Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) is easily one of the greatest types of fried chicken in the world. It’s exceptionally flavorful, juicy, ultra-crispy, and absolutely worth hanging out at the stove for! Learn the simple techniques and fry up some glorious chicken at home today.
Karaage (唐揚げ), or Japanese fried chicken, is a classic dish you can find at any Japanese home, bento lunch box, street-side stalls, restaurants, or diners. Come in bite-size nuggets, anyone who has tried the fried chicken can tell you how deliciously addicting it can be.
I grew up eating a countless number of karaage, and mom’s version was always the best. Just like any Japanese home cook in her generation, mom never shied away from deep frying, especially when it comes to a dish worthy to make for the family. The chicken always turned out with cracker-crisp skin and the meat absolutely something you want to indulge with great abandon. Thanks to mom, I’m able to share the fried chicken love with you. And I promise: it’s going to be really good!
What is Karaage?
Pronounced as ‘ka-RA-AH-geh’, the word karaage refers to a Japanese cooking technique in which an ingredient is lightly coated with flour and deep-fried in oil. When you hear “karaage”, most of us assume it’s chicken karaage, but it can also be fish or vegetables.
For chicken karaage, it’s essentially bite-size pieces of chicken thigh dusted with flour and deep-fried in hot oil. With tender and juicy marinated chicken coated in a crispy shell, karaage is a staple in Japanese home-cooked meals.
You may find this delicious Japanese fried chicken being served at:
- home – it can be a main dish or appetizer.
- diner and restaurant – karaage teishoku is a popular set meal.
- Izakaya and bar – served as an appetizer to go with a drink.
- supermarket, convenience store, and depachika (B1F – the gourmet food galore in the basement of a department store).
- bento shop – karaage bento is a popular choice
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between karaage and katsu?
Katsu refers to deep-fried cutlet and commonly uses chicken breast that’s been breaded with panko before frying, while karaage uses bite-size chicken thighs that are coated potato or corn starch. We serve katsu with a sweet-savory brown sauce called tonkatsu sauce. For karaage, we usually serve it with Japanese mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon juice.
How about tatsutaage?
Tatsutaage (竜田揚げ) is another dish that is similar to karaage. The chicken is marinated in soy sauce and mirin, coated with potato starch (katakuriko), and then deep-fried till golden brown.
Wait, isn’t it almost identical to Karaage?
As mentioned earlier, karaage originally implies that the food was simply coated with flour and then deep-fried. There was no marinating involved. However, in recent years, the Japanese use these terms interchangeably. Karaage has more variations when it comes to seasonings and a lot more flexibility in how it’s being prepared, while tatsutaage has a signature method to go by.
4 Key Ingredients for Karaage
1. Chicken
In Japan, karaage is typically made with skin-on boneless chicken thighs, which has more flavor than chicken breasts. However, if you really want to use breasts, that’s okay.
Here in the US, skin-on chicken thighs are always sold with bones. To save time, I usually ask my friendly butcher to remove the bones for me. Why do we need to use skin-on? The skin keeps the karaage crispy on the outside and the meat juicy inside.
2. Marinade/Seasonings
There are so many variations of marinade/seasonings available for Karaage, and this is really up to you. I make mine slightly different all the time. However, the primary base should always include soy sauce, sake, and ginger.
Sake helps tenderize the meat while ginger gives zing and removes the gamey taste.
Some variations for the seasonings include:
- garlic
- sesame oil
- mirin
- oyster sauce
- curry powder
- egg yolk
- Japanese mayonnaise (I haven’t tried it…)
Feel free to experiment with the ingredients and see what you like!
3. Coating
This is another flexibility you can work with by testing out different ratios:
- Flour – you can decide cake flour (lighter shell) or all-purpose flour (easily available in the US)
- Potato starch
- Flour + potato starch
- Rice flour + potato starch (see this recipe) – this is gluten-free!
In this recipe, I use equal parts of all-purpose flour and potato starch. I first dredge the chicken in flour and then potato starch. The flour will trap the marinade and seasonings inside the shell, and potato starch will create a crisp texture on the outside. You can premix the flour and starch, but I actually like dredging in 2 stages for the best result!
Potato starch vs. Corn starch
In Japan, potato starch (or katakuriko 片栗粉) is most commonly used as a coating for frying foods. Here in the US, corn starch is much easier to access in regular grocery stores, so that is a close substitute if you have trouble finding potato starch.
As a comparison, I found that karaage made with potato starch yields a crispier skin and texture. If you compare these two starches by rubbing them between your fingertips, you will notice the difference.
Potato starch is available on Amazon and larger grocery stores. I think it’s worth looking for it to make delicious Karaage.
Are potato starch and potato flour the same?
