Recently, I shared one of my favorite recipes: Braised Herb Chicken, which I make with this amazing condiment, Shio Koji. Today, I used the same condiment to make Chicken Karaage.
If you are thinking about trying shio koji for the first time, I highly recommend testing it with this chicken karaage recipe. I’ve made chicken karaage countless times for my family, but it’s never tasted this good! As you bite into the crispy chicken, you can taste the garlic along with the delicate umami flavor from the shio koji.
Shio Koji (塩麹, 塩糀) is a rice malt (koji) that has been fermented with sea salt (shio). It is a live food that is rich in enzymes and unlocks the umami flavor in foods.
The texture looks like porridge, and it has a subtle, sweet, and salty taste. It is often used in place of salt to enhance all kinds of foods. It marinates and tenderizes meat and can be used to season fish and vegetables. You can read more about it here.
You can get Hikari Miso Shio Koji on Amazon or at Japanese grocery stores. If you cannot find shio koji anywhere else, you can substitute it with salt.
Shio Koji Karaage
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 4 Tbsp shio koji (I used Hikari Miso Shio Koji)
- 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice; from a 1-inch, 2.5-cm knob)
- 1 tsp garlic (grated)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ½ cup potato starch or cornstarch
- 3 cups neutral oil
- lemon wedges (to serve)
Instructions
- Before You Start…Please note that this recipe requires 30 minutes of marinating time.
- Combine the 1-inch pieces of 1 lb boneless, skin