Karaage is a Japanese type of fried chicken. Small, bite sized pieces of chicken thighs or chicken breasts are marinated for a few hours in soy sauce, garlic and ginger. They are then coated in a mixture of flour and potato or corn starch and deep fried. Karaage Chicken is typically served with lemon wedges, mayo (I like to use garlic mayo with some lemon), and shichimi togarashi, which is a chili spice mix you can sprinkle on the chicken. It is delicious and available here on amazon:
This dish is typically served as an appetizer or as part of a larger meal, not as a main course. I typically serve it with one or two other dishes. Today I decided to use some leftover Chinese BBQ pork I had in my freezer from making BBQ Pork Buns to make fried rice to go with it. Check out my fried rice recipe here.
This recipe is super simple and easy to make, but you will be surprised how addicting it is. It is a frequent request at our house, and will be at yours too if you try it. 🙂
Karaage Chicken (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs or breasts I prefer chicken breast for this
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1 cup potato or corn starch I use potato
- 5 garlic cloves smashed but not chopped
- 1 6 inch piece fresh ginger sliced into 1/3 inch pieces
- oil for frying
- salt for seasoning
- lemon wedges, mayo, togarashi
Instructions
- About 4-6 hours before you plan to cook the chicken, cut it into bite sized pieces and marinate it in the soy, garlic and ginger.
- Heat oil to 350.
- Combine the flour and cornstarch or potato starch in a large bowl and whisk.
- Drop the chicken pieces a few at a time into the flour mix and then into the hot oil.
- Fry until golden brown and the oil quiets down. Use a instant read thermometer to verify the chicken is cooked through if you aren't sure.
- Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve with the lemon, mayo and togarashi.