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 am very excited to try this recipe, I just love karaage! I was curious, I want to add a curry flavor to my karaage, does anyone know if I can just add curry powder to the marinade or in the flour? I really like the taste of curry-flavored kara-age and want to replicate it
Hi Samantha! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
You can make curry flavor Karaage by adding the curry powder to flour or marinade.
We prefer adding curry powder to flour.😉Try 2~4 teaspoons.
We hope this helps!
Curious question, why can’t you let it marinade for too long?
It’s not that you can’t, if you like it more stronger flavoured you can of course. Though, in Japanese cuisine, people try to keep the natural flavour of ingredients with a hint of added flavour. With a short marinade time you will keep the taste of the natural chicken flavour with a hint of ginger, garlic and soy sauce.
Hi Lauren! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
The Chicken is small 2-inch pieces, and 30 minutes is enough to marinade. If you marinate it too long, it will be saltier.😉
If you prefer to marinade it for longer to have more seasonings flavor, we recommend no more than 12 hours. So the marinade would not overbreak down muscle fibers.
We hope this helps!
Made it last night and this turned out amazing! However, i feel my chicken was slightly bitter despite fresh oil. I wonder if different types of oil will glean less bitterness?
Hi anita! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your feedback!
What types of oil did you use? The vegetable, rice bran, or canola oil usually doesn’t have a bitter taste.
The bitterness could be from the type of potato starch you used if it’s not the oil.
We hope this helps!
What substitutions do you use in place of flour and soy sauce to make this a gluten-free recipe?
Hi Miyuki! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
You can substitute the flour with potato starch/cornstarch and rice flour, then use gluten-free soy sauce to make gluten-free Karaage.
Nami has a Gluten-free Karaage recipe on the website: https://www.justonecookbook.com/gluten-free-karaage/
We hope this helps!
Can you do the recipe for Air fryer ? ありがとう ^ – ^
Hi Alisa! Thank you very much for your request.
We currently don’t have Air fryer recipe on the site. We’ll make sure to add your request to Nami’s list.🙂
So easy and so tasty!! I will definitely make it again! Tastiest karāge since I lived in Nagoya!
Hi Jo! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear the Karaage turned out to be the tastiest!🤗
Are any changes to the recipe needed if using fish? I have some yellowtail and barracuda I am defrosting.
Hi Lance! Thank you for reading Nami’s post!
If you are using fish, Please shorten the marinade time and cook time as need it.
We recommend trying this tempura recipe for fried fish as well. https://www.justonecookbook.com/chicken-tempura/
We hope this helps! Happy Cooking!
Made twice, delicious each time! Thank you for the recipe, it will definitely be on rotation in our household.
Hi Anastasia, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed homemade Karaage!😊
This was wonderful–thank you! My Half-Japanese husband asked me to learn how to make Japanese Potato Salad, which led me to your site. After reading your recipe and suggestion to pair it with Karaage, I started gathering all the ingredients. I thought a nice salad would be round it out, so I also made your carrot-ginger dressing and in no time I surprised my husband with a full Japanese meal based around his simple suggestion. Thank you–we just finished eating and he is really impressed!
Hi Erin! We couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy and excitement Nami’s recipe has brought to you and your husband!
Thank you very much for trying many recipes from our site and for your kind feedback. Happy Cooking!
Can I do the first fry earlier in the day and the second just before eating?
Hi Karyn! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
The first fry may not cook the meat thoroughly, so we don’t recommend not finishing the frying process. Instead, you can prepare the meat till Step 9, keep it in the air-tight container, and place it in the fridge. Then you can fry them before eating.
We hope this is helpful.
I tried your twice-fried karaage chicken recipe today. In the past, I’ve always made karaage by frying only once. Twice frying definitely makes for a crispier exterior! I especially like the crunchy, chewy chicken skin when it’s fried the second time. We all loved it! FYI for your readers, I found skin-on boneless chicken thighs at my local Japanese market labeled “for karaage and mizutaki.” It’s worth it to find skin-on thighs for the textural contrast. So satisfying! Thanks for sharing this wonderfully comforting recipe.
PS: I served the karaage with sriracha mayo (sriracha, Kraft mayonnaise, lemon juice) since my husband loves the extra heat. It was a hit!
Sriracha Mayo sounds great!🙂 Thank you for sharing, Janet!
Hi Janet! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Have you ever had something so delicious you started crying? I’m exaggerating but my goodness this was delicious. I’ve always been a little intimidated by deep-frying – which is really silly for a Southerner, I know – but this recipe was really simple and worth the time it took. I did cornstarch and peanut oil, and I’m very happy with the results. I made a batch to pack into bento boxes this week!
Hi Jess! We couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy and excitement Nami’s recipe has brought to you!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
Thank you SO much. My father was in the Air Force and was stationed in Okinawa at one point. I was raised eating yakisoba, kaarage, chicken fried rice, spring rolls, yakibuta etc. Unfortunately was never sure on the recipe until I found your page. Absolutely amazing stuff you have here!!
Hi Roy! We couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy and excitement Nami’s recipe has brought to you! 🥰
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your story with us.
Followed recipe closely. Tasted phenomenal and brings back find memories of Japan.
Hi Franky! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed the Karaage!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.☺️
How do you recommend reheating this for later use? I plan on freezing some for bento and I’m not sure how to reheat without it getting soggy. Thanks!
Hi Missy! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
The best way to reheating the Karaage is to put them in the oven or oven toaster and bake for a few minutes until inside gets warm.
We hope this helps!