Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage)
Japanese fried karaage chicken is ultra-crispy from potato starch and insanely juicy inside marinated in soy, sake, ginger and white pepper.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 lbs chicken thighs (boneless skin-on)
- 1 cup potato starch
- 2 cups canola oil (for frying)
- 1 lemon (sliced into wedges)
- 1/3 cup light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger (grated)
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
Instructions
- 1
Cut the chicken into equal, bite-size pieces, keeping skin intact.
- 2
Whisk the soy sauce, sake, ginger and white pepper in a bowl to combine. Set aside. Add the chicken to marinade and toss to coat chicken pieces with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- 3
Line a baking tray with rack or paper towels. Set aside. Heat oil in wok or heavy pot to 325°F. Drain chicken and discard any remaining marinade.
- 4
Place potato starch in a tray or bowl and dredge the chicken pieces in 2-3 batches. Carefully drop into hot oil and fry several minutes on each side (avoid overcrowding) until a light golden color. Remove from hot oil to prepared tray and repeat with dredging and frying all chicken.
- 5
When all chicken has been fried, heat oil to 375°F, transfer all back to the hot oil to double-fry and get extra crispy for 2 minutes. Remove, drain on the tray and let cool slightly.
- 6
Serve with steamed rice, vegetables of choice and lemon slices.