No, they are not the same. Potato starch is made from the dried starch component of peeled potatoes while potato flour is made from whole (raw or cooked) potatoes being dried then ground into flour.
4. Deep-Frying Oil
My recommendation for deep frying oil includes:
- Canola oil (キャノーラ油)
- Safflower oil (べに花油)
- Rice bran oil (米油)
4 Helpful Tips to Remember
- Cut the chicken into same size pieces – It’s very important that each chicken is similar in sizes so you can cook evenly.
- Don’t marinate too long! – 30 minutes is ideal for the chicken to soak in the flavors.
- Lightly coat the chicken. – Remove the excess flour. It will make the oil cloudy and doesn’t give a good texture to the chicken.
- Double fry! – Fry at a lower temperature first, let it cook with remaining heat, and lastly make it crisp at the higher temperature.
Because they are bite-size, Karaage is utterly doable at home. It may require some extra oil, but you know you would be dishing out some glorious fried chicken at home!
More Chicken Recipes on Just One Cookbook
- Karaage Don (Karaage Rice Bowl)
- Nagoya Style Fried Chicken Wings
- Chicken Karaage with Sweet Chili Sauce
- Gluten-Free Karaage
- Teba Shio (Salted Chicken Wings)
- Baked Chicken Katsu
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Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Video
Ingredients
- 1½ lb boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (4–6 pieces; read the blog post)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the Marinade
- ½ tsp ginger (grated, with juice)
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp sake (or substitute with dry sherry, Chinese rice wine, or omit)
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
For Deep-Frying
- neutral oil (about 4 cups, 960 ml)
- 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch (plus more, if needed)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) (plus more, if needed)
For Serving (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Marinade the Chicken
- To prepare 1½ lb boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, cut each chicken thigh into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. Season with ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Now, grate the ginger (I use a ceramic grater). Take ½ tsp ginger (grated, with juice) and add them to a large bowl. Next, mince or press 1 clove garlic (I use a garlic press) and add it to the bowl.
- Add ½ Tbsp soy sauce, ½ Tbsp sake, and ½ tsp toasted sesame oil to the bowl with the ginger and garlic. Whisk it all together.
- Add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade and mix it with your hands. Cover and keep in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
To Prepare the Deep Frying Oil
- While the chicken is marinating, prepare the oil for deep-frying. Pour about 4 cups (960 ml) neutral oil into a heavy-bottomed pot (I used a Dutch oven) and heat it to 325ºF (160ºC) on medium heat.
To Dredge the Chicken
- While the oil is heating up, dredge the chicken. Prepare 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) and 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch in separate piles.
- Lightly dredge a marinated chicken piece in the flour and dust off the excess flour. Then, dredge in the potato starch and remove the excess starch.
- Continue with the remaining chicken pieces.
To Deep-Fry
- Check that the oil temperature has reached 325ºF (160ºC). Tip: If you don‘t have an instant read thermometer, insert a wooden chopstick into the oil; you‘ll know it‘s hot enough if small bubbles start to appear around the tip. For more details, see my post How to Deep-Fry Food.When the oil is hot enough, gently submerge 3 to 5 chicken pieces in the oil at a time; do not overcrowd the pot. Tip: If you put too many pieces in at once, the oil temperature will drop quickly, and the chicken will end up absorbing too much oil.
- First Deep-Frying: Deep-fry for 90 seconds, or until the outside of the chicken is a light golden color. If the chicken browns too quickly, then the oil temperature is too high. Either put a few more pieces of chicken in the oil or lower the heat. Controlling the oil temperature at all times is very important for deep-frying. Transfer the chicken pieces to a wire rack to drain the excess oil.
- The residual heat will continue to cook the chicken as it rests on the wire rack. Continue deep-frying the remaining chicken pieces. Between batches, pick up and discard the crumbs in the oil with a fine-mesh sieve. This keeps the oil clean and prevents it from becoming darker.
- Second Deep-Frying: Now, heat the oil to 350ºF (180ºC). Place 3 to 5 pieces of the resting chicken back into the oil and deep-fry for 45 seconds, or until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Transfer them to a wire rack to drain the excess oil. Continue with the remaining chicken pieces.
- The left photo shows the chicken pieces after the first frying and the right photo shows them after the second frying. You can see the chicken pieces on the right are slightly darker in color.
To Serve
- Serve the chicken hot. We often serve Karaage with lemon wedges and dip it in Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise (you can make it homemade). Sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) on top for a bit of spice, if desired.
To Store
- Let cool completely, and keep in an airtight container. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to a month.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 10, 2012. The new video is added and the images have been updated in October 2019.
