Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Double-fried chicken thighs marinated in soy, ginger and garlic, with an extra-crisp coating.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 45 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 600g skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 4cm pieces
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 2cm fresh root ginger, finely grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
  • 4 tbsp cornflour
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • About 1 litre sunflower oil, for deep frying
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
  • Japanese mayonnaise (such as Kewpie), to serve

Method

  1. Mix the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Add the chicken, turn to coat and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

  2. Mix the cornflour and plain flour on a plate. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based pan, filling it no more than one-third full, to 170°C, using a cooking thermometer. Never leave hot oil unattended.

  3. Lift the chicken from the marinade, dredge in the flour mixture and shake off the excess. Fry in 3 batches for 4 to 5 minutes until pale golden, then drain on a wire rack and rest for 3 minutes.

  4. Increase the oil temperature to 180°C and fry the chicken again in batches for 1 minute until deep golden and crisp. Check that the chicken is cooked through, with no pink meat.

  5. Drain on kitchen paper and serve straight away with the lemon wedges and Japanese mayonnaise.