Japanese 'Karrage' Fried Chicken
Japanese 'Karrage' Fried Chicken is irresistible and is a delicious starter to any meal and it's surprisingly simple to make at home
Ingredients
- 500 gm boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets (sliced into approx. 1 inch cubes) (NOTE 1)
- 20 gm grated ginger (approx. 1 tbsp very finely grated)
- 1 tbsp sake (NOTE 2)
- 2 tbsp mirin (NOTE 3)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (NOTE 4)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup cornflour (NOTE 5)
- Vegetable oil for frying (or any neutral tasting oil)
Instructions
- Slice the chicken thighs into even bite-size chunks (approximately an inch in size). Grate the ginger finely using a cheese grater or mince it use a food processor.
- In a large bowl add sliced chicken, grated ginger, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and salt. Gently mix and coat the chicken in the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic film and place it in the fridge, allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Remove excess marinade from the chicken by placing it over a strainer or colander and use a spoon to move the chicken gently side to side or shake the strainer. Set the chicken on in the strainer for 30 minutes at room temperature, as this will help the chicken cook faster in the fryer without going too brown on the outside.
- Add in enough oil to fry the chicken in a deep fryer, wok or saucepan. Heat the oil to 180 degrees or use a wooden chopstick or skewer to test the oil. If it bubbles, the oil is ready.
- Use a bowl or large snap bag to coat the chicken in cornflour and shake off any excess flour. Fry the chicken in small batches for approximately 5 minutes or until cooked through. Be careful to not fry for too long as it'll turn the chicken into a dark brown colour, it should be nice and golden. To check if it cooked through, slice a piece of chicken, if the middle is completely white and opaque it's cooked.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Chicken - You can use either boneless and skinless chicken thigh or breast fillets. I prefer to use thighs because it's more tender and juicy. Breast meat is a little leaner with less fat but can easily dry out whilst cooking.
(NOTE 2) Cooking sake –Sake is Japanese alcohol made from fermented rice. Cooking sake is usually less sweet with added salt and vinegar. It's sold in supermarkets in the international section or at Asian grocers.
(NOTE 3) Mirin – Is Japanese rice wine that is low in alcohol but high in sugar. It's sold in supermarkets in the international section or at Asian grocers.
(NOTE 4) Soy sauce – Use light or regular soy sauce.
(NOTE 5) Flour – To make the karaage crispy, use either cornflour, cornstarch, potato flour or potato starch.
Leftovers - Leave Karaage to cool down completely at room temperature. Store it in an airtight container and place it in the fridge for up to 3 days. If frozen it'll keep for up to 3 months.
This Karaage Recipe was adapted from Tetsuya Wakuda.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information, so this is an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 363kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 25gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 721mgPotassium: 338mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 30IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg