Near the Sensoji temple in Asakusa, Tokyo, where many street vendors set up stalls to sell various snacks and street food, chicken karaage (唐揚げ) is one of the popular offerings. A quick walk around and you can find many vendors with a big wok/pot of boiling oil, deep-frying their chicken karaage to golden perfection. I had my first real taste of chicken karaage when I first visited Tokyo many years ago and it has since become my favorite. I always order it at Japanese restaurants or izakaya here in the United States–which is commonly labeled as “sesame fried chicken.”
Inspired by my recent trip to Tokyo, I made this delicious and crunchy chicken karaage the other day. According to Just Hungry, the word kara means “Chinese” (唐) and “age” means “deep-fried.” The cooking method is fundamentally Chinese but as Just Hungry pointed out, I can’t think of a Chinese fried chicken dish with the exact recipe! The closest variation would be the popular Taiwanese fried salt and pepper chicken or 盐酥鸡…
Chicken karaage calls for really simple ingredients but the end result is pleasing. I love it that the flavors are very clean–which is a signature style of Japanese cooking. In no time, I finished my one bowl of chicken karaage and had to fry up a second serving to satisfy my hunger and craving.
Chicken karaage/sesame fried chicken is also a simple meal to prepare and takes less than 30 minutes (I marinated the chicken for only 10 minutes!). You can also add a little sesame oil to the chicken and I guess that’s the reason why this dish is also referred to as sesame fried chicken in the United States. I ate my chicken karaage without any dipping sauce, but it’s commonly served with a slice of lemon and/or mayonnaise.
So here you have it, my take on Japanese chicken karaage or sesame fried chicken. Do try the recipe and let me know what you think. If you love Japanese food, you might want to check out my Japanese recipes, for example: miso ramen, steamed clams with sake, tofu salad, grilled cod with miso, and more!
Do try my chicken karaage (sesame fried chicken) recipe. If you have any questions about the recipe, please drop me a comment.
Adapted from Chowhound
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless and skinless chicken breasts/chicken thighs (cut into small pieces/cubes)
3 inches fresh ginger (peeled and pounded with a mortar and pestle to extract 2 tablespoons of ginger juice)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons sake
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
Corn starch to coat the chicken
Oil for deep frying
Method:
Use paper towels to pat dry the chicken pieces and transfer to a bowl. Add in sake, ginger juice, soy sauce, sesame oil (optional) and marinate for 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces out of the marinate and coat them evenly with corn starch. Shake off excess.
Deep-fry in oil for two times. Heat up a wok/pot of cooking oil. When the cooking oil is hot enough for frying, drop the chicken pieces into the oil and quickly deep fry them until they float. Transfer them out onto a plate and wait for a couple of minutes. Put the chicken back into the oil and deep-fry until golden brown and crunchy. Dish out to a plate or bowl lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil, serve hot with a slice of lemon and mayonnaise.
Cook’s Notes:
- I used young chicken breast and the meat was really juicy and tender.
- Deep-frying twice ensures that the chicken pieces are crunchy and stay crunchy even after a few hours.
Related Posts:
- Fried Chicken Recipe
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Yakisoba (Japanese Fried Noodles/焼きそば)
- Nabe (Yosenabe/Japanese Hot Pot)
- Chawanmushi Recipe (Japanese Steamed Egg Custard/茶碗蒸し)
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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
this is something i never try b4, sake in marinated chicken, ok will try for sure..but one question, why need to deep fry the chicken 2 times? any specific rational behind? if i only fry once, it wouldnt be as crispy as frying it twice? i try the taiwanese 盐酥鸡, i only deep fried once too.
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Look Yummy!!..Shall try to cook this over the weekend..Had something similar to this in some taiwanese eatery in Melbourne. Yeah its called Salt n Pepa chicken.
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They look like they would be perfect with tonkatsu sauce– maybe I just like it sweet :)
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Hmmmmmmmm this is my favourite to order in Japanese restaurants too! Thanks for the recipe!
Would you be posting a recipe for Chawanmushi anytime soon? I have been craving for that!
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I love chicken karaage/sesame fried chicken. I checked out your recipe and it seems really easy to prepare these chicken karaage at home…sweet. I will give your recipe a try. Thank you.
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I love this too! I used to have this at a Japanese restuarant in Perth called Samurai. Not sure if it’s still there.
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Beautifully fried chicken! Will definitely give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing.
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Looks yummy!
My Japanese friend advised me to use potato starch. It gives better and crispy crunchiness after deep-frying in the oil.
Pepsi
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I remember the wonderful street markets around Asakusa — a jumble of food stalls and electronics! We went there on our very first day of our very first trip to Tokyo — what an introduction to the city and food culture.
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oh my goodness! i love karaage with a passion even though i’m not such a fan of fried foods..this looks fabulous!
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oh..the secret is to deep fry twice? no wonder! :)
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Oooh, I love chicken karaage! I haven’t made it myself before, I’m excited to try this recipe.
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All – thanks for your comments, please keep them coming.
Mrs. Engui – yes, I will be making chawanmushi today. :)
Limpepsi – thanks for your tip, I will use potato starch next time. :)
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Sesame fried chicken, I love this so much. I didn’t know that there is no sesame in the cooking process. LOL, but it tastes very good and juicy. Thank you for your recipe!
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i like fried chicken very much. the best is the boneless fried chicken. this one is almost the same as the one sell in KFC. i also can eat the whole bowl within minutes. :)
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My Japanese friend had a perfect chicken karaage recipe. She used to make it for me. I love chicken karaage because the chicken pieces are always juicy, sealed in the corn starch coating, and the ginger, sake, and soy flavors are just great.
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I found your recipe searching for a chicken karaage recipe. This looks really easy. I will try it.
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I love chicken karaage, but what I found brings out more flavor is to use a tbsp of ground ginger alond with the cornflour to coat the chicken, it gives it an extra punch.
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I fry up a batch of Kaarage from time to time. Love the stuff! Incidentally my recipe also comes from Just Hungry. I never added sesame oil but I do throw in chopped spring onions. Never thought to double fry them though it makes total sense! I’ll try to do that next time! Thanks for that tip!
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I love karaage and am surprised to see that the recipe is so simple! What kind of oil would be best for frying these mouth-watering nibbles?
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Moshi – just use regular cooking oil to fry.
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YUM. this sounds absolutely delicious. will be making it!! thanks!
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
Wandering Educators – thanks for trying out this karaage recipe. Let me know how it turns out.
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WanderingEducators replied:
we’ve made this a LOT! i LOVE it! thank you sooo very much! we’re making it again for a bento on thurs – play date at the park, bring lunch. no PB&j for us!
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Rasa Malaysia replied:
I love this chicken karaage recipe, too. It’s great and so easy!
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Hi! I would like to ask if I could substitute the sake for something else? This is because I don’t take alcohol.
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I love karaage!! I cant wait to try it this weekend :) thanks!!
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