Japanese fried chicken, Korean fried chicken, Thai fried chicken — listen…Aisan’s really know what they’re doing when it comes to frying up some delicious yard bird. The techniques are so simple and straight-forward, and the results speak for themselves. They specialize in crunch, juicy flavorful meat, and simplicity. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore some good ol fashioned Southern style fried chicken — it’s what I grew up on. But I’m also allowed to love all kinds of fried chicken, from different cuisines around the world. That’s called growth. Karaage is simply the method behind the deliciousness. You can “karaage” anything — seafood, meat, etc., but it’s often used with chicken. Basically, you marinate the chicken and toss it in a seasoned blend of flour and potato starch. However, rules are made to be broken. Many people dredge this however they choose to, using just potato starch, or just cornstarch, or just flour, or a combination of all three. You can marinate the chicken in the starter blend of soy sauce, mirin, sake, garlic, and ginger, and then add other things that suit your specific tastes. I plan on getting very creative with this technique as we move forward. Below is my very first attempt at karaage, and it turned out really delicious.
Here’s how to make Karaage!
Check out my video on how to make this super bomb dish, and of course, the recipe is below.
To see this video on YouTube, click here.
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Japanese Fried Chicken “Karaage”
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 4-5 servings
Description
How to make delicious Japanese fried chicken at home. Not an authentic recipe, but very adaptable.
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 5–6 chicken thighs, deboned, skin left on, cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1/3 cup soy sauce (if using low-sodium soy sauce, you’ll need to add more salt, otherwise the chicken will be bland)
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake
Dredge
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Oil for frying
- Lemon wedges
- Lettuce or Cabbage, shredded
- Japanese Mayo (Kewpie)
- Rice Seasoning (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the chunks of chicken, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Toss gently to combine. Let it sit for about a half hour, to an hour.
- Heat about 2-3 inches of oil in a pot or shallow pan to 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the flour, potato starch, and salt. Dredge each piece of chicken thoroughly and set aside on a plate while the oil heats up. When the oil is ready, fry the chicken in batches, as not to reduce the temperature of the oil too drastically — about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from hot oil and let it drain and rest. Once all the chicken is fried, heat the oil to 400 degrees, and give the chicken one last fry for 1-2 minutes max. Drain on paper towels or a rimmed baking sheet lined with a cooling rack. Lightly dust with sea salt if needed (taste first).
- Serve with lemon wedges, lettuce or cabbage, and Japanese Mayo (Kewpie). Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
Items used in video:
- Japanese Rice Seasoning
https://amzn.to/2vahliP - Large Cutting Board
https://amzn.to/2GN4WXg - Boning Knife
https://amzn.to/2H9P6VX - 4qt. Enameled Cast Iron Braising pan (used to fry)
https://amzn.to/2v2uFWf - Microplane
https://amzn.to/2GNIqgX - Metal Tweezers/Tongs
https://amzn.to/2HozEDh - Metal Bowl
https://amzn.to/2GLxVef - Glass Bowls
https://amzn.to/2IFUtcM - Spider Strainer
https://amzn.to/2JAIGxE - Japanese Mayo (Kewpie)
https://amzn.to/2HaZQng - Potato Starch
https://amzn.to/2Hq4The - Baking Sheet
https://amzn.to/2IKfmDH - Cooling Rack
https://amzn.to/2JwjTut
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