Karaage (から揚げ)

Crisp Chicken Karaage with green beans and a wedge of lemon.

With juicy marinated chicken coated in an ultra-crisp shell, Karaage (から揚げ) is a staple of Japanese home-cooking and one of the most popular items to pack into a bento box lunch in Japan.

Course Entree

Cuisine Best, Japanese

Keyword bento, easy, fried

Level Beginner

Main Ingredient Poultry

Diet Dairy-Free, Low Sugar

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Marination 1 hour

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 450 kcal

Ingredients

1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon sake
25 grams fresh ginger (grated)
900 grams skin-on boneless chicken thighs (cut into bite-size pieces)
170 grams potato starch
vegetable oil (for frying)
1/2 lemon (sliced into wedges for serving)

Metric - US Imperial

Instructions

Whisk the soy sauce, sake and ginger together in a bowl to combine.
Add the chicken and mix well to ensure each piece of chicken is coated with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate, allowing the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
When you are ready to fry the karaage, add 1 inch of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pot and heat until the oil reaches 340 degrees F (170 C). Prepare a paper towel-lined rack.
While you wait for the oil to come up to temperature, dredge the marinated chicken in potato starch to coat each piece evenly and set the pieces of coated chicken on a tray.
When the oil ready, fry the coated chicken in batches. Don't overcrowd the pot, and I recommend batching pieces of chicken that are roughly the same size.
When the karaage hits an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (71 C), transfer them to the prepared rack and let them rest for a few minutes before serving them.