Karaage: Japanese Fried Chicken
Karaage is one of Japan’s most popular dishes and a household favorite. The juicy and umami packed chicken is double fried to make it deliciously crispy.
Marinating the chicken in various aromatics and seasonings imparts the chicken with a sweet, salty, and slightly hot flavour, unlike any chicken in the world. A creamy mayonnaise and dash of lemon is the perfect balance and garnish for karaage.
Karaage – Japanese fried chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs (500 g/ 1 lb)
- 1 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp cornstarch or potato starch
- 4 tbsp all purpose flour
- Neutal-flavoured oil (enough to fill a deep saucepan ½ full)
Marinade:
- a knob of ginger 3 cm (1 ⅕ inch)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1 tsp sake
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Garnishes:
- kewpie mayonnaise
- lemon
Instructions
How to make karaage:
- Cut the chicken into 5 cm (2- inch) pieces and season with salt and pepper.
- Grate the ginger and garlic. Combine with the rest of the marinade.
- Place the chicken and marinade in a ziplock bag and marinade for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan to 160 ºC/ 320 °F.
- Combine the cornstarch and all purpose flour in a bowl.
- Coat the chicken piece by piece and place on a tray.
- Fry the chicken for around 2 minutes till a very light brown. Place on a wire rack.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, clean the oil. Heat the oil to 180 ºC/ 356°F.
- Fry the chicken again for around 1 minute or until golden brown. This will help give a crispy exterior.
- Serve with a side of mayonnaise and a wedge of lemon.
Notes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
If you don’t have mirin available, check out this list of mirin substitutes.
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