Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Karaage (唐揚げ), also known as Tatsutaage (竜田揚げ), is the Japanese rendition of fried chicken. Pronounced kah-rah-ah-geh, the name literally means “Tang fried” (Tang as in the Chinese dynasty). Like Gyoza and Ramen, Karaage is an example of Wafu-Chuka (Chinese style Japanese) cuisine, whereby dumplings, noodles, or in this case fried chicken, was borrowed from the Chinese and turned into something uniquely Japanese.

After being marinated in soy sauce, ginger and garlic, the bite-size bits of chicken are dredged in cornstarch and deep fried until crisp. The cornstarch creates a golden shell around the karaage, which has a more durable crunch than flour coated chicken. This is a good thing, considering the leftovers are often boxed up into bento lunches and eaten cold the next day. Karaage also makes for a great summer picnic with some onigiri (rice balls).

Fried chicken (whether Southern, Korean or Japanese) is one of my favourite foods of all time. Rather than wax on about my adoration of crisp golden brown chicken, let’s just say it would be a part of my last meal on Earth. Pick a favourite style of fried chicken would be tough, but on the basis of simple preparation, Karaage gets cooked more often in my house than any of the other types.

What’s your favourite kind of fried chicken?

In case you are wondering, you can make Karaage with breast meat, but it will be less moist and less flavorful for the same reason why breast meat is healthier. It has less fat. I’ve also been thinking this might be interesting to try with other ingredients, such as beef, pork, or even some eringi mushrooms, for a vegetarian take.

Karaage Recipe

2 tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 C cornstarch for dusting
oil for frying
lemon wedges for serving (optional)

update: I’ve had a couple people ask me, so just to clarify, cornmeal is not the same as cornstarch. Please don’t try and substitute cornmeal as it will not stick to the chicken properly.

For the marinade, combine the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sugar in bowl big enough to hold all the chicken.

Wash the chicken, pat it dry with paper towels and remove any extra fat. Cut the chicken into uniform large bite-sized pieces, taking into consideration the natural segmentation of the thigh. Add the chicken to the marinade and allow it to soak for one to two hours.

Add about 3/4″ of oil to a cast iron pot and heat over a medium flame until it reaches 340 degrees F. Put the cornstarch in a bowl and dredge the chicken to coat, dusting off any extra before lowering each piece into the oil. Fry until golden brown on one side, flip and continue to fry until the other side is nice and browned. Because you’re using thigh meat, there is little chance of overcooking it, so make sure you get it nice and crisp.

Transfer to a paper towel lined rack to drain, then serve with lemon wedges and rice.

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