Chicken Karaage, a.k.a Japanese Fried Chicken, is crispy on the outside and super moist within. Delicious as an appetizer or serve with rice to turn it into meal. I have taken a deep dive into how to prepare the perfect Karaage including an air-fried version!
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Recipe in collaboration with Thermapen.
The first time I tried Chicken Karaage at a Japanese restaurant it was truly love at first bite! I was hooked on the super crispy exterior and incredibly tender flavourful chicken inside.
I decided to discover just what makes Japanese Fried Chicken so darned special in order to recreate the recipe at home.
What is Chicken Karaage
Karaage (pronounced ka-ra-ah-geh) refers to the cooking method of deep frying in oil. The dish can be made with seafood or various types of meat but chicken is probably the most common.
Karaage marinade
Chicken Karaage gets a real flavour boost from its killer marinade which is made of soy sauce, sake, sugar, garlic and freshly grated ginger.
Most authentic Karaage marinades include sake but if you haven’t got any you can replace it with dry sherry or vermouth.
The secret to crispy karaage
After marinating for an hour, the chicken thighs are coated in potato starch and then fried – not once but twice! The double frying and potato starch are the secret behind the unique crispy texture of Japanese fried chicken.
The potato starch, which you can find on Amazon, does indeed create a super crispy coating, but I had better success mixing it with plain flour rather using on its own. If you can’t get hold of any potato starch you could replace with cornflour (corn starch) or rice flour.
Frying Chicken Karaage
The one non-negotiable essential for frying is an accurate digital thermometer – I wouldn’t advise trying this recipe without a Thermapen. This incredible gadget has an incredible 3 second response time (which is essential for this recipe) and it can read a temperature range of -49.9 to 299.9°C!
The Thermapen is used here to both monitor the oil temperature AND to check whether the chicken is cooked properly. You can use a fryer or a pot to fry your chicken. I found hard to control the oil temperature in a pot using an induction hob but was perfectly fine on my gas hob. Controlling the oil temperature is the key to successful frying!
Don’t try to fry all your chicken pieces at once as this will cause the oil temperature to drop suddenly. You will need to cook them in several batches, depending on the size of your pot or fryer.
How to check chicken is done
In this recipe the chicken is cooked twice. First it is fried at a temperature of 160/320F for about 90 seconds. The chicken may look ‘done’ after this initial frying, but if you check with the Thermapen you will discover it is only part-cooked. Look at the photo below for example – the chicken is NOT cooked through yet!
The second frying at a higher temperature of 190C/375F for a minute or so will crisp up the exterior and finish off the cooking. Check your chicken with the Thermapen – the SAFE internal cooking temperature for chicken is 75C /165F.
How to serve chicken karaage
- Serve as an appetizer with lemon wedges, some Japanese Seven Spice seasoning (Shichimi Togarashi) and a side of wasabi mayo – and watch the chicken magically disappear within seconds!
- Serve over rice with some steamed greens
- As a burger or slider in a brioche bun
- In a bao bun with Japanese mayo
How to make Karaage Chicken
STEP 1. Cut your skinless and boneless chicken thighs into even smallish pieces and remove any visible fat. I ended up cutting mine into quarters.
STEP 2. Put the chicken into a bowl and add minced garlic, honey, soy sauce, sake and grated ginger. Stir to combine, cover and leave to marinate for at least an hour (in the fridge). Bring back to room temperature for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
STEP 3. Combine the potato starch and flour and then add to the chicken. Mix together quickly just before you are ready to fry. Don’t worry if the coating is uneven, this works to your advantage to give the chicken an authentic texture.
STEP 4. Meanwhile prepare your fryer or heat the oil in a pot. When the oil reaches a temperature of 160-165C/320-329F) start frying your chicken in batches. Cook for 90 seconds and then set aside on a wire rack. Continue cooking the remaining chicken – make sure the oil temperature hasn’t dropped / climbed in the meantime.
STEP 5. Increase the oil temperature to 190C/375F and fry the chicken again for 45 seconds to about a minute. The skin should be golden and crispy.
