Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Recipe from Kunyan

Adapted by Hannah Kirshner

Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Total Time
About 45 minutes, plus marinating
Rating
4(1,581)
Comments
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At Kunyan, a ramen shop in a mountain hot-spring town near the Sea of Japan, fried chicken is served until 2 a.m., or whenever the last customer leaves. The flesh is firm and flavorful with sweetened soy and garlic, coated in a fox-colored crust of potato starch that stays crisp on the table through a second round of highballs. Kunyan’s “mama,” who presides over pan-frying gyoza and pouring frothy Super Dry beer, would never give up her recipe, but the flavors in this version are awfully similar. To approximate the best Japanese chicken — meatier, fattier, and more flavorful than American supermarket meat — buy your chicken from a farmers' market, and debone it yourself or ask a butcher. Don’t feel pressure to do it perfectly: The pieces will be encrusted in a crisp coating, and the leftover bones make great stock. —Hannah Kirshner

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • 1½teaspoons grated fresh ginger, with its juice
  • 2teaspoons grated or smashed garlic (from about 3 cloves)
  • 2tablespoons dry sake
  • 3tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2teaspoons sugar
  • 4skin-on chicken thighs (about 1½ to 2 pounds), deboned, cut into 2-inch chunks
  • Peanut oil, or a mixture of peanut and canola or safflower, for frying
  • 1cup potato starch (katakuriko)
  • ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½teaspoon black pepper
  • Lemon wedge, for serving
  • Lettuce and cucumber slices, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

459 calories; 23 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 775 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    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.

  2. Step 2

    Fill an aluminum or thin stainless steel pot (best for quick temperature adjustments), with sides at least 5 inches tall, with about 3 inches of peanut oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Place several layers of newsprint or paper towels on a sheet pan.

  3. Step 3

    While the oil heats, place a wire rack over a second sheet pan. In a bowl, combine potato starch, salt and pepper. Remove one piece of chicken at a time from marinade, and tuck in any jagged bits or skin as you roll it in starch mixture to coat. Rest it on the rack. Repeat with all chicken pieces.

  4. Step 4

    Gently shake off excess potato starch before cooking each piece of chicken. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time, keeping oil temperature around 325 degrees (temperature will fall when you add chicken) and no lower than 300 degrees. Fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oil using a wire-mesh spoon or long chopsticks, and cool on newsprint or paper towels.

  5. Step 5

    When all the chicken has been fried once, increase the oil’s temperature to 375 degrees. Fry chicken pieces a second time, keeping the oil between 350 and 375 degrees, until the crust is deep golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain on newsprint or paper towels. This second frying makes the coating stay extra crisp, even if you don’t serve it immediately.

  6. Step 6

    Serve hot or at room temperature, with a lemon wedge, and lettuce and cucumber slices for a cool, fresh contrast, if you like.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,581 user ratings
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Comments

Linda

This is a great dish! A Japanese friend marinates this in a bit of sesame oil too (along with the ginger and other ingredients here).

frankaboutfoodblog

Another serving tip: bring the marinade to a boil, with maybe a splash more sake. When you serve, pour a teaspoon on each piece of chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds, or for a bit of hear shichimi togarashi (Japanese pepper).

Clark

HOLY smokes. This was insane. The key is constantly monitoring the oil temperature while frying. Used Safflower oil which has a very high smoke point so it didn’t even look like it was hot when it was time to toss the chicken in. Heated up some honey thinned with a little coconut oil and mixed in red pepper flakes. Drizzle that over the fried chicken pieces...perfect accent to the soy marinade.

Luis Uresti

I added Chili Crisp to the marinate! Fantastic!

Tyger

Likely a cascade of errors on my part led to a rare suboptimal dinner from NYT cooking. This recipe is not forgiving at all if not followed exactly. I likely cut the chicken pieces too small, didn’t shake the potato starch off as completely as possible. I did fry things at the proper temperature for the right amount of time, a pity I’m not a better fryer chef as this recipe looked great.

froggs

I don’t deep-fry foods often, so I don’t have an oil thermometer. This still turned out quite well. I used about 48 oz of canola oil, heated on medium-high in a soup pot. I cooked a few test pieces to find the right oil temp. Because of the potato starch coating, there will be a few white spots on the finished pieces and that’s okay. I dispensed with the second round of frying, too much fuss. The marinade is very tasty-umami and chicken is crisp. Didn’t even need a dip/sauce.

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Credits

Adapted from Kunyan

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