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.
I made the recipe without skin on thighs. This was absolutely fantastic. Thank you.
Hi Franky! Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Karaage!
Hi Namiko,
Thank you for the recipe, my Japanese family loved it! They said “oishii!!”
Hi Motoki! Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear your family loved Nami’s Karaage recipe!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.
Hello!
I am from the Netherlands and our way of diner is very different then yours. Mainly: boiled potatoes, 1 type of boiled vegetable and some meat.
I would really like to try this for diner, but have no idea of that to serve with it, except for rice.
Can you help me out?
Hi Evelien, Thank you very much for trying many recipes from JOC!
Each post, we posted suggestions for dishes to make it into the meal. Please scroll down to the end of each post! You will find four side dishes to make this into the meal.
To search for other options, you can click the search key at the website’s top. “Course” you can see what different types of salad, soup, etc., is available.
You can also learn about meal planning here:https://www.justonecookbook.com/ichiju-sansai/
We hope this is helpful!☺️
hi namisan,
i love your recipes and website.
it’s the cooking site that i use the most!
do uoubhave recommendations for reheating karaage ?
thank you in advance for your help !
caroline 🙏
Hi Caroline, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
To reheat, Nami recommends using an oven toaster or oven. We hope this helps!
I have made this recipe quite a few times now and I love it! I always make extra so I can have leftovers to take to work. This is one of my go-to dishes if I want fried chicken!
I have made it with sake, with dry sherry, and I even made it with a bit of dry white wine when I didn’t have the sake or sherry on hand, that was different. Not sure if I would use the wine again, might just use mirin.
Could you put miso in the marinade or would it burn when frying? I am addicted to miso (not enough to try making my own… yet) and would add it to everything if I could.
Hi Tuchen, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed the Karaage.
Yes, you may add miso in the marinade. As you guessed, the miso will easily burn, so after you marinate the chicken with miso, take out the excess miso marinade from the chicken and dredge it with dry ingredients.
You may also double deep-fry (2 minutes deep-fry and take them out and let it sit for about 5 minutes and deep fry them again to finish) to avoid burn.
We hope this is helpful and you can enjoy miso flavor!😊
The addition of miso was AMAZING! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes and advice. Double frying worked great and the miso didn’t burn at all.
Hi Tuchen! Awesome! Thank you very much for sharing your cooking experience.
We are so happy to hear the double frying trick worked well, and you enjoyed Miso flavor Karaage! Yay!👏🏻
I tried this in my air fryer using whole wheat flour and corn starch It was great. The whole family loved it!
Hi Barbara, Wow! That is awesome! Thank you very much for sharing your cooking experience!
We made this Karaage for the first time a few weeks ago and are making it again tonight. Absolutely delicious. I made teriyaki and ended up not using it because all the chicken needs is a tiny dip in Japanese mayo.
I do have a question: My husband is suggesting we flour/cornstarch the chicken a few hours ahead of time and store in the fridge so it is ready to fry later… but I am afraid it might mess with the texture. What do you think?
Hi Cortney, Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
In Japan, They are many ways to make Karaage, and storing them in the fridge for a few hours before deep-frying is one of the tricks. It said that Karaage would be crispier. But we have never tried it before. Let us know how it goes!
Potato starch is a common ingredient in kosher kitchens. It can be found in certain supermarkets during Passover. I use it regulary as it imbues distinctive qualies not found by other means. On the East Coast its harder to get Asian staples in non-metro areas. Dissapointing verily.
Hi John, Thank you very much for your input! We learned that how difficult to get the Potato starch in some areas.😞 We hope it will soon be a popular ingredient and able to access it simply. In the meantime, Corn starch can be a good alternative for Potato starch and still make good Karaage. We hope you enjoy it!
I just whipped up this recipe and it was delicious!!! My first time making karaage at home and it wasn’ I did change a few things in this recipe. Instead of regular ginger, I used young ginger (I had it on hand from her ginger rice recipe) and I added 2 cloves of garlic. Instead of deep frying twice, I decided to deep fry it once in canola oil and then air fry it. I put it in the air fryer for 5 mins at 390F. I like this method because it can get rid of excess oil and crisp up the chicken. Loved this recipe!
Hi Alice, Thank you very much for trying this recipe and sharing your cooking tips in detail! We are so happy to hear it turned out great and you enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind feedback.❤️
Too bad they’re not gluten free:(
Hi Ellen,
Nami has gluten free Karaage recipe! https://www.justonecookbook.com/gluten-free-karaage/
We hope you enjoy this!💕
I made this for the family tonight and it was delicious. Flavor was on point. I used skinless chicken thighs and was slightly disappointed because there wasn’t much of a crust. Was looking forward to the crunch. How can I get the crispy crust?
Hi Shirley,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
To achieve the crispy Karaage, we recommend using skin-on chicken, as Nami mention in this post.
We hope this is helpful, and you will give this recipe a try again with skin-on.🙂
Hi Nami,
This recipe sounds delicious! I want to try it but have never deep fried anything at home- afraid of mess, etc. How many times do you reuse the oil? How do you know when it’s time to stop reusing the oil? Have you ever used the type of deep frying pot with a stainless steel ring on top to decrease splashing? How do you store the oil in your fridge?
Thank you so much!
Hi Lisa,
Nami has a good post for you!
To deep frying for the first time, Please check out Nami’s post, “How To Deep Fry Food.”
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-deep-fry-food/
We also recommend checking the Food Safety Information from USDA.
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/65f762d0-e4d0-4278-b5cb-2836854a3eda/Deep_Fat_Frying.pdf?MOD=AJPERES#:~:text=Store%20the%20used%20oil%20in,%2C%20or%20smell%2C%20discard%20it.
We hope this is helpful and soon you can enjoy making Karaage at home!😊
Thank you for the link to the old post and the USDA link! Very informative and helpful.
Hi Lisa,
We are glad to hear it was very informative and helpful!♥️ Happy cooking!☺️
Love the recipe! I’ve made it multiple times and hubby raves about it. We sprinkle salt, black pepper, and some five spice powder once it’s done and pair with kewpie mayo. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Hi Jean!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! 😊
This recipe turned out beautifully – family loved it – Thank you
Hi Margaret!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
We are so happy to hear your family loved it! Thank you for your kind feedback.🙂
Hi Nami!! I’m thinking about making Karaage . For the chicken, can I remove the skin of the chicken? My family usually doesn’t eat the skin. Also, do you have any tips for deep frying inside the house?
Hi Sophia!
Yes. You can remove the skin of the chicken if you like.
As for deep frying inside the house, make sure to turn on the stove/range fan and keep your children or pets out of the cooking area! 🙂