I love fried chicken of all kinds, but Karaage is my absolute favorite. With bite-size pieces of juicy skin-on chicken thigh meat surrounded by a crispy crust, this Japanese fried chicken is an exquisite balance of taste, texture, and aroma. Like pizza, it’s even good served cold in a bento box lunch.
- Why My Recipe Works
- What is Karaage?
- Karaage (から揚げ) vs. Tatsutaage (竜田揚げ)
- Ingredients for Karaage
- To Double Fry or Not to Double Fry
- How to make Karaage
- Storage & Reheating
- What to Serve with Chicken Karaage
- 📖 Recipe
- FAQs
- Comments
Why My Recipe Works
- Use potato starch - The unique granule size and starch composition of potato starch allows it to form a thin, yet shatteringly crisp crust.
- Simple marinade - Avoid the temptation to add sugar or mirin to your marinade. A simple soy sauce, sake, and ginger marinade seasons without burning.
- Skin on thighs - Thigh meat has more flavor and will stay tender and juicier longer than breast meat. The skin not only protects the meat from drying out, but it also crisps up, giving the karaage a durable, lasting crunch.
- Single fry - Although many fried chicken recipes call for double frying I think this dries smaller boneless cuts of chicken out. Single fry to 160°F (71°C) and let carryover cooking finish for maximum juiciness.
What is Karaage?
Karaage is a Japanese dish which is thought to have been introduced from China in which a protein or vegetable is dusted in flour or potato starch and deep-fried until crisp and golden brown. Chicken is the most common protein, but it’s also made with seafood, such as fugu (blowfish). The name “karaage” literally means “empty fried” so historically the food was not seasoned prior to dusting.
Karaage (から揚げ) vs. Tatsutaage (竜田揚げ)
To the east of Osaka, there is a river called Tatsuta-gawa, famous for its beautiful autumn foliage. When the chicken pieces are marinated in soy sauce before being coated in starch and fried, it turns the color of autumn leaves, which is how Tatsutaage is said to have gotten its name. By this definition, what most of us know as Karaage is technically Tatsutaage.
That being said, in modern parlance, the two names are used interchangeably, and while there may be some regional preferences, “Karaage” is the more commonly used of the two.
Ingredients for Karaage
Chicken
Although Karaage can be made with almost any kind of meat or fish, it’s most commonly made with various cuts of chicken. The standard is skin-on boneless chicken thighs. There are two reasons why thigh meat tastes better than chicken breast meat. The first is that the type of muscle tissue in the legs is fundamentally different from that of breast meat. They are built for endurance and contain a higher concentration of myoglobin, which gives leg meat its characteristic dark color and umami-rich taste.
The second is that leg meat is fueled by fat (vs. glycogen for breast meat), which is why thigh meat typically has a higher fat content than breast meat. We’ve all heard the saying “fat=flavor,” but it’s not just flavor that the fat imparts. As meat cooks, the muscle fibers contract and expel water, but since fat takes longer to render out, the leg meat ends up juicier and harder to dry out. Skinless chicken thighs will also work here if you can’t get skin-on thighs.
I also like to use skin-on thighs for Karaage because the skin helps insulate the meat (at least on one side) from the high temperature of the oil, ensuring juicy chicken. When it’s done frying, most of the oil should be rendered out of the skin, making it nice and crisp, while the underlying meat is tender and juicy. Finding boneless skin-on chicken thighs in the US can be challenging if you don’t have an Asian market nearby, so I’ve made a tutorial on How to Debone Chicken Thighs , which also shows you how to debone whole legs.
The last thing to consider with chicken for Karaage is to use the best quality you can find. This means using fresh chicken that has not been previously frozen and, ideally, a heritage breed raised cage-free. Ice crystals that form during freezing rupture cell walls, which make meat spongy and also allow the liquids to drain out faster as the meat cooks. Most supermarket chickens are “broilers” bred for commercially favorable reasons (like reaching maturity more quickly), none of which include things like better texture or flavor. This is why traditional heritage breeds tend to taste better (but also cost more). Free-range birds also tend to taste better because they get more exercise. They also eat a more varied diet, snacking on natural foods in their environment.
Seasonings
There are so many ways to season Karaage, but to this day, the best Karaage I’ve ever had was simply seasoned with soy sauce, sake, and ginger. This is why my marinade ingredients are so basic. The soy sauce brings salt and umami, while the sake imparts a mild sweetness and amino acids, resulting in a synergistic boost of umami. The ginger smooths over any gaminess in the boneless thigh meat, adding a spicy note, while enzymes like zingibain help tenderize the meat.
