What Is Karaage?
I love Japanese fried chicken, or karaage or tatsutaage. I always order it whenever I have lunch or dinner at Japanese restaurants or at izakaya (Japanese gastro pub).
Japanese fried chicken is marinated with ginger juice, soy sauce, sake (Japanese rice wine) and mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine).
The end results are juicy, crispy boneless chicken pieces, bursting with the subtle good taste of the seasonings. They are heavenly and addictive!
Imagine dipping a piece of crispy fried chicken into a sweet, savory, and creamy miso mayo dressing, and then sink you teeth into the chicken, as the juice from the tender chicken comes oozing out…amazing!
Other Recipes You Might Like
- Japanese Fried Chicken Bento
- Chicken Katsu (Fried Chicken Cutlet)
- Chicken Karaage (Sesame Fried Chicken)
Ingredients for Chicken Karaage
- Boneless/skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- Ginger
- Soy sauce
- Japanese cooking sake
- Japanese mirin
- Cornstarch
- Sesame seeds
- Mayo
- White miso paste
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Difference between Katsu and Karaage?
Katsu is sliced breast that is breaded, while karaage is usually thigh that is marinated before frying. Additionally, katsu sauce is more of a Worcestershire sauce made from apple puree, while karaage sauce is more of a mayo sauce.
What Does Karaage Mean?
Karaage means fry, and is a Japanese cooking technique where foods are deep-fried in oil. It is usually chicken, but can also be other meat.
How Many Calories?
This recipe has 333 calories.
Serve Chicken Karaage (japanese Fried Chicken) With:
For a wholesome Japanese dinner, make the following dishes.
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Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Crispy and Crunchy Japanese fried chicken recipe with mayo miso dipping sauce just like your favorite Japanese restaurants.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts/thighs cut into cubes
- 3 inches ginger peeled, pounded with a mortar and pestle to extract 2 tablespoons juice
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 6 tablespoons Japanese cooking sake
- 2 tablespoons Japanese mirin
- Cornstarch for coating
- Oil for deep frying
- Sesame for garnishing
Miso Mayo Dip:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons white miso paste
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or Japanese rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 pinch sugar
Directions
-
1Use paper towels to pat dry the chicken pieces and transfer to a bowl. Add in the ginger juice, soy sauce, sake, mirin and marinate for 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces out of the Marinade and coat them evenly with corn starch. Shake off excess.
-
2Make the Miso Mayo Dip by whisking all the ingredients together. Set aside.
-
3
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 turn golden brown. Transfer them out onto a plate and wait for a couple of minutes.
-
4
Put the chicken back into the oil and deep-fry until golden brown and crunchy. Dish out to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil, serve hot with the Miso Mayo Dip.
Recipe Notes
Deep-frying twice ensures that the chicken pieces are crunchy and stay crunchy even after a few hours.
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Dorothy Black
Do you ever convert your fried foods to an air-fryer method? Don’t get me wrong, I love deep frying but I would like to see if any of your recipes can be converted. It’s also very hot in NYC and air-frying keeps the kitchen cooler. Thank you. Kind regards.
Rasa Malaysia
I haven’t tried air frying much. I love deep-fried too much to give it up.
Sylvieann
Bee, thanks for this tasty chicken recipe. Sounds delicious!
Sue
Got a substitute suggestion for the mayo?
Rasa Malaysia
You can eat as is or with other dipping sauce of your choice.
Beth
How many servings does this recipe make?
Rasa Malaysia
For two people.
Theresa P.
what is the difference between Japanese cooking sake and Chinese clear rice wine? and could you use dry sherry instead?
Rasa Malaysia
Japanese sake is very similar to Chinese clear rice wine, yes you can use sherry.
Helen
what oil do you use for frying? My boys love this type of chicken!
Rasa Malaysia
Vegetable oil. Happy frying!
Betty Ann Quirino @Mango_Queen
I just love Japanese fried chicken when we eat out. Good to know the recipe now so I can make it at home. Your photos make me want to run to the kitchen now. Thanks for sharing, Bee.
mai has
wow…now i dont have to go to sushi king for tori karage anymore…i can make it on my own!:-)
Rasa Malaysia
Yes you can make Japanese fried chicken at home now!
Lisa Nurdin
mai has, how can we substitute some of the ingredients so that it is halal, pls..? tq
Rasa Malaysia
You can skip the wines but will not be Japanese fried chicken and just won’t taste the same. Many Japanese dishes use mirin and sake.
R Pomerantz
Sounds great, so we must try it. What size cubes do you cut the chicken?
Rasa Malaysia
Bite sized cubes.
katherine
Hi,
This recipe sounds great! Do you know of a substitute for the cooking sake?
Thanks!
Rasa Malaysia
Chinese clear rice wine.