Chicken Karaage (Sesame Fried Chicken)

4.59 from 43 votes

Chicken Karaage - crispy Japanese sesame fried chicken, the best chicken karaage recipe that is better than Japanese restaurants.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Marinate Time30

Total Time50

Course: Japanese Recipes

Cuisine: Chicken

Keyword: Chicken Karaage

Servings: people

Calories: 361kcal

1 pound (500g) boneless and skinless chicken breasts/thighs, cut into cubes
6 tablespoons Japanese cooking sake
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 inches (7cm) fresh ginger, peeled and pounded with a mortar and pestle to extract 2 tablespoons ginger juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
corn starch
oil for deep frying

Use paper towels to pat dry the chicken and transfer to a bowl. Add in the sake, soy sauce, ginger juice, sesame oil and marinate for 30 minutes, best for 2 hours. Transfer the chicken pieces out of the marinate and coat them evenly with corn starch, in a plastic bag such as Ziplock. Shake off the excess cornstarch.
Heat up a wok/pot of cooking oil. When the cooking oil is hot enough for frying 350°F - 375°F (176°C-190°C), drop the chicken 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 again 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.