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Chicken Karaage

Name: Chicken Karaage
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 680 g Chicken thighs (boneless, skinless), cut into bite-size pieces; 2 tbsp Soy sauce (all-purpose); 1 tbsp Sake; 2 tsp Ginger root, finely grated; 2 cloves Garlic, finely grated; 1 tsp Granulated sugar; ¾ cup Cornstarch, for coating; 3 cups Vegetable oil, for deep-frying; 1 Lemon, cut into wedges; ¼ cup Mayonnaise, for serving (optional)

50 minServes 4$40.59

Bite-size pieces of boneless chicken thigh are marinated in soy sauce, sake, ginger, and garlic, coated in starch, and fried twice until crisp, then served with lemon. Cornstarch stands in for potato starch (katakuriko); the crust is still crisp but slightly less crackly.

Ingredients

680 gChicken thighs (boneless, skinless)cut into bite-size piecesBuy 1.5 lb
2 tbspSoy sauce (all-purpose)Buy 1 bottle
1 tbspSakeBuy 1 bottle
2 tspGinger rootfinely gratedBuy 0.01 lb
2 clovesGarlicfinely gratedBuy 1 head
1 tspGranulated sugarBuy 1 bag
¾ cupCornstarchfor coatingBuy 1 box
3 cupsVegetable oilfor deep-fryingBuy 2 bottles
1Lemoncut into wedges
¼ cupMayonnaise (optional)for servingBuy 1 jar

Substitution

Cornstarch in place of “Potato starch (katakuriko)”. Cornstarch replaces potato starch, which is unpriced at the reference store; it still gives a crisp coating, slightly less crackly and paler.

Method

Mix the chicken with the soy sauce, sake, ginger, garlic, and sugar and marinate for 30 minutes.
Drain off excess marinade and toss the chicken in the cornstarch until evenly coated.
Heat the oil to 340°F (170°C) and fry the chicken in batches until light golden, about 4 minutes; rest on a rack for 3 minutes.
Raise the heat to 375°F (190°C) and fry again for about 1 minute, until deep golden and crisp.
Serve hot with lemon wedges and mayonnaise if using.