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Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Most people love fried chicken
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Marinating Time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 20 minutes
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
  • 10 grams fresh ginger (about 1 inch thumb size) grated
  • 60 grams Fuji apple (about ½ 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.