Learn how to cook Karaage, Japanese fried chicken that is marinated and fried to perfection. With its crispy exterior and juicy interior it is sure to become your new favorite fried chicken.
What is Karaage?
Karaage (唐揚げ) or Japanese fried chicken is a common Japanese dish found all over the world. In Japan, it is a popular dish at many festivals or matsuri. You can find karaage at street-side stalls or in bento boxes at the train station. You can find Karaage outside of Japan at most Japanese restaurants and markets.
Karaage, (pronounced ka-ra-ah-geh) brings up memories of youth in Japan. Enjoying the warm summer days and cool winter evenings. The smell of fresh karaage fills the air from the stall at the hanabi (fireworks) festival. And warms you after a long day on a snow filled mountain. Karaage is such a part of Japan that you will find it almost everywhere you look.
Karaage literally translates to a method of cooking where an ingredient is marinated, coated in flour, or potato or corn starch and fried in oil. This ingredient is most commonly chicken but can also be other meats and fish. Its origin goes back as far as the 1920’s. But this method of cooking goes back much further to the Edo period and even to China. What started as an easy way to cook chicken has grown into a national dish that has many different varieties and styles. There is even a festival celebrating karaage and those who love it.
Ingredients for Karaage
Although you can make karaage with many types of meat, it is typical to use chicken. Specifically, you want to use boneless chicken thighs because the meat on the chicken thigh gives karaage its juicy umami flavor.
Seasoning
The basics for karaage seasoning include soy sauce, sake, and ginger. But there are many varieties that will add to this simple yet elegant mix.
Coating
I prefer to use Potato starch (or katakuriko 片栗粉) as a coating for frying foods as it creates a cripier texture. Corn starch is a close substitute if you have trouble finding potato starch though.
Karaage
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon Ginger
- 2 teaspoon Garlic
- 1 lb Chicken Thigh Boneless
- 1 tablespoon Sake
- 2.5 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Mirin
- 1 cup Potato Starch
- Vegetable Oil
- 1 Lemon
Instructions
- Grind 2 teaspoon of fresh ginger.
- Grind 2 teaspoon of fresh garlic.
- Cut 1 lb of chicken into 2” pieces.
- Mix ground ginger and garlic with 1 tablespoon sake, 2 ½ tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon mirin with pieces chicken.
- Cover and marinate for 1 hour or leave in the refrigerator overnight.
- Coat individual pieces of chicken in potato starch.
- Pour at least 2” of oil in a pot to fry chicken.
- Heat vegetable oil to 350° and place chicken pieces into pot.
- After 3-4 minutes, flip the chicken over in the oil and cook for 2 minutes.
- Fry until chicken is golden brown and cooked thoroughly, a total of 5-7 minutes.
- Place chicken on paper towel to drain.
- Plate chicken and sprinkle with lemon juice.