Hi Nami…could I use tapioca flour or rice flour as I don’t have any potato starch. Thank u
Hi Sue! You “can”. But traditional Japanese karaage usually use flour or potato/corn starch. 🙂
Hi Nami, Thank you for your recipe! I love the addition of garlic. It’s my fav version of karaage yet!
So I marinated a double portion of chicken with the intention to leave it in overnight and fry it for lunch tomorrow. However, I later read that leaving it too long in the soya sauce mixture will draw out too much moisture from the chicken (!!) I’m now torn between frying it as a midnight snack or leaving it in the fridge as an experiment., I hope it won’t turn out overly salty or lose too much moisture! Any advice? Thanks!
Hi Fiona! If it’s a Japanese recipe (made by Japanese cook), you might notice most of marinate time is not overnight. It’s common to marinate 30 to 60 minutes for Japanese cooking. I know other Asian cooking marinate for a longer time, but I think Japanese like to keep the food’s original taste and not overwhelm with the seasoning. In general though. There are some overnight marinate recipes BUT salt level should not be too much. In your case, since you already marinated… why don’t you add a bit more sake to dilute a bit? Before you deep fry, pick up the chicken pieces and transfer to a baking sheet or something big and then sprinkle potato starch (don’t put potato starch in the marinade). You don’t have to dry with paper towel etc but this will at least get rid of some excess liquid. Hope that helps!
Dear Nami, thank you so much for your prompt reply. I did add some sake to dilute the marinade, but when I fried the karaage the next day, the flavour of the marinade was indeed a tad too strong, masking the taste of the chicken. But it wasn’t overly salty, and still very delicious. Interesting point btw, about the different Asian marinating times, I never thought about it but you’re right! (I’m a budding (Singaporean) cook, learning the art of various Asian cuisines!)
I don’t remember my mom marinate meat overnight and it’s pretty standard practice to marinate a short time, except for thick meat etc. Japanese often thinks marinating for a long time is too salty for our taste. 🙂
First time cooking chicken karaage tonight and it tasted so…… good. Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe!!
Hi Wai! I’m glad you liked it! Thank you for your kind feedback!
I made this today ! And it is so crunchy yummy goodness also love the garlic =D Thank you Nami for this recipe
Hi June! So glad you liked it. Thank you so much for your kind feedback, June! xo
i really love Karaage, and your recipe is so nice and easy to follow. (not to mention the lovely taste)
alas i have one problem, making them as a quick snack does not really work well for me, since i dont have a deep fryer and no bench to leave it standing around so cleanup is quite a lot of work :p
so i generally end up making enough for a full dinner (and then some)
but i could really need some tips on sauses or the like to go with it, as just plane rice on the side gets a rather boring ;( and eating just karaage, however good…. as they say to much of the good stuff IS too much of the good stuff.
Cheers 😀
Hi Birger (I’m curious how you pronounce it. [beer-ger]?)! Karaage is “usually” eaten by itself, as it is seasoned/marinated before deep frying. We don’t overpower the flavor with sauce, not to mention, we want crispy karaage.
I don’t make modification for karaage much – as we love the way it is. However I have 2 recipes on the blog that you can modify. Maybe they are not something you were looking for, but I’ll leave the link here (and these recipes are old, my photography doesn’t do good justice):
https://www.justonecookbook.com/chicken-karaage-with-sweet-chili-sauce/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/chinese-style-karaage-don/
Maybe one day I’ll think of a fun way to enjoy karaage. 🙂
Hello! I was wondering if it is possible to do something so that I can leave the chicken in the fridge for a shorter period of time, say around 10 min? I only have 1 hour to make a dish so I was hoping that there is some way I can still make this!
Sure, 10 mins or overnight (if you have time ahead of time). 🙂
One more tip, make sure to poke chicken with a fork so favors go in more!
Hello Nami! I followed your recipe and made this for my family last week and everyone loved it! Really thank you so much for always sharing your recipes with us. I’ve learnt so many dishes from your website and my family has always loved them. Please do continue to share with us. Thank you~
Hi Jojo! I’m so happy to hear your family liked it! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂 Yes, I’ll continue to share more Japanese recipes with you and JOC readers. 🙂 Thank you for reading my blog!
just stopping by to say thank you for sharing this recipe Nami, my daughter loves karaage.
Hi Esther! Hope you and your daughter enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thank you for sharing so many recipes. I tried so many that I lost count 😀 one question that I have is which recipe should I follow for karaage since the seasoning is different. I was thinking about using eggs, onions and negis like in the old recipe but the simpler version looks so tempting. Out of curiosity, why fry twice instead of once ( longer time)? Sorry if it’s a childish question.
And finaly, thank you for helping aspire people to cook and learn about other cultures food and history. You puts lots of hard work into this website. I wish you the best !
