Karaage is a Japanese fried chicken dish made from marinated chicken thigh pieces that are double-coated in flour and deep-fried until golden and crispy. The key to perfect karaage is marinating the chicken in soy sauce, sake, ginger, and garlic, then coating it twice in flour to achieve maximum crispness.
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Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces (about 4 cm / 1.57 in. square). Place the chicken in a bowl and add cooking sake, grated ginger, grater garlic, and Kikkoman Soy Sauce. Massage the wet ingredients into the chicken until they are fully absorbed, and let stand for 10 minutes. Add 50g (1.76 oz.) of flour to the bowl, and use long chopsticks to mix the ingredients together. Do this until there is almost no powderiness in the mixture. Put a moderate amount of flour in a sheet pan, then add the chicken and coat it lightly with flour.
Pour cooking oil into the frying pan until it’s about 2cm (0.79 in.) deep, and heat on medium heat (170ºC). Take one piece of chicken in your hand, and lightly coat it once again in flour. Roll it gently into a ball and place it into the frying oil. Repeat the above process with the remaining pieces of chicken. Once all the chicken is in the fry pan, let it fry for 2 minutes. Flip over the pieces of chicken. After flipping them over from time to time, allow them to fry for another 3 minutes. Move the fried chicken from the fry pan onto a sheet pan with a wire cooling rack to allow excess oil to drip off. Serve on a plate garnished with lemon. When it’s time to eat, squeeze the lemon juice on top.
Store cooled karaage in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat in a 170°C oven for 5 minutes to restore crispness.
Chicken thigh is preferred because it stays juicier during frying. Breast meat tends to dry out, but you can substitute if you reduce the frying time slightly.
Heat the oil to 170°C (338°F) on medium heat. This temperature allows the chicken to cook through without burning the exterior.
Marinate for at least 10 minutes as specified in the recipe. Longer marination (up to 2 hours) will deepen the flavor, but 10 minutes is the minimum.
Karaage is best served immediately after frying while crispy. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in a 170°C oven for 5 minutes to restore crispness.
The first flour coating in the marinade bowl creates a base layer. The second coating applied by hand just before frying ensures a thick, crispy exterior.
