Skip to main content

How To Make Karaage, Japanese Fried Chicken, for an Epic Date Night Dinner

There are countless variations of fried chicken beloved around the world. Japan is no different. Known as karaage, Japanese style fried chicken is ubiquitous in the country, found everywhere from school lunches to hole-in-the-wall izayaka pubs.

Boneless and marinated, karaage is a relatively modern culinary creation. Traditionally, the Japanese ate little animal protein due to the adoption of Buddhist vegetarian beliefs from China. The technique of deep frying was also foreign, introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Karaage first appeared after World War II and grew in popularity due to changing diets and increased meat consumption.

The word karaage refers to the Japanese cooking technique of deep frying, although the term has now become interchangeable with fried chicken itself. There are many regional variations of Japanese fried chicken, such as sweet tebasaki wings from Nagoya, tartar sauce-covered Chicken Nanban chicken from Miyazaki, and toriten (chicken tempura) served with ponzu and hot mustard from Ōita. For the purposes of this guide, we will focus on karaage, the most common version of Japanese fried chicken.

Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage)

(By Chef Christina Jackson, former chef at Masa, currently the head chef of Edith’s Brooklyn.)

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds of chicken thighs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp grated ginger
  • 1/2 tsp grated garlic
  • 1/2 tbsp yuzu juice, or lemon juice if unavailable
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp cooking sake
  • 2 tsp mirin
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp light sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp potato starch
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 4 cups vegetable, canola or rice bran oil

Method:

  1. Cut chicken thighs into 2-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper.
  2. In a bowl, combine grated ginger, grated garlic, yuzu juice, soy sauce, sake, honey, and sesame oil.
  3. Add chicken to the bowl and coat evenly. Cover and place in refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
  4. While the chicken is marinating, pour oil into a pot, cast iron pan or Dutch oven. Heat the oil to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  5. Place potato starch and all-purpose flour in two separate bowls.
  6. Take the chicken out of the marinade and dredge first in flour and then in potato starch. Remove excess with a sieve or mesh colander. 
  7. Heat oil to 325 F. Once it reaches temperature, add chicken, about 3-5 pieces at a time. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan.
  8. Important to note: This is the first fry. Do not cook the chicken completely. 
  9. Deep fry for two minutes or until the outside is a light golden brown. If the chicken is too dark, lower the temperature. Transfer chicken to a wire rack when finished. 
  10. Bring the oil temperature up to 350F. Fry chicken again for 1 minute or until skin is a nice, deep golden color. If desired, use a cake tester or meat thermometer to check for doneness. 
  11. Serve with a wedge of lemon, pickles, and kewpie mayo (add some shichimi togarashi for a spicy kick).

Choosing the Chicken

Most karaage recipes will use thigh meat. Dark meat is preferred in Japan as it’s seen as more flavorful and less prone to drying out. Karaage is always boneless and many recipes will also leave the skin on for flavor. Karaage is meant to be relatively bite-sized, so it’s best to cut a typical chicken thigh into two or four pieces.

The Frying

Paul Keller/Flickr

Japanese karaage is often less greasy than American fried chicken. This is due to the sake in the marinade and the different dredging ingredients than American fried chicken. Alcohol like sake is used in Japanese meat preparations to remove any potential gaminess or odor (similar to the concept of citrus with seafood). Karaage dredges frequently include potato or corn starch which produce a lighter crust than pure wheat flour.

Sauces

Unlike Korean fried chicken, karaage is not commonly coated in sauce. The most common sauce is Japanese mayonnaise or some lemon wedges. Japanese mayonnaise (such Kewpie brand) is smoother and richer than American mayonnaise. For a spicy variation, squeeze hot sauce or sprinkle shichimi togarashi (a Japanese chili pepper mix) into the mayonnaise.

Accompaniments

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Japanese fried chicken is most often served as part of a “set” meal, complete with rice, soup, salad, and pickles. Karaage in Japan is also commonly found in Chinese restaurants. The flavors and techniques of Japanese fried chicken — garlic and deep frying —are Chinese in origin, brought to Japan by Chinese migrants. Since ramen was also introduced to Japan by Chinese immigrants, it’s not uncommon to find karaage served alongside ramen or fried rice (a staple in many ramen and Chinese restaurants in Japan).

Editors' Recommendations

Hunter Lu
Hunter Lu is a New York-based food and features writer, NYU graduate, and Iraq veteran. His fiction has appeared in The Line…
How to make the perfect Paloma drink, a summertime favorite
Want to make the best version of a classic Paloma cocktail? Here's how
Paloma cocktail

Step aside Margarita, the Paloma is the real drink of Mexico. The zesty cocktail is delicious any month of the year but it's especially mouthwatering on a hot day. In a situation such as this, we like to pick the wise brains of cocktail gurus like Alicia Perry and Garret Dostal. Perry used to make incredible drinks at Polite Provisions and now work as a drinks guru at Consortium Holdings. Garrett Dostal is a cocktail consultant and brand ambassador for Hiatus Tequila.

"In terms of the Paloma cocktail, I am really looking for a cocktail that is juicy, acidic, and thirst quenching," Perry says. She adds that there are three major components at play -- the tequila for the Paloma, citrus, and soda. "In the process of creating my perfect Paloma I found that specific Blanco Tequilas were either too dominant, or were not able to stand up to the ingredients of the cocktail," she says. "Fortaleza Blanco allowed for subtle notes of citrus, agave, and vanilla to be well represented in the cocktail."

Read more
Out of brown sugar? Here’s how to make your own
Here's how to reverse-engineer brown sugar to create the ultimate version
A jar of brown sugar.

In all its forms, sugar plays a fundamental role in baking, but none more prominent than as brown sugar. Brown sugar often stands out with its distinctly warm caramel notes, perfect for your favorite cookies. But what if you’re out of it? While it's readily available in stores, you can easily make your own brown sugar at home using a combination of white sugar and molasses.

Read on as we reverse-engineer this amazing ingredient to create the ultimate brown sugar at home. Here’s what you should do.
How to make brown sugar
Gather the ingredients
To make brown sugar, you'll need two primary ingredients: White granulated sugar and molasses. White sugar is refined and devoid of molasses, which is responsible for the distinct color and taste of brown sugar. Molasses, a thick syrup obtained from sugar cane or sugar beet processing, is the key to achieving the desired result. By adding the molasses back into the white sugar, you can create the ultimate brown sugar.
Determine the ratio
The ratio of white sugar to molasses will determine the darkness and flavor intensity of your brown sugar, so it’s highly customizable.

Read more
Find your partner in adventure: TINCUP and Jesse Palmer want you to rethink date night
Fill up your TINCUP with new adventures, and you might even meet a new special someone. 
"The Bachelor" host Jesse Palmer at home with his spouse Emely and a bottle of TINCUP whiskey.

Jesse Palmer may be famous as the host of The Bachelor, but he wants us to know his life doesn't merely revolve around reality TV: He likes to get out and enjoy the real world. He's also partnering with TINCUP whiskey on an intriguing new campaign to encourage more people to get out, meet new people, make new friends, and perhaps even forge new romantic connections.

Wait, so Jesse Palmer wants to set us up on blind dates? No, not quite. Instead, he's helping TINCUP launch its "Find Your Partner in Adventure" campaign. This starts with three special group dates this summer: one in New York, one in Colorado, and one in California. As TINCUP was preparing to launch this new campaign, I spoke with Jesse Palmer about his favorite kinds of dates, why we should look beyond dating apps to find someone new, and how whiskey can be quite romantic.

Read more