Crunchy, juicy and full of flavour, Karaage Chicken is the lightest and most delicious fried chicken you'll ever eat. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to make this Japanese fried chicken which can be eaten as a appetiser or a main dish.
500gchicken thigh (cut into 4cm / 1 ½ inch pieces)
1tablespoongrated ginger(notes)
1clovegarlic, crushed
¼cupsoy sauce
2tablespoonsmirin(notes)
1cupcornflour (cornstarch in US) or potato starch
Vegetable oil for frying
togarashi spice, wedges of lemon and kewpie mayonnaise for serving
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
deep frying thermometer
large heavy based saucepan
Instructions
Mix together the ginger, garlic, soy sauce & mirin in a bowl, then add the pieces of chicken & coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-20 minutes.
Cover a plate or oven tray with absorbent paper towel and place a wire rack over the top. Place the cornflour in a bowl and heat the oil in a high sided saucepan to 180C / 350F.
Remove the chicken from the fridge and one by one, take out pieces of chicken, coat in cornflour and place gently in the hot oil. It's best to do the chicken in 4-5 batches depending on the size of your saucepan. Don't overcrowd the pot as it will cool the oil down too much and won't give you nice crispy chicken bits.
Deep fry each batch for 1 ½ minutes, then remove and place on the wire rack. Once all batches are complete, starting with the first batch again, place the chicken back into the oil and deep fry a second time for another minute. Remove and place on the wire rack until all the chicken is done.
Serve while still hot with Kewpie mayonnaise for dipping.
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Notes
I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon
A deep frying thermometer is very handy to keep an eye on the oil temperature. They are relatively cheap and useful in candy making as well.
I most often serve this as a main meal with steamed rice, cucumber, pink pickled onions and a sprinkling of togarashi.
Cornflour (AUS) / cornstarch (US) can be swapped for the more traditional potato starch too.
SPECIALTY INGREDIENTS
Mirin is a Japanese sweet rice cooking wine. Great to have on hand as it will last for a long time and is used in many Japanese dishes including sushi rice and Japanese pickled vegetables
Togarashi spice is a Japanese peppery spice mix of things like dried chilli, pepper, poppy seeds, hemp seeds, dried citrus peel and sesame seeds. It is optional in this dish but does add a nice spicy kick
Kewpie mayonnaise is a Japanese mayonnaise that you can buy from most supermarkets and grocery stores. Don’t skip the Kewpie in this dish.
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.