Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage) + Video Tips

Japanese cooks deep fry extra well and karaage embodies their simple techniques and pure flavor. I've been looking for an exceptional recipe and found one in Love Japan by Sawako (“Sawa”) Okochi and Aaron Israel, the chefs and owners of Shalom Japan in Brooklyn. Their unique blending of Japanese-Jewish-American foodways (shaved bonito cured lox! matzoh ball ramen! okonomi-latkes) were captured in a terrific book co-authored with Gabriella Gershenson.

Why is this Karaage Recipe Great?

Sawa's recipe is based on her mom's. The Okochi's addition of egg to the marinade differs from other recipes I've tried and posted about here. The egg ensures that the chicken fries up succulent. The starch and flour coating sticks better and the chicken browns overall more efficiently. The flavors in this recipe are also very well balanced -- not too salty, sweet or spicy pungent. Everything is just right.

How to Debone Chicken Thighs Video Tip

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work great for this recipe. However, if you want the ultimate Japanese fried chicken experience, use skin-on thighs. The easiest way to obtain it is to debone the thighs yourself. Below is a video on how to do it. Remember to select "Stay" when prompted.

What to serve with Japanese Fried Chicken

It can be a snack with bubbly or beer, part of a bento, or even put into a sandwich. Japanese people enjoy fried chicken all year round but karaage can also be the main feature for Christmas. It's a unique tradition in Japan that I explore in my newsletter, Pass the Fish Sauce. Take a read of the dispatch on why and how fried chicken -- particularly KFC -- became popular for Japanese Christmas. And, also read a Q&A with Sawako!

Karaage Video Tips

Deep-frying can seem challenging to do at home. To show you how easygoing it is to make this Japanese favorite yourself, I put together this video. Put newspaper on the kitchen floor near the stove in case you're concerned about clean up. Remember to select "Stay" when prompted.

If you want good Japanese fried chicken, you're best bet is to make it yourself. This is an wonderful recipe. Sawako and Aaron's book is full of other gems so get yourself a copy of Love Japan!

Related recipes

• Slice-and-Bake Matcha Cookies (a splendid cookie recipe, also from Love Japan)
• Vietnamese Chile Sauce (Tuong Ot, my recipe from Ever-Green Vietnamese)

Print Recipe

Karaage | Japanese Fried Chicken

If you like, fry the chicken hours in advance and reheat on a rack in a 375F oven until warm. This excellent karaage recipe from Love Japan (2023, Ten Speed Press) is simple, crunchy, and loaded with balanced flavor. This recipe was slightly adapted from the book written by Sawako Okochi and Aaron Israel with Gabriella Gershenson. If serving as a main course, one batch would satisfy four people.

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: fried chicken

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skin-on (if possible) chicken thighs (see main recipe for tip), cut into quarters
• Chubby 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
• ¼ cup sake
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 large egg
• Canola or other neutral oil, for deep-frying
• ¾ cup cornstarch or potato starch
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 lemon cut into wedges

Instructions

• Place the quartered chicken thighs in a large bowl or a resealable plastic bag.
• In a bowl, mix the ginger, garlic, salt, sake, soy sauce, and egg together until well blended. Transfer the marinade to the container with the chicken and mix to coat. Marinate, covered (or sealed), in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. The longer the chicken marinates, the more tender and flavorful it will be. Thirty minutes before frying, pull the chicken from the fridge to remove some of the chill.
• Line a baking sheet with two layers of paper towel. Pour 2 inches canola oil into a Dutch oven (or wok) and heat over medium-high heat to 350F on a deep-fry thermometer. (If you don’t have a thermometer, watch the video for a tip.)
• Drain the chicken in a mesh strainer to get rid of excess liquid. In a shallow bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the flour. Dredge 4 or 5 pieces of chicken at a time, dusting off any excess. Using dry, heatproof tongs or wooden chopsticks, place the dredged chicken carefully into the hot oil, taking care not to splash.
• Fry 4 or 5 pieces at a time (depending on the size of the pan) without overcrowding. Turn after 3 minutes and cook for 3 minutes more. The color should be a nice and golden brown. Transfer to the paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

If you want to go gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour mixture such as Bob's Red Mill.

My Vietnamese chile sauce recipe is here.