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Golden Japanese fried chicken on a plate lined with paper towels.

Karaage Chicken

Karaage chicken – Bite-sized chicken pieces marinated in soy sauce, sake, ginger and mirin, coated in a cornflour crumble, then fried until crispy and golden brown.  The result is heavenly Japanese fried chicken – crispy on the outside yet tender juicy on the inside, with the perfect balance of savoury and a touch of sweetness.  It is no wonder that this is one of the most well-loved Japanese dishes globally.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Marinate Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 serves
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Japanese, Asian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 6 chicken thigh fillets cut into 2-inch pieces
Marinade
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp sake or rice vinegar or dry sherry
  • 2 tsp ginger minced
  • 1 tbsp mirin or rice vinegar or dry sherry
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper optional
Cornflour Crumble
  • 2 cup cornflour or potato flour
  • 2-3 tbsp water
For Frying
  • 4 cup neutral cooking oil canola oil or vegetable oil

Method
 

  1. In a large bowl or container, mix light soy sauce, sake, ginger, mirin and pepper.  Add chicken thigh pieces and coat them in the marinade.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or the container with a lid.  Transfer the bowl or container to the refrigerator and marinate the chicken for 30 minutes to 12 hours.  Marinating the chicken for a longer period will result in more flavour.
  2. Heat oil in a deep pot over medium heat to about 350F.  If you do not have a thermometer, stick a wooden chopstick to the bottom of the pot, if small bubbles appear, the oil is ready. Alternatively, sprinkle a pinch of corn flour in the oil, if it starts of sizzle, the oil is ready.
  3. While the oil is heating up, make the corn flour crumble.  Add 2 cups of corn flour to a shallow bowl.  Add in 1 tbsp water into the cornflour and use a fork to mix until small lumps of corn flour forms.  Repeat for remaining tbsp of water.
  4. Lightly press chicken pieces into the cornflour crumble until fully coated.  Shake of any excess and set aside on a wire rack until ready to fry.
  5. Once the oil is hot enough,carefully place coated chicken pieces into the oil.  Fry for about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  Transfer the cooked chicken to a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towel to drain any excess oil.  Continue for remaining chicken pieces.* 
  6. Transfer chicken to a serving plate and serve while it is still hot and crispy.

Notes

PRO  TIPS
*Check if chicken is completely cooked  To check if the chicken is completely cooked, cut a small part of one piece of chicken to check.  You can use either a pair of kitchen scissors or a small knife to do this.