Name: Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 740 min
Ingredients: 500 to 600 grams Skin-on chicken thigh fillet (excess fat removed); 200 grams cornstarch (about 1¼ cup); neutral oil for frying; 12 grams fresh garlic (about 4 cloves) (grated); 5 grams fresh ginger (about ½ inch thumb) (grated); 30 grams Fuji apple (about ⅓ of an apple) (grated); 30 grams dark soy sauce (about 2 tbsp); 10 grams light soy sauce (about 1 tbsp); 8 grams brown sugar (about ⅔ tbsp); 5 grams kosher salt (about 2.5g for regular salt); 2 grams sesame oil; 3 dashes cayenne pepper (more if you prefer it spicier); Green Ice Lettuce (or lettuce of choice); lemon; kewpie mayo

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Dane loves chicken, and his NAFLD does not stop him from craving the occasional fried chicken. He sometimes uses his “cheat meal pass” to eat it. One of his favorite ones would be chicken karaage. And not to toot my own horn, but my chicken karaage recipe probably exceeds some of the ones you can buy in-store, including even some Japanese restaurants!

Print Recipe

Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Most people love fried chicken

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Marinating Time12

Total Time12 20

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 4 people

Equipment

1 medium pan

Ingredients

500 to 600 grams Skin-on chicken thigh fillet excess fat removed
200 grams cornstarch (about 1¼ cup)
neutral oil for frying

Marinade

12 grams fresh garlic (about 4 cloves) grated
5 grams fresh ginger (about ½ inch thumb) grated
30 grams Fuji apple (about ⅓ of an apple) grated
30 grams dark soy sauce (about 2 tbsp)
10 grams light soy sauce (about 1 tbsp)
8 grams brown sugar (about ⅔ tbsp)
5 grams kosher salt (about 2.5g for regular salt)
2 grams sesame oil
3 dashes cayenne pepper more if you prefer it spicier

Garnish

Green Ice Lettuce (or lettuce of choice)
lemon
kewpie mayo

Instructions

Marinating

In a container or zip lock,mix all the marinade ingredients.
Add your skin-on high fillets and mix till evenly distributed. Marinade in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight, and up to 3 days.

Cooking

In a medium pan, add in your neutral cooking oil and heat to medium high. I prefer shallow frying to not waste oil, but deep frying will cook it more evenly and faster.
Remove excess liquid from your chicken. No need to pat dry, but let the excess liquid drip off for a couple of seconds.
In a shallow bowl or plate, coat each chicken evenly with cornstarch so there are no wet spots.
Once the oil is hot (about 160C/325F), put your chicken in to fry until golden (about 4 to 5 mins). It should be cook when the internal temperature reaches 165F. You can take it out around 160F as the residual heat will finish cooking.
Rest in a wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve with lemon for better flavor and lettuce on the side!

Notes

Chicken. Use only thigh fillet for this. Even skinless will taste better than chicken breast.
Ginger and garlic. Please use fresh and not jarred. The taste will be so much better.
Apple. Use Fuji Apple or a similar sweet apple (not tart). You won’t taste actual apple flavors but it adds depth to the overall taste. Don’t omit!
Lemon. Serve with lemon! Everyone who has tried this recipe prefers it with the lemon.

Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) Recipe