Some people like to add garlic to their marinade, but I don’t because it overpowers the chicken’s delicate flavor. I also don’t recommend adding anything sweet, such as fruit juice, mirin, or sugar, to the marinade, as it will burn and make your karaage dark and bitter.
For variations, you can marinate the protein for Karaage using a salt brine, curry powder, Chinese five-spice powder , white pepper, or chili powder . I’ve even swapped out the soy sauce for fish sauce from time to time. My Shio Karaage Recipe features grated garlic cloves, black pepper, and sake for a lighter flavor.
Coating
Karaage can be coated with almost any flour or starch, but my personal favorite is potato starch. It results in a shell with a light extra crispiness similar to potato chips in texture, and I prefer this light crust. Potato starch is not the same as potato flour (made by dehydrating potato pulp). Cornstarch and wheat flour both result in a denser crust, with the former producing a texture similar to tortilla chips and the latter producing a shell more like buttermilk fried chicken . In the US, potato starch is produced by Bob’s Red Mill and should be available in most upscale supermarkets and online .
As a side note, I prefer using potato starch (over cornstarch) in almost every application, whether thickening a sauce, coating a food, or binding ingredients together. If you don’t have it in your pantry, I highly recommend ditching the cornstarch and picking up some potato starch instead.
To Double Fry or Not to Double Fry
Double frying is a process in which you fry a food once, remove it from the oil, and then fry it again. This creates a crust with a crunch/crispness that tends to keep the karaage crispy for a bit longer. I recommend double-frying most types of fried chicken, including my Korean Fried Chicken , and Tebasaki . The problem is that the longer cooking time tends to overcook the meat. This is fine for wings, where it’s really about enjoying the crispy chicken skin, but for my Karaage Chicken recipe, it’s about the juicy, flavorful leg meat, so I don’t double fry my karaage.
How to make Karaage
Marinate
- Cut the chicken thighs into evenly sized pieces about the size of a golfball.
- Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, sake, and ginger.
💡 TIP: How long you marinate it will affect how salty it is, so you can adjust the marination time to suit your preferences. Generally, I tend to marinate it longer if I’m going to serve it with rice, or I’m planning to pack it into a bento box, and I’ll marinate it for less time if it’s going to be a stand-alone dish.
Dredge
- For each chicken piece, shape it into a ball and stretch the skin to cover as much of the ball of chicken as possible.
- Dredge the chicken pieces in potato starch to coat evenly.
Deep Fry (Stovetop)
- Heat a heavy pot with 2-inches of vegetable oil to 340°F (170°C) and prepare a cooling rack by lining it with several layers of paper towels.
- Lower a few pieces of coated chicken into the preheated oil. Do not overcrowd the pot.
- Flip periodically and cook until the chicken is golden brown and registers an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C).
- Transfer the cooked chicken to the prepared rack and fry the remaining chicken in batches. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.
💡TIP: Experienced fryers in Japan can consistently judge the chicken’s internal temperature by the size of the bubbles forming in the oil around the meat, but this is a skill that takes time and practice to learn. In the meantime, I recommend keeping an instant-read thermometer handy and checking each piece of karaage chicken until you feel more comfortable judging when it’s cooked.
Air Fryer Karaage (Variation)
- Lightly oil the basket or line with perforated parchment paper.
- Arrange chicken in a single layer with space between pieces. Spray both sides with oil.
- Air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 12-14 minutes, flipping at 8 minutes.
- Cook until the thickest piece reaches 160°F (71°C). Rest 3 minutes.
💡TIP: For extra crunch, air fry 1-2 minutes longer.
Storage & Reheating
Let the karaage cool completely, then store it in an airtight container lined with paper towels in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze the pieces on a tray until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat from the fridge or freezer, bake in a toaster oven or air fry at 400°F(200°C) until hot and crisp (about 5-7 minutes from chilled, a few minutes longer from frozen). For bento, pack the chicken only once it has fully cooled to prevent condensation and sogginess.
What to Serve with Chicken Karaage
Serve karaage with a bowl of Japanese short‑grain rice and a heap of Japanese shredded cabbage salad drizzled with nutty sesame wafu dressing or citrusy ponzu sauce . For a tangy contrast, make a side of my cucumber sunomono or or prep a batch of quick pickled asazuke cabbage . Another popular side dish for karaage is creamy Japanese potato salad . You can also serve this over rice to make Karaage Donburi garnished with mayo and a hot spring egg .
