Chicken Karaage (VIDEO)

Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) in a bowl with a lemon wedge.

5 from 39 votes

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

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Marinating Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Dutch Oven
Infrared Thermometer or Candy Thermometer

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb chicken thigh cut into 1" 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
1 quart 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 black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cut boneless chicken thigh into 1" pieces. Add the chicken to a bowl along with the garlic, ginger, light soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, white pepper, and salt. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Add the potato starch to a tray and dredge the marinated chicken pieces until fully coated. Use your hands to pack the coating of each piece onto the chicken. Shake off any excess potato starch.
Add the neutral oil to a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Heat the oil to 350°F and fry half of the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes until a light golden brown. Remove the chicken to a wire rack lined tray and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Ensure the oil does not drop down below 300°F by frying in smaller batches. Remove the chicken from the oil and use a mesh strainer to strain any loose pieces of batter from the oil to prevent burning.
Heat the oil to 350°F and fry all the chicken pieces at once for 1-2 minutes or until the color is a deep, golden brown. Remove from the oil to the wire rack to let cool.
In a small bowl, mix together Japanese mayo, sriracha, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to make the Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over chicken, serve with the dipping sauce and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Sake has a distinct flavor profile that is hard to replace. If you don't have it, you can try sherry, mirin, shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, or even chicken stock.

Potato starch is a KEY ingredient in this recipe, as it is what makes for the unique crunch! Use potato starch that is labeled as 'katakuriko' (see image below) - Japanese potato starch has a finer texture that makes for the lighest, crispiest crunch. If you cannot find this, you can sub with tapioca flour or cornstarch.

For the spicy mayo - I recommend using 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! You can substitute with regular mayo if you don't have it on hand.

Pack in the dredge - Make sure your chicken has no bald spots by packing in the potato starch well for maximum crispiness. Shake off any excess before frying.

Oil temperature - Ensure the frying oil does not drop below 300F. If this is happening, turn up the heat or fry the chicken in smaller batches. For this reason, I recommend frying in a dutch oven which retains heat well and will keep the temperature of the oil hot.

Lemon juice - 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!

Storage Tips - Store any leftover Chicken Karaage in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The chicken will soften as it sits in the refrigerator - this is normal! You can reheat leftovers in the air fryer or oven at 375F for 6-8 minutes to restore some of the crispiness; otherwise you can also reheat in the microwave until warmed through.

Nutrition