Karaage
Japan's izakaya fried chicken: marinated thigh dredged in potato starch and twice-fried for an impossibly crisp shatter-crunchy crust.
Overview
Chicken thighs (boneless, skin-on for the best result) are cut into 4 cm pieces and marinated for 30 minutes in a mixture of soy sauce, sake, grated ginger, garlic, mirin and a touch of sesame oil. The marinated chicken pieces are then thoroughly dredged in potato starch (also called katakuriko in Japanese; cornstarch is a workable substitute but not as good). Oil heats to 160°C for the first fry, chicken pieces fry for 4 minutes until just cooked but not deeply coloured. Removed; rested for 5 minutes. Oil temperature increases to 190°C for the second fry, chicken returns for 60-90 seconds until amber-golden, crisp, and the outside shatters when bitten. Seasoned and served immediately.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 700 g boneless skin-on chicken thighs (or boneless skinless if preferred)
Marinade
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce (Japanese / shoyu)
- 2 tablespoons sake (or substitute dry sherry / vermouth + 1 teaspoon sugar)
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cm fresh ginger (grated, about 1 tablespoon)
- 3 garlic cloves (grated)
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Coating
- 150 g potato starch (katakuriko - sold at Asian shops; or substitute cornstarch)
- A pinch of salt
For frying
- 1 litre vegetable oil (or sunflower)
To serve
- 1 lemon (cut into wedges)
- Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie - the squeezy bottle, sold at Asian shops)
- Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice - chilli, sesame, orange peel etc.)
- A small bowl of soy sauce
- grated daikon (optional, for dipping)
Method
Stage 1 - Prep the chicken
- Cut the chicken thighs into 4 cm chunks.
- If the skin is loose, leave it on each piece - it crisps spectacularly in the frying.
- Pat the chunks dry with kitchen paper.
Stage 2 - Marinate
- In a wide bowl, whisk soy sauce, sake, mirin, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, sugar and pepper.
- Add the chicken; massage to coat.
- Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes (no longer - over-marinating makes the surface mushy).
Stage 3 - Coat
- Place potato starch in a wide shallow bowl with a pinch of salt.
- Lift each piece of chicken out of the marinade, letting excess drip off, and roll thoroughly in potato starch.
- Press the starch onto the chicken so it forms a thick uneven crust - the visible bumps and craters in the coating are what give karaage its signature texture after frying.
- Place coated pieces on a wire rack or tray; let rest 5 minutes (the starch absorbs surface moisture).
Stage 4 - First fry (low temp)
- Heat oil in a deep heavy pan to 160°C.
- Fry the chicken in 2-3 batches (don't crowd), 3-4 minutes per batch.
- The chicken should be pale gold and cooked through (internal temp 70°C); don't aim for deep colour at this stage.
- Lift onto a wire rack; let rest 5 minutes.
Stage 5 - Second fry (high temp)
- Increase oil temperature to 190°C.
- Return all the chicken pieces to the oil; fry 60-90 seconds.
- The chicken turns deep amber gold; the crust becomes shatter-crisp.
- Lift onto a wire rack (NOT kitchen paper - paper traps steam and softens the crust).
- Sprinkle with a pinch of salt while still hot.
Stage 6 - Serve
- Pile onto a warm plate.
- Plate lemon wedges, a small dish of Kewpie mayo, and shichimi togarashi.
- Eat immediately, with the fingers or chopsticks.
- Squeeze lemon over before eating; dip into mayo and shichimi to taste.
Notes
- Potato starch is the secret: Cornstarch works; rice flour works; plain flour gives a different (heavier, more like American-style fried chicken) result. Potato starch (katakuriko) gives the lightest, crispest, most shatteringly Japanese karaage. Worth seeking out at any Asian shop.
- Two fries, two temperatures: The first fry at 160°C cooks the chicken through; the second fry at 190°C crisps the crust. Single-frying at high temp gives a dark crust with raw centre; single-frying at low temp gives cooked-but-pale chicken. Two-fry is non-negotiable for proper karaage.
- Don't crowd the oil: Adding too much chicken at once drops the oil temperature dramatically and the chicken steams instead of fries. Fry in batches; let the oil come back to temperature between.
Storage
- Best within 30 minutes of frying.
- Cooked karaage: refrigerate 2 days; reheat at 200°C oven 6 minutes (microwave makes the crust soggy).
- Coated but unfried chicken: freeze on a tray 2 months. Fry from frozen - first fry at 150°C 6 min, then 190°C 90 sec.
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