice, then place a slightly smaller bowl on top. This will keep the top bowl nice and cold as you work on the tempura batter. Cold ingredients is very important for tempura batter.
Add 1 egg into the bowl and mix it well using a whisk. Then add 1/4 cup cake flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons cold water into the eggs. Now whisk the batter lightly (don’t mix too much). Add more water as needed to get the perfect tempura batter consistency. It’s ok if it’s a little lumpy.
Now add 4 cups of vegetable, corn, or canola oil into a heavy-bottomed pot and bring the heat to medium-high. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the oil stays between 375-390 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use tongs to dip the marinated chicken strips in the tempura batter. Then gently add it to the hot oil. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes per side. So a total of 4 minutes. Make sure to only add 3-4 pieces of chicken to the pot at a time. Adding too many pieces of chicken can drop the oil temperature and cause improper frying.
Now carefully remove the fried tempura chicken and place then on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat this for the rest of the chicken and serve with some tempura dipping sauce.