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Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) in a basket with lemon wedges

Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Karaage or Japanese Fried Chicken is chicken (or veggies and other animal protein) lightly coated using potato starch or corn flour and then fried until golden brown and crispy.

Course Appetizer
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 4-6 skin-on boneless chicken thighs
  • 2 garlic cloves minced or grated
  • 1 tbsp grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar or Japanese sake
  • 1 tsp kosher salt more to taste
  • 1 cup potato starch or cornstarch*
  • ¼ - ½ cup avocado oil more depending on size of skillet
  • lemon wedges

Instructions

  1. Cut chicken thighs into 3-4 bite size pieces.

  2. In a bowl, add in the chicken thighs, garlic, ginger, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and kosher salt. Mix until well combined and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

  3. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat with avocado oil. Use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

  4. While oil is heating up, add potato starch to a shallow bowl. Lightly coat each piece of chicken thigh in potato starch making sure to shake off any excess.

  5. Add chicken to the skillet (making sure not to overcrowd, cook in batches if you need to) and cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through.

  6. Place fried chicken on a paper towel lined plate and season with kosher salt to taste.

  7. Air Fryer method: Place chicken into air fryer basket skin side up. Lightly spray with cooking oil and cook at 375F for 20 minutes tossing halfway through. Try not to overcrowd the air fryer. Cook in batches if you need to.

  8. Serve karaage with lemon wedges. Be sure to squeeze lemon over chicken before eating!

Recipe Notes

*If you can't find potato starch or don't want to use cornstarch, you can substitute both with tapioca flour/starch.

 

Air Fryer method: when dredging chicken, make sure to shake off any excess potato starch. This is really important. Place chicken into air fryer basket skin side up. Lightly spray with cooking oil and cook at 375F for 20 minutes tossing halfway through.