Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken). Tender bite-size pieces of chicken thigh deliciously marinated, coated in starch and deep fried. Ready in 30 minutes!
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What is Japanese Karaage?
In Japanese cuisine, Karage is a popular deep-fried chicken dish. Chicken karaage features tender chicken thigh meat marinated in a blend of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. Then coated in potato starch or potato flour and deep fried in hot oil until golden brown and crispy! Karaage is served in many Japanese restaurants as a main dish, side dish or appetizer. In fact, in many Japanese households serve it inside a bento lunch box, or with steamed white rice with a drizzle of Japanese mayo.
Sometimes you'll find it sold on the streets of Japan by street vendors or even pre-packaged at convenience stores! It's one of my favorite ways to enjoy fried chicken in Japanese cooking because the meat is so flavorful and the exterior is super crispy!
Ingredients
Please scroll down to the below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Boneless chicken thighs, diced into bite-sized pieces: If you have skin-on chicken thighs, even better! The skin and dark meat of the thigh will create offer the best results for a delicious karaage. You may use chicken breast, but it won’t be as juicy as it lacks fat.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil or any heavy scented oils.
- Potato Starch: or sub with corn starch, or rice flour or tapioca starch. Potato starch offers the best flavor and results for Japanese karaage as it carries a slight potato flavor. If you can't find any of these ingredients, as a last resort, you can use wheat flour or all purpose flour. However, flour does not yield the best results for crispy chicken!
- Lemon wedges (highly recommended), spritzed over fried chicken to enjoy! The acid in the lemon juice takes this fried chicken dish to the next level. You'll find lemon wedges served with karaage at many Japanese restaurants.
Chicken Marinade:
- Sake: this is a key ingredient to the best karaage! Sake helps to remove that gamey taste in meat and helps to tenderize the chicken. If you can't have alcohol, sub with rice vinegar.
- Sugar: sugar helps to balance out the saltiness from the soy sauce.
- Mirin: this is a sweet Japanese style wine that is essential to an amazing karaage, in my humble opinion. However, if you cannot have alcohol, omit the ingredient completely and add ½ teaspoon more of sugar.
- Regular Soy sauce: aka all purpose soy sauce. You can also sub with light soy sauce. Do not sub with dark soy sauce, which is darker, thicker, and sometimes saltier.
- Garlic: this is another key ingredient for a great karaage! The garlicky flavors help to mask any gamey flavors in chicken and offers great taste and aroma.
- Ginger: freshly grated ginger offers a zing to this chicken dish. Ginger also helps to tenderize the meat.
- Black pepper or white pepper
Note: The Asian market is likely to carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select local grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
How to Make Karaage
- Dice chicken thighs into bite size pieces, about 1.5-inch pieces. If you have skin on thighs, leave the skin on. Transfer cubed chicken to a large bowl.
- To your large bowl of diced chicken, add Marinade ingredients as listed. Massage marinade into meat until well combined. Tip: For best results, you may let this marinate for 15 minutes.
- Into another large mixing bowl, add potato starch. Dredge a few pieces of marinated chicken into the starch until well coated. Repeat this process until all pieces are coated. Transfer the coated chicken to a large plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- In a heavy bottomed pot or deep frying pan (or wok) on medium high heat, add vegetable oil or any neutral frying oil. Oil temperature should be around 350 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
- To check if oil is hot enough using digital instant read thermometer or place a wooden chopstick into the oil and look for bubbles.
- Fry your chicken in small batches (about one-third portion). Spreading the pieces apart. Fry on chicken each side until golden crispy brown, about 3-4 minutes total cooking time.
- Transfer fried chicken to a wire rack or a large plate with paper towels so excess oil can drip off or absorb. Repeat step for remaining batches.
- Transfer cooked chicken to a serving plate. Enjoy with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over top for best taste!
Storage & Reheating
For best enjoyment, consume within 12 hours. However, it can last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, air fry or bake at 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes until warm.
Expert Tips
- Use Chicken Thighs. Chicken thighs will yield the best and tastiest results for this recipe thanks to the fat. It is highly recommended and authentically used. If you have skin-on chicken thighs, even better! You may use breast meat but it may not be as juicy.
- Cut chicken thighs into equal bite size pieces. This ensures an even cooking process per bite. I usually like to dice each thigh into six cube like pieces.
- Do not overcrowd your pan. If you overcrowd your pan as you deep fry, guess what? The chicken won’t be as crispy. My recommendation is to fry in small batches.
- Temperature of the oil is important. If it's too low, it won't fry or become crispy. If it's too high, it'll burn easily, and the chicken won't cook inside. The ideal oil temperature is around 350 degrees F.
FAQ
What does karaage mean in Japanese?
"Karaage" is a Japanese cooking process where meat, seafood or vegetables is lightly coated in starched and deep-fried in hot oil.
What is the difference between Katsu and karaage?
Katsu and Karaage both originate from Japan. However, the main difference is that karaage is marinated and dredged in a light coating of starch prior to deep frying. Sometimes it involves a double frying process.
On the other hand, Katsu is seasoned with salt and black pepper, coated in starch/flour, beaten egg and panko breadcrumbs before deep frying.
Other recipes you may like!
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Chicken Katsu
- Tonkatsu (Japanese fried pork)
- Sweet Sticky Korean Chicken
- Korean Bulgogi Chicken Wings
- Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
- Sweet Spicy Gochujang Chicken
- Mongolian Chicken
- Honey Sesame Chicken
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs feel free to use skin-on thighs too for even better results!
- 2 cups Vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 cup Potato Starch or cornstarch/rice flour or tapioca starch
- 1 lemon to serve with (highly recommended!)
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon Sake or sub with Dry Sherry Wine or rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce not dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon Garlic grated
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
- Dice chicken thighs into bite size pieces, about 1.5-inch pieces. If you have skin on thighs, leave the skin on. Transfer cubed chicken to a large bowl.
- To your large bowl of diced chicken, add Marinade ingredients as listed. Massage marinade into meat until well combined. Tip: For best results, you may let this marinate for 15 minutes.
- Into another large mixing bowl, add potato starch. Dredge a few pieces of marinated chicken into the starch until well coated. Repeat this process until all pieces are coated. Transfer the coated chicken to a large plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- In a deep frying pan (or wok) on medium high heat, add vegetable oil or any neutral frying oil. Oil temperature should be around 350 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. To check if oil is hot enough using digital instant read thermometer or place a wooden chopstick into the oil and look for bubbles.
- Fry your chicken in a few small batches. Spreading the pieces apart. Fry on chicken each side until golden crispy brown, about 3-4 minutes total cooking time. Note: Chicken can be safely consumed at an internal temperature of 165 F or until juices run clear.
- Transfer fried chicken to a wire rack or a large plate with paper towels to allow excess oil drip off or get absorbed. Repeat step for remaining batches.
- Serve and enjoy with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!
Notes
Storage
This dish is best consumed same day for a crispy texture. However, it can last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, air fry or bake at 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes until warm.Suggested Equipment & Products
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Amanda
this was so crispy and delicious! I can't wait to make it again! Easy recipe to follow.
Nedler
I will try it
christieathome
Thanks and I hope you enjoy it!