Japanese Crispy Chicken Karaage

Juicy, super crunchy, and tasty – these Japanese crispy chicken Karaage will not disappoint even the pickiest eater. These chickens make a great appetizer or a great item for your child’s lunch box. Karaage chicken’s basic ingredients typically consist of soy sauce, garlic and ginger. It is because of these three items great combination that make the chicken so flavorful. Lightly coated with potato starch so it’s not heavily battered but yet so crunchy.  

Japanese chicken Karaage is also easy and quick to prepare since it doesn’t require a long time to marinate the chicken. Maximum time to marinate is about 10 – 15 minutes and the chicken can go to the deep fryer after coated with potato starch. Many people in Japan squeeze some lemon juice onto the crispy chicken Karaage when serving and consuming it. My children prefer to have it sprinkled with some Furikake seasoning. However, you can just have the chicken Karaage just ‘as is’ without any condiments or garnishment. It is so already so good the way it is.

Tools I used:

• Deep fryer – It is quite handy to have deep fryer at home if you love to make AND EAT crunchy food. I can just leave the frying oil in the deep fryer for next time and re-use the oil after several use – and avoid cleaning oily tools too often.

Tip:

1. It is best to use dark meat chicken, such as the chicken thigh to result in juicy chicken Karaage. However, you are free to use chicken breast, but it won’t be as juicy.
2. If you do not have potato starch, you can replace it with tapioca starch or corn starch.
3. You can serve it with some lemon wedges – sprinkle chicken Karaage with some lemon juice for a hint of tanginess.

Ingredient:

• 1 lb chicken thigh – cleaned and cut into bite-size
• 2 tablespoon sake (or rice wine)
• 1-inch ginger – grated
• 3 cloves garlic – finely minced
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• A pinch of white pepper powder
• 1 cup potato starch
• Vegetable oil to fry
• Furikake seasoning to garnish (optional)

Direction:

• In a mixing bowl, combine ginger, garlic, onion powder, cayenne powder, dark soy sauce, and white pepper powder and mix well.
• Add the bite-sized cut chicken into the bowl and marinade the chicken well with the sauce.
• Set aside and let the chicken marinade in the fridge for at least 10-15 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oil in a deep-fryer or frying pan under medium heat.
• Meanwhile, coat the chicken with potato starch.
• Once the oil is heated, carefully place the chicken into the deep-fryer or frying pan and cook for about 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown.
• Set aside to cool down.
• Sprinkle with Furikake (optional) prior to serving. Enjoy!