Oh i understand now for the deep fry sorry for asking twice :s
Hi Jie! Every time I make karaage, I make some minor changes (so my family doesn’t get bored). Sometimes more ginger, sometimes more garlic, etc etc…. so you can adapt as you like (and write it down so that you can improve for next round). Hope this makes sense. 🙂
Double frying for crispy texture. First deep frying is for cooking through the chicken (if it’s high temp, you will burn the outside of chicken first and inside is not cooked through). Second frying is for crispy texture. While chicken is resting (waiting for 2nd round), remaining heat will slowly cook the chicken. If you cook for a longer time, chicken will not be as tender, so you take it out and let it cook slowly inside with remaining heat. 🙂
Thank you for the quick reply! It all make sense now 🙂 I look forward to the next recipe 😀
Hi Nami! I like that your recipes are so easy yet very delicious!!
May i ask if i can prepare it early and fry it once then keep it in the refrigerator then fry it again for dinner? Will i get the same juiciness and crispiness?
Or can i keep the chicken in its marinade for days? Will it taste the same? Thank you!
Hi Nikki! Thank you so much for your kind words. 🙂 So there are few things to consider.
1) If you marinate and keep, I only recommend for overnight. It’ll be salty, and if you’re not used to salty food, you might think it’s quite salty… so if you want to do overnight, it might be a good idea to reduce the seasonings. But if you like strong salty flavor, you can do overnight and it’s okay. I don’t generally recommend to marinade for such a long time – lose chicken’s flavor and salty. Lose the balance of good taste. 🙂
2) Double deep fry works when it’s back to back. As soon as you keep it in the fridge, the chicken is cold. So I think, it’s hard to deep fry to keep the inside moisture and outside crunchy. So try to deep fry at the same time. When you do 2nd deep frying, the chicken should be warm, so without making the deep fry oil go suddenly cold, you can maintain the hot oil to crisp the outside karaage texture.
Looks like your best bet is to marinade one day before. You can make the seasoning even ahead of time to save time. Start marinating the night before, and deep fry on the day.
Or, you finish cooking – freeze (if it’s a couple of days ahead), and use a toaster oven or oven to re-heat. I do that for kids’ bento. 🙂 It’s not like freshly deep fried, but sometimes there is no other choice. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Hello Nami! May I adapt some of your recipes for a class I am teaching? Would be truly appreciated! (I will of course mention your name in the recipe title)
Hi Kaori! That’s very sweet of you to mention about my blog. Where do you teach Japanese cooking class? I will send my readers in your area if they are looking for an instructor. 🙂
Made this tonight. I really enjoyed the ginger and garlic flavors. The double fry method really did make the coating crispy. A really delicious way to cook chicken thighs. Thank you for the recipe
Hi Keke! I’m so happy to hear you liked it! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Hi!
Will this recipe work in an Air Fryer? Since I’m in Japan, I picked one up. I’m lousy at frying…never turns out right!
Thanks!
Verna
Hi Verna! I don’t own an air fryer, so I have never had a chance to test it. 🙁 Let us know if you try! I’m sure a lot of people would love to hear it from you. 🙂
I am thinking of using my air fryer as well! Any luck with yours, Verna? Please let me know how yours turned out if you tried. 😊
Hi, I’ve followed all the instructions here but always end up with soggy chicken skin, am I doing something wrong? I have a thermometer so I’m sure I got the temperature right. The only thing is that I use different starch, but I’ve experimented with cornstarch (with the same result, soggy skin).
Hi Paul! I understand that you follow my instructions but as I’m not in the kitchen with you, it’s so hard to know which part or which ingredient could be the cause. What type of starch did you use? Corn or potato starch works, but I’m not sure about other starch. It’s really simple process, but for example you’re using just thaw chicken (very cold), the oil temperature will drop down immediately, and even though you’re bringing back the oil temp to the right temp with your thermometer, your chicken has absorbed so much oil already and it’s soggy. I didn’t mention here about chicken temperature, so you might just use very very cold chicken for example. So even though you followed my instruction, I can’t see all the process you took and it’s really hard to know what went wrong. It “should’ work, from my own experience of using this recipe for years and from feedback from other readers. Hope this helps… 🙂
Turns out it is from the starch that I used (sweet potato starch) which acts differently that potato and corn starch. Thanks for the reply!
Thanks for your reply! 🙂
Love your recipe, I found this on Pinterest and now I’m hooked. My boyfriend was really skeptical with the amount of garlic but it’s grown on him and he really enjoys it now. After making this 3 times this winter I’d say we’ve found a great go-to! Thanks, Ms. Shimizu
Hi Ms. Shimizu! Awesome!!!! I’m so happy to hear you and your BF enjoy this dish. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