Karaage

Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Juicy chunks of chicken thigh marinated in soy, ginger and garlic, coated in potato starch and fried twice for an ultra-crisp, deeply savory crust. Japan's favorite fried chicken, traditionally served with a lemon wedge and a dab of mayonnaise.

Prep

20 min

Cook

15 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (about 1½ lb) boneless skin-on chicken thighs, cut into 3–4 cm (1¼–1½ in) chunks; skin on is traditional for flavor and crispness
• •60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce, Japanese usukuchi shoyu if possible
• •30 ml (2 Tbsp) mirin, or 1 Tbsp sake + 1 Tbsp sugar
• •15 ml (1 Tbsp) sake, optional but traditional
• •5 g (1 tsp) freshly grated ginger, from a 2 cm knob
• •2 cloves garlic, finely grated or crushed
• •100 g (¾ cup) potato starch (katakuriko), potato starch is traditional; cornstarch is a workable home substitute but less crisp
• •500 ml (about 2 cups) neutral frying oil, rice bran, canola or sunflower; enough for 2–3 cm depth in a heavy pan
• •1 whole lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
• •30 g (2 Tbsp) Japanese mayonnaise, Kewpie-style for serving

Steps

1. 1 Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chunks in a bowl or zip-top bag.
2. 2 Add the soy sauce, mirin, sake, grated ginger and grated garlic to the chicken. Massage briefly to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20-30 minutes, or up to 8 hours for deeper flavor. Never leave raw chicken at room temperature; if you only have half an hour, a quarter of it in the fridge is still plenty of time to season the meat.
3. 3 Drain the chicken well in a colander, shaking off excess marinade (too much liquid prevents a crisp crust). Pat the pieces dry. Discard the used marinade: it has touched raw chicken and must not be reused as a sauce.
4. 4 Spread the potato starch in a shallow bowl. Toss the chicken in the starch, pressing lightly so each piece is thoroughly coated. Let the coated chicken rest on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes while the oil heats; this helps the crust adhere. Wash your hands after handling the raw chicken and keep the coated pieces away from other food.
5. 5 Heat the oil in a heavy pan to 170 C / 340 F (a wooden chopstick should bubble steadily on contact). Use a deep pan and fill it with oil to no more than one third of its depth, so it cannot boil over when the chicken goes in. Pat the chicken dry of any loose starch and lower the pieces in gently, away from you, in batches, not crowding the pan. Fry for about 3 minutes per side until pale golden. Never add water to hot oil, and keep a lid nearby in case of a flare-up; if smoke rises, turn off the heat.
6. 6 Check doneness: the chicken should reach an internal temperature of 75 C / 165 F on an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part, and the juices should run clear with no pink at the bone-side center. Rest 5 minutes on a rack.
7. 7 Reheat the oil to 180 C / 350 F. Fry the chicken a second time for 30-45 seconds per side until deeply golden and shatteringly crisp. Drain briefly on a rack.
8. 8 Serve immediately with lemon wedges and a small spoon of Japanese mayonnaise for dipping. Refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 2 days.