Studying abroad in Japan naturally led me to trying out new foods. In Osaka, Japan, I discovered the wonders of Japanese fried food. Within the bustling Namba ward of Osaka, there were these succulent pieces of chicken with a slight crisp on the outside that were ever so pleasant to bite into.  This Japanese fried chicken, or karaage, left a deep impression in my mind. Never had I ever had such juicy chicken in my entire life, and it took less than 15 minutes to cook after dredging it. Most people would imagine fried chicken as being salty, but karaage was different. While it does have some saltiness, the lemon helps cut straight through that flavor. The chicken thigh itself was tender which contrasted the perfect crispy fry on the outside. When I had this chicken, I knew I wanted to try to reproduce it at home.

The best part of karaage is the ease of preparation and the scale at which it can be produced. A week’s worth of protein can be prepared and served with just rice. For college students, this can be especially desirable once they have learned to fry food. Karaage is notably also included in many lunch boxes sold in Japan and a staple of a loving mother’s homemade lunch box as well.

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The Recipe

Adapted from Namiko Chen’s recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken thigh without bones
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup corn starch (potato starch, or katakuriko, gives a crunchier coating)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• Oil (high smoke point oils like vegetable, corn, sunflower, and peanut work)
• Lemon wedges

Marinade

• 1 inch ginger
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. sake (or dry sherry)
• 1 tsp. sugar

Tools

• 8 inch knife
• A cutting board
• 2 bowls for mixing
• Plastic wrap
• A half wok or pot (woks are safer!)
• Tongs
• Grater
• Plate with paper towel
• Thermometer for frying (strongly recommended)
• Garlic presser (optional)

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Marinating the Chicken

1: Begin by cutting the chicken thigh into pieces that are about 2 inches each. Make sure that all of the pieces are the same size so that the fry will be even. Feel free to remove any amount of fat to preference at this step.

2: Place the chicken into a bowl and season with sea salt and black pepper.

3: Grate the ginger with the grater and mince the garlic. A garlic presser or using the flat side of the knife to crush the garlic is fine.

4: Combine the ginger, garlic, and other marinade ingredients in the bowl with the chicken. Ensure that all of the chicken has some of the marinade coating it.

5: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Longer is better, because the marinade will soak into the chicken.

Frying the Chicken

1: Get a wok or pot and put about an inch of oil in it. Less is possible but requires moving the chicken more to get an even fry for a longer duration.

2: Set the stove on high, heating up the oil to about 360°F.

3: While waiting for the oil to heat up, the starch and flour can be mixed together in one bowl and then added to the bowl with the chicken. The mix does not have to be perfectly even as it results in different textures for each piece.

4: Check if the oil is ready. This can be done by putting in a bit of the flour-starch mixture and seeing if it bubbles or by using your thermometer to check the temperature.

5: Put about 3-6 pieces of chicken into the oil slowly. Avoid overcrowding the wok or pot. Putting too much chicken into the oil will lower its temperature resulting in soggier chicken.

6: Cook the chicken for about 90 seconds while maintaining the temperature. More chicken can be added if the temperature of the oil needs to be lowered. If the oil is smoking, the temperature is definitely too hot and must be turned down. If there are absolutely no bubbles coming up to the surface, the temperature is too low.

7: Remove the chicken when it is a light golden brown color and put it onto the plate with the paper towel. Do this for the rest of the chicken before frying a second time.

8: Fry the chicken for a second time for about 45 seconds or until it is a nice golden brown color. Place back onto another plate with a paper towel when done.

9: Serve the chicken with a wedge of lemon.