I love Karaage fried chicken. It’s light, extra crispy, and oh so flavorful. These make for a great appetizer or even a non-traditional tailgating dish.

Chicken Karaage is fried Chicken cooked Japanese style which includes chicken marinated in sake among a few other ingredients. 

I stayed true to the technique but added a few of my favorite spices for additional seasoning.

MOOD MUSIC

Karaage Fried Chicken is fun, simple, yet interesting and deeply flavored. Average White Band's "Love Your Life" is a perfect pairing cause it has many of those same qualities. The topic is serious but the beat and groove are infectiously fun and layered.

Chicken Karaage Ingredients

• Bone-in Chicken Thighs
• Sake
• Mirin
• Soy Sauce or Tamari
• Fresh Ginger
• Fresh Garlic
• Potato Starch
• Paprika
• Allspice
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper

How To Make Karaage Fried Chicken

Mix the marinade ingredients together in.a medium to large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Chop the chicken into chunks, add to the marinade, and let sit overnight refrigerated.

Pre-heat fryer to 350 degrees F. While your oil heats set up your frying station. My station includes a cooling rack (wire rack placed inside of a baking sheet) and a shallow bowl of seasoned flower for dredging.

In a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the chicken, combine ginger, garlic, sake, soy sauce and sugar. Toss chicken pieces in marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

Remove chicken from the marinade and allow to warm to room temperature on the rack.

Dredge the chicken into the potato starch and then fry for about 3 minutes. Remove chicken from fryer and either place on a cleaned wire rack or a paper towel-lined bowl.

Increase the frying temperature to 375 degrees F. Re-fry the chicken for another minute and then serve.

Chicken Karaage Recipe Notes

Use chicken thighs as they have more flavor and you have less risk of overcooking. 

Buy bone-in, skin on thighs. Take the time and de-bone them. It’s actually pretty easy. See how I do it in the recipe video below.

Corn starch or any other starch works fine as a substitute for potato starch.

The interior of the chicken will be seasoned well thanks to the marinade but feel free to season the flour and/or add spice post frying.

If you don’t have mirin on hand, add a tbsp of sugar to the marinade.

I like to serve these immediately but they still taste great at room temperature. 

Serve the Karaage chicken with your favorite sauce. For me it’s a roasted red pepper sauce or even a mayo-sriracha mixed dressing.

These are great with a slaw or greens salad.

Other Fried Chicken Recipes

Jerk Fried Chicken

Smoked and Fried Chicken

Buttermilk Fried Wings

Garam Masala Spiced Chicken

make this recipe

If you make this Chicken Karaage recipe, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.

You can also keep up with my food exploits as well as original recipes! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you like any of the music you find on the site, visit me at Spotify to find curated monthly playlists.

Lastly, go to my YouTube channel and subscribe to be notified when new weekly videos are uploaded.

The post "Love Your Life" Chicken Karaage {Recipe and Video} appeared first on Food Fidelity.