Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage)
Serves: 4
Crispy and crunchy bite-sized pieces of fried chicken which the whole family will love! Make this delicious Japanese Fried Chicken with step-by-step photos.
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 700 g (1 ½ lb) chicken breast fillets and/or chicken thigh fillets, (with or without skin)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin, or Chinese shaoxing wine
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or finely grated
- 2 teaspoons ginger, finely or coarsely grated
- 1 egg white
For the Japanese Fried Chicken
- 300 g (2 cups) plain flour, (all-purpose flour)
- vegetable oil, for shallow frying
To Serve
- sea salt
- Sriracha mixed with Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise, or any sauce of your choice
- Steamed Jasmine Rice
Instructions
For the Marinade
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 2 cm (1 inch) cubes.
- Place the chicken into a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the marinade ingredients.
- Mix everything together until the chicken is well-combined in the marinade.
- Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
For the Japanese Fried Chicken
- Heat a large saucepan with enough vegetable oil to about 2 cm (1 inch) depth.
- Place the flour into a large bowl or baking tray.
- Pour the chicken, together with all of the marinade, onto the flour.
- Use your hands to coat the chicken in the flour. The liquid in the marinade will mix with the flour to form a light batter.
- Press the flour into the chicken to help form a craggy coating on the chicken. It is this craggy coating which will make the chicken crispy and crunchy.
- The oil is ready when it reaches 165°C or 325°F, or when a wooden chopstick inserted in the oil creates lots of small bubbles.
- Cook the chicken in batches until golden in colour.
- Drain the chicken pieces on kitchen paper or on a wire rack.
To Serve
- Serve immediately with a sauce of your choice. I like to mix Sriracha with some Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise.
Kitchen Notes
- WHAT TYPE OF CHICKEN TO USE
For this recipe, I like to use boneless chicken thigh fillets with the skin. The skin crisps up during frying, adding extra crunch and texture. But you can also use chicken breast. - OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer's handbook. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.