Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken). Deliciously ultra crispy chicken that is tender, juicy and flavourful thanks to the marinade.
A dish that is easy to make at home. Great as an appetizer, side or main. Ready in 30 minutes!
Easy to make!
My karaage recipe is very easy to make at home and if you have an Asian pantry, you’ll probably have most of the ingredients already! This recipe comes together in 30 minutes or less.
The steps are very simple as you’re just marinating the cubed chicken thighs, coating them in starch and deep frying them. That’s it!
Below are more details and questions on how to make karaage chicken.
Ingredients
For this karaage chicken you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Boneless chicken thighs, cubed (feel free to use skin on thighs)
- Vegetable oil
- Potato Starch (or sub with cornstarch)
- Lemon (highly recommended), to spritz over fried chicken before consumption
Marinade:
- Sake
- Sugar
- Mirin
- Soy sauce, regular
- Garlic, crushed
- Black pepper
- Ginger grated
Cooking Tips
Below are tips on making tori karaage:
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. You may use breast meat but be forewarned that 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 6 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. It is highly recommended that you divide the chicken into a few batches to fry.
Lemon Juice takes karaage to the next level
After you’ve fried your karaage, be sure to spritz some fresh lemon juice over top just before you enjoy. The lemon juice takes the karaage to the next level in terms of taste and pairs deliciously with crispy fried chicken.
FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about this karaage fried chicken:
What does karaage mean in Japanese?
It is a Japanese cooking process where the meat is lightly coated in starch or flour and deep fried in oil.
What is the difference between fried chicken and karaage?
The main difference comes down to the marinade and the light coating of starch. Karaage is also usually marinated in sake, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic and sometimes mirin. Fried chicken may or may not be marinated in those aforementioned ingredients prior to battering.
What is the difference between Katsu and karaage?
Katsu and Karaage both originate from Japan. However, karaage is marinated and coated in starch prior to deep frying.
On the other hand, Katsu is seasoned with salt and black pepper, then coated in starch/flour, beaten egg and panko breadcrumbs before deep frying.
What is karaage made of?
Karaage is usually made of chicken thighs marinated in soy sauce, sake, mirin, garlic, and ginger. Then coated in potato starch or cornstarch and deep fried in oil.
Other recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed this karaage authentic recipe, you may enjoy these other recipes:
KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN
ORANGE CHICKEN
SWEET STICKY KOREAN CHICKEN
KOREAN BULGOGI CHICKEN WINGS
VIETNAMESE LEMONGRASS CHICKEN
CHINESE CHICKEN POTATO STEW
SWEET SPICY GOCHUJANG CHICKEN
MONGOLIAN CHICKEN
HONEY SESAME CHICKEN
CHICKEN ADOBO
Try it!
Well, I hope you give my Karaage Japanese Fried Chicken a try! It always excites me when you make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
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Made this recipe and loved it?
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Christie
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Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cubed (feel free to use skin-on thighs)
- 2 cups Vegetable oil
- 1 cup Potato Starch or cornstarch
- 1 lemon highly recommended, to spritz over fried chicken before eating
Marinade:
- 1 tbsp Sake or sub with Dry Sherry Wine
- 1 tsp white granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp regular soy sauce regular kind
- 1 tsp Garlic grated
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Ginger grated
Instructions
- Dice chicken thighs into bite size pieces. If you have skin on thighs, leave the skin on. Transfer cubed chicken to a bowl.
- Add marinade ingredients to diced chicken and massage into meat until well combined.
- Pour potato starch into another bowl. Dredge a few pieces of your marinated chicken into the starch until well coated. Repeat this process until all pieces are coated.
- In a pot or deep pan over medium high heat (350 F) add vegetable oil. Check if oil is hot enough using a cooking thermometer or place a wooden chopstick into the oil and look for bubbles.
- Carefully add one-third of your batch of chicken into oil. Spreading the pieces apart. Do not overcrowd. Fry on each side until golden crispy brown, about 3-4 minutes in total. Transfer cooked pieces to a wired rack to allow excess oil to drip off. Repeat step for remaining batches.
- Enjoy with a spritz of fresh lemon juice over top for best taste!
NOTES
- 3 tbsp Japanese mayo
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp condensed milk
this was so crispy and delicious! I can't wait to make it again! Easy recipe to follow.
I will try it
Thanks and I hope you enjoy it!