
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.
This recipe makes about 3 servings
Ingredients
- 12 oz chicken thigh or leg meat (boneless)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon mirin
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 4 tablespoon potato starch
- 2 tablespoon flour
- Oil for frying
- Mayonnaise (Optional)
- Lemon Wedges (Optional)
Cooking Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces (not too thick). Combine soy sauce, mirin, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. Add chicken to the marinade and soak for 20 minutes.
- Mix potato starch and flour together. Before coating the chicken, shake off excess liquid. Coat the marinated chicken with the cornstarch flour mixture. Fry the chicken around 320 degrees F (160 degrees C ) for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve with lemon wedges or mayonnaise.