If you happen to have leftovers, this Japanese fried chicken is fantastic paired with a classic umeboshi onigiri or a tuna mayo onigiri . Add a small portion of sweet-savory kinpira gobo , a slice of tamagoyaki , and some colorful vegetables to round out your bento box lunch.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Units
Ingredients1x2x3x
For kaarage marinade
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon sake
- 25 grams fresh ginger (grated)
For the chicken
- 900 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 170 grams potato starch
- vegetable oil (for frying)
- ½ lemon (sliced into wedges for serving)
Instructions
- To make the karaage marinade, mix the ⅓ cup soy sauce , 2 tablespoon sake , and 25 grams fresh ginger in a bowl to combine.
- Add the 900 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs and mix well to coat each piece with the kaarage marinade. Cover and refrigerate, allowing the pieces of chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
- When you are ready to fry the karaage, add 1 inch of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pot or deep fryer and heat until the oil temperature reaches 340 degrees F (170 C). Prepare a paper towel-lined wire rack.
- While you wait for the oil temperature to rise, add the 170 grams potato starch to a shallow bowl and dredge the marinated chicken to coat each piece evenly, tapping off any excess potato starch with your hand. Set the coated pieces on a tray.
- When the deep frying oil is ready, fry the coated chicken pieces in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pot, and fry chicken in batches that have roughly the same size pieces so they will cook at about the same time.
- After a few minutes, start checking the pieces of chicken for doneness. When the karaage hits an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (71 C) on a meat thermometer, transfer them to the paper towel-lined wire rack and let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving them. Serve with ½ lemon cut into wedges.
Nutrition Facts
Ka-ra-a-ge has four syllables and each one is pronounced as follows: ka like co py ra the " ra " sound does not exist in the English language, and the best way to make it is to say the word " ro mp" with the tip of your tongue at the front of your mouth. a like aa rdvark ge like ge t
There’s some debate about the origin of the name, but characters 唐揚げ literally mean “Chinese Fried”.
The marinade contains such a small amount of sake that the heat from frying will vaporize most, if not all, of the alcohol. Soy sauce also contains 2-3% alcohol by volume as a natural byproduct of fermentation (the same goes for miso).
Since Japanese fried chicken is seasoned in a soy-sake marinade, it’s typically eaten without a dipping sauce. I enjoy just a squeeze of lemon juice on my Chicken Karaage to balance its richness. Some people also like to dip it in Japanese mayonnaise. This Karaage Chicken recipe can also be turned into many other dishes by coating it with a sauce. This is how I make my Orange Chicken and Japanese Sweet & Sour Chicken .
Karaage is one of the most popular bento items in Japan. Aside from being a hit with kids and adults alike, it packs and transports well because it’s well-seasoned and has a low moisture content.
Karaage (から揚げ)
Equipment
- 1 cast iron frying pot
- 1 Medium Glass Bowl
- 1 Cooking Chopsticks
- 1 Draining Rack
- 1 frying tongs
- 1 Baking Sheet - Quarter
Ingredients
For kaarage marinade
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon sake
- 25 grams fresh ginger (grated)
For the chicken
- 900 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 170 grams potato starch
- vegetable oil (for frying)
- ½ lemon (sliced into wedges for serving)
Instructions
- To make the karaage marinade, mix the ⅓ cup soy sauce , 2 tablespoon sake , and 25 grams fresh ginger in a bowl to combine. ⅓ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoon sake, 25 grams fresh ginger
- Add the 900 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs and mix well to coat each piece with the kaarage marinade. Cover and refrigerate, allowing the pieces of chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. 900 grams boneless skin-on chicken thighs
- When you are ready to fry the karaage, add 1 inch of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pot or deep fryer and heat until the oil temperature reaches 340 degrees F (170 C). Prepare a paper towel-lined wire rack. vegetable oil
- While you wait for the oil temperature to rise, add the 170 grams potato starch to a shallow bowl and dredge the marinated chicken to coat each piece evenly, tapping off any excess potato starch with your hand. Set the coated pieces on a tray. 170 grams potato starch
- When the deep frying oil is ready, fry the coated chicken pieces in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pot, and fry chicken in batches that have roughly the same size pieces so they will cook at about the same time.
- After a few minutes, start checking the pieces of chicken for doneness. When the karaage hits an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (71 C) on a meat thermometer, transfer them to the paper towel-lined wire rack and let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving them. Serve with ½ lemon cut into wedges. ½ lemon
