Chicken Karaage

If you’re new to Japanese food, Karaage is a great way to start. Karaage is Japanese Fried Chicken which originated from China (Tang Dynasty).

I use chicken thigh or chicken leg meat with skin on when making karaage. The perfect temperature to fry karaage is about 320 degrees F (160 degrees C ). If the oil temperature is too high, it will burn the outside and the inside will not be cooked. So, try to keep the temperature low. My deep fryer stays at a constant 375 degrees F, so I just fry the chicken all at once to keep the temperature down. It takes about 3 minutes to be golden brown. When done, karaage should be light and crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I like to serve karaage with mayonnaise, but most serve it with lemon wedges. It tastes great even when it cools down, making it great for bentos!

Sometimes, I use the karaage mix when I’m feeling lazy. It’s like Shake ‘n Bake. The mix tastes ok, but I prefer making the marinade myself for a deeper flavor.