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Chicken and Poultry · Card CH17
Crispy Karaage-Style Fried Chicken with Lemon
Karaage is all about the marinade: soy, sake, ginger and garlic soak into big pieces of skin-on thigh before a light potato starch coat. Two quick fries leave them craggy, pale-gold and very juicy. A squeeze of lemon right before biting keeps things lively, and they vanish from the rack while you are still frying.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Medium
- Cuisine
- Japanese
Method
Step 1: Combine the soy sauce, sake, mirin, ginger, garlic and sesame oil in a bowl. Add the chicken, toss well and marinate in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes; beyond that the soy makes the meat firm and salty.
Step 2: Whisk the potato starch and flour in a shallow dish. Lift the chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off, and toss each piece in the starch, scrunching the skin so it forms folds and ridges.
Step 3: Set the coated pieces on a rack for 5 minutes until a few damp patches show through; those spots fry into the crunchiest crags.
Step 4: Heat the oil to 325F in a deep pot. Fry the chicken in two batches for about 3 1/2 minutes, until pale gold, then move to a wire rack in a small tray and rest for 4 minutes. The heat trapped inside keeps cooking the center gently.
Step 5: Raise the oil to 375F and fry all the pieces again for 60 to 90 seconds, until deep golden and audibly crisp when tapped. Check that the largest piece reads at least 165F.
Step 6: Drain on the rack for 2 minutes and serve with lemon wedges and mayonnaise, if using.
Kitchen note
The rest between fries lets residual heat finish the center without drying it, and the short, hot second fry drives out surface moisture that would otherwise soften the crust within minutes.
Easy swap
Use cornstarch if potato starch is unavailable; the crust will be a little finer and less craggy but still crisp.
Filed nearby
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