STEP 6. Transfer chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Check the chicken temperature with the Thermapen – it should be 75C /165F.
STEP 7. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, some Japanese Seven Spice seasoning and a side of wasabi mayo.
Air Fryer Chicken Karaage
Fried foods and diets don’t really get along, am I right? Fear not, you CAN make this recipe in an airfryer! It won’t look as good or be as crispy as deep-fried chicken I have to admit this up front… but it does taste great so please give it try.
STEP 1. Preheat the airfryer at 200C (395F). Marinate the chicken thighs as above. Use chopsticks to roll into the starch/flour to coat lightly.
STEP 2. Spray the airfryer basket with low calorie cooking spray then arrange the chicken on it. Spray the chicken as well.
STEP 3. Cook for a total of 12 minutes, flipping the chicken pieces after 6 minutes. Check the internal temperature and serve as above.
JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN TIPS AND TRICKS
- Make sure the oil temperature remains consistent when frying. If it is too hot the chicken will colour quickly but be raw inside. Monitor the temperature with a digital thermometer.
- Check the internal temperature of your cooked chicken – it should be 75C/165F.
- Serve with wasabi mayo – mix 1 teaspoon of wasabi paste into mayonnaise until you are happy with how spicy it is. Beware this is totally addicting!
- Fry larger pieces of chicken to serve as a burger or in bao buns – make sure to adjust the cooking time if necessary, larger pieces will need slightly longer to cook.
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Crispy Chicken Karaage – Japanese Fried Chicken
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey (or 1 tsp sugar)
- 6 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger , finely grated
- 1 tbsp sake (or dry sherry / vermouth)
For the chicken
- 450 g (1 pounskinless boneless chicken thighs
- 30 g (1/4 cup) potato starch (or corn starch)
- 30 g (1/4 cup) flour
- sunflower oil to fry
Instructions
Fried Chicken Karaage
- Cut your skinless and boneless chicken thighs into even smallish pieces and remove any visible fat. I ended up cutting mine into quarters.
- Put the chicken into a bowl and add minced garlic, honey, soy sauce, sake and grated ginger. Stir to combine, cover and leave to marinate for at least an hour (in the fridge). Bring back to room temperature for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- Combine the potato starch and flour and then add to the chicken. Mix together quickly just before you are ready to fry. Don’t worry if the coating is not even, this works to your advantage to give the chicken an authentic texture.
- Meanwhile prepare your fryer or heat the oil in a pot. When the oil reaches a temperature of 160C/320F start frying your chicken in batches. Cook for 90 seconds and then set aside on a wire rack. Continue cooking the chicken but make sure the oil temperature hasn’t dropped / climbed in the meantime.
- Increase the oil temperature to 190C/375F and fry the chicken again for 45secs- 1min. The skin should be golden and crispy.
- Transfer chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Check the chicken temperature with the Thermapen – it should be 75C /165F.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges, some Japanese Seven Spice seasoning and a side of wasabi mayo.
Air Fryer Chicken Karaage
- Preheat the airfryer at 200C (395F). Marinate the chicken thighs as above. Use chopsticks to roll into the starch/flour to coat lightly.
- Spray the airfryer basket with low calorie cooking spray then arrange the chicken on it in a single layer. Do not crowd it, you will need to cook in batches. Spray the chicken with low calorie cooking spray.
- Cook for a total of 12 minutes, flipping the chicken pieces after 6 minutes. Check the internal temperature and serve as above.
Video
Notes
- Make sure the oil temperature remains consistent when frying. If it is too hot the chicken will colour quickly but be raw inside. Monitor the temperature with a digital thermometer.
- Check the internal temperature of your cooked chicken – it should be 75C/165F.
- Serve with wasabi mayo – mix 1tsp wasabi paste into mayonnaise until you are happy with how spicy it is. Beware this is totally addicting!
- Fry larger pieces of chicken to serve as a burger or in bao buns – make sure to adjust the cooking time if necessary, larger pieces will need slightly longer to cook.
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