Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage)
“Japanese fried chicken is made by marinating bite-size pieces of chicken in sake, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic before coating them generously with potato starch. When fried, the starch turns into an ultra crispy shell encasing a tasty, juicy bite of chicken. Southern Fried Chicken in on the top of my list when it comes to comfort food, but this may be my new favorite!”
Ingredients:
3 tsp. ginger, freshly grated with its juice
4 tsp. garlic, grated or smashed (about 3 cloves)
1/4 cup dry Sake
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 TBSP. sugar
4 chicken thighs, skin-on and deboned, cut into 2-inch chunks
Peanut oil for frying
1 1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 lemon, wedged for garnish
How to Make It:
In a shallow baking dish, combine garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, and sake. Toss the chicken pieces into baking dish and marinate, making sure the chicken is coated. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
In a medium-sized skillet, fill with peanut oil to approximately 5” deep and heat oil to 350℉. On a baking sheet, place several layers of paper towels.
On a second baking sheet, place a wire baking rack. In a bowl, combine potato starch, salt, and pepper. Take marinated chicken out of the refrigerator and take one piece of chicken at a time and dredge it in the starch mixture to coat, making sure to tuck in any jagged pieces or skin as you coat the chicken. Rest on the rack. Repeat with all of the chicken pieces.
Gently shake off any excess potato dredge before frying each piece of chicken. It’s easiest to cook 3 - 4 pieces at a time, keeping the oil at 325℉. Fry for approximately 3 minutes or until golden brown. Using an open kitchen spider, remove the chicken and cool on the baking sheet layered with paper towels.
Once all the chicken is fried, increase the temperature of the oil to 375℉. Fry, the chicken, pieces a second time keeping the oil temperature between 350 - 375℉. Fry until the crust is a deep golden brown, about 1 minute. Place onto paper towels to drain oil.
Serve hot or at room temperature. Garnish with lemon, lettuce, and cucumber slices.
Enjoy!
Tastes great with this Spicy Mayo dipping sauce:
1/2 cup Kewpie mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise if you don’t have this (Kewpie is a smoother, creamer mayonnaise, and it's made with rice vinegar rather than distilled vinegar.)
1 1/2 Tbsp. yuzu kosho
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
