Air Fryer Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage)

Air Fryer Japanese Fried Chicken on a plate

4.96 from 25 votes

Air Fryer Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage)

Chicken Karaage, or Japanese Fried Chicken, is coated in potato starch and double air "fried" to perfection! My spicy garlic mayo sauce is a perfect spicy, lemony compliment to the crispy chicken

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Marinating Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb chicken thigh cut into 2" pieces
4 cloves garlic grated
1 tbsp ginger grated
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sake
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup potato starch
neutral oil for frying; I used avocado oil
lemon wedge optional

Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce

4 tbsp Japanese mayo
2 tbsp sriracha
2 cloves garlic grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cut boneless chicken thigh into 2" pieces.
Marinate with garlic, ginger, light soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, white pepper, and salt. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Take 1 cup of potato starch (katakuriko) and dredge chicken. Make sure to coat the chicken well ensuring there are no bald spots. Shake off any excess potato starch.
Using a neutral oil spray, spray the tray of your air fryer basket with a layer of oil. Carefully place the chicken down on a single layer of the basket and spray the chicken with the neutral oil spray.
Air Fry the chicken at 350F for 10 minutes. Give the chicken a flip, then spray the other side with more neutral oil spray. Air fry again at 400F for another 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp.
OPTIONAL: Mix together Japanese mayo, sriracha, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper for an amazing spicy mayo dipping sauce.
OPTIONAL: Squeeze fresh lemon juice over chicken before serving.

Notes

I recommed using skinless, boneless chicken thighs.

I haven't found a substitute for sake that I love, as I find that it has a distinct flavor profile that is hard to replace in a recipe. You can try sherry, mirin, shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, or even chicken stock, but I would highly encourage you to use sake if you can.

I get asked all the time if you can sub black pepper for white pepper - and my answer is, it depends BUT you need to watch the ratio. White pepper has a milder flavor profile than black pepper, so it's not a 1-1 substitute. I would start with less black pepper and add as you go.

Potato Starch is a KEY ingredient in this recipe, as it is what makes for the unique crunch! I get mine from 99 Ranch but I've also seen it sold on Amazon. The bag may be labeled 'potato starch' or 'katakuriko'. If you cannot find this, you can sub with tapioca flour or cornstarch - you can drizzle a little bit of marinade into the flour or starch to create some craggily bits.

I used avocado oil spray, but canola or vegetable oil will work as well! Neutral oil spray is a MUST here. You need a little bit of oil spray to allow the batter to "fry" in the air fryer. When air frying, periodically look for dry spots on the chicken and give them another spray of oil if needed.

For the optional dipping sauce: My favorite mayo is Japanese mayo or Kewpie - it's different from 'regular' mayo as it uses only egg yolks (versus the whole egg) and rice vinegar. This means the mayo is richer, thicker, and has a sweet, tanginess to it that is irresistible! I love to have a bottle of this in my pantry at all times. You can sub with regular mayo if you don't have it on hand.

PACK IN YOUR DREDGE (But not too thick) - Make sure your chicken has no bald spots and is well coated, but there is no need to pack the chicken in like when regular frying. Refer to the dredging picture above (this is what you're going for)! This will be enough to give it that air fryer crunch without all the oil!

This is optional but I like to squeeze a little lemon juice over the karaage before eating. I find that the lemon juice gives a nice brightness and acidity that balances nicely with the fried chicken. Give it a try if you haven't done this before!

Nutrition