Chicken Kaarage – Simply Home Cooked

Chicken Kaarage is Japanese fried chicken that has a crispy outside and tender juicy inside. The soy sauce and sake infused flavor is absolutely delicious.

If you love Japanese dishes, then you should try this Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and this Crispy Shrimp Tempura.

Recipe Details

If you love fried chicken, then this Chicken Kaarage is going to become a new favorite. Super scrumptious texture with the most amazing flavor, this dish is easy to make and addictively good.

• TASTE: Soaked in rice wine, sake, soy sauce, and sesame oil, there is tons of umami flavor in this chicken. The ginger and garlic also add lots of great taste.
• TEXTURE: With a crisp outside and a juicy inside, this Chicken Kaarage is so yummy.
• TIME: This recipe takes about 90 minutes.
• EASE: This is easier than you think and I’ll show you how to make the best crispy chicken you’ve ever tasted.

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• Cornstarch- This will thicken the marinade so it clings to the chicken before dredging.
• Potato starch- This starch is great for dredging the chicken so it gets a crisp outer layer.
• Sake- This Japanese wine has a sweet and slightly umami flavor.
• Mirin- This adds sweet and tangy flavor.
• Egg- This acts as a binder for the marinade.
• Garlic-Fresh is best for an aromatic and pungent flavor.
• Ginger- Freshly grated adds better flavor than dried, but that can work in a pinch.
• Chicken thighs- Boneless skinless chicken thighs are best for this recipe because skin off is easier to work with.

Add-ins and Substitutions

• Substitute the chicken thighs- You can use chicken breasts in place of the thighs, but it’s best to use skinless and boneless meat.
• Skip the sake- If you prefer to avoid adding alcohol, then skip the sake.
• Use low sodium soy sauce- Make this a little healthier with low sodium soy sauce in the marinade.
• Add sriracha- This gives the chicken a wonderful spicy flavor if you add it to the marinade.

How to Make Chicken Kaarage

• Make the marinade. In a prep bowl, add the soy sauce, sake, mirin, toasted sesame oil, grated garlic, grated ginger, salt, and pepper and whisk together. Set aside.
• Add the chicken and egg. In a large bowl, add the chicken thighs along with the marinade sauce and egg. Mix everything together thoroughly with clean hands.
• Let it marinate. Now cover the chicken and let it marinate for about 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.

Pro Tip: If you marinate in the fridge, make sure to take it out to room temperature at least 1 hour before cooking.

• Add cornstarch. After the chicken has marinated, add in the cornstarch and mix well.
• Dredge. Then place the potato starch onto a large plate, and begin dredging each piece of chicken in the starch.

• Heat the fry oil. Fill a heavy-bottomed pot with about 2 inches of oil and bring the oil to about 325°F.
• Fry in batches. Now fry the coated chicken in batches of about 5-6 pieces at a time. Cook the chicken for about 90 seconds or until lightly browned
• Cool. Transfer the cooked chicken pieces onto a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack. Continue cooking the rest of the chicken in batches.
• Double fry it. Now bring the oil temperature up to 350°F and fry the chicken pieces again for about 45 seconds, or until they are golden brown. Serve.

Recipe Tips

• Check the oil temperature- I highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil to ensure proper cooking.
• Get the oil up to temp before adding the chicken- Doing this ensures that a crispy layer on the outside is formed. Otherwise, the chicken will be greasy and soggy.
• Cook in batches- You do not want to put too many pieces of chicken in at the same time or the oil temperature will drop too low.
• Don’t forget to double fry it- The double fry step is crucial to getting a super crunchy exterior.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

This Chicken Kaarage is super crispy, juicy, and flavorful. It tastes great with grains, salads, sushi, and vegetables.

• Grains: Serve this chicken with Hibachi Fried Rice, Wild Brown Rice, Quinoa Fried Rice, or Pork Fried Rice.
• Salads: Enjoy this kaarage with a Kani Salad, Spinach Salad, Broccoli Cranberry Salad, or Roasted Eggplant Salad .
• Sushi: Pair this dish with a Volcano Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Dynamite Roll, or Spicy Salmon Roll.
• Vegetables: Serve it with some Sauteed Garlic Asparagus, Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli, Air Fryer Green Beans, or Crispy Air Fryer French Fries.

Make This Recipe in Advance

Make ahead: You can marinate the chicken the day before and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to dredge and fry it.

Storing: Store this Chicken Kaarage in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven, stovetop, or in an air fryer.

Freeze: Freeze this chicken in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.

More Tasty Chicken Dishes!

Full Recipe Instructions

Chicken Kaarage

This Chicken Kaarage is juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. It’s full of ginger garlic umami flavor that is to die for.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

marinate: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 465kcal

Instructions

• In a prep bowl add the soy sauce, sake, mirin, toasted sesame oil, grated garlic, grated ginger, salt, and pepper.

• Give it a good mix using a whisk and set aside.

• In a large bowl, add in the chicken thighs along with the marinade sauce and egg. The egg will serve as a binder for the dredging later.

• Mix everything together thoroughly using your clean hands. Now cover the chicken and let it marinate for about 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge. Tip: if you marinate in the fridge, make sure to take it out to room temperature at least 1 hour before cooking.

• After the chicken has marinated, add in the cornstarch and mix well.
• Then place the potato starch onto a large plate, and begin dredging each piece of chicken in the starch.
• Fill a heavy-bottomed pot with about 2 inches of oil and bring the oil to about 325°F. I highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil to ensure proper cooking.

• Now fry the coated chicken in batches of about 5-6 pieces at a time. You do not want to put too many pieces of chicken in at the same time or the oil temperature will drop too low. Cook the chicken for about 90 seconds or until lightly browned

• transfer the cooked chicken pieces onto a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack. Continue cooking the rest of the chicken in batches.

• Now bring the oil temperature up to 350°F and fry the chicken pieces again for about 45 seconds or until they are golden brown. The double fry step is crucial to get a super crunchy exterior. Now serve the chicken with spicy Mayo and enjoy!

Notes

• Check the oil temperature- I highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil to ensure proper cooking.
• Get the oil up to temp before adding the chicken- Doing this ensures that a crispy layer on the outside is formed. Otherwise, the chicken will be greasy and soggy.
• Cook in batches- You do not want to put too many pieces of chicken in at the same time or the oil temperature will drop too low.
• Don’t forget to double fry it- The double fry step is crucial to getting a super crunchy exterior.

Nutrition

Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 674mg | Potassium: 614mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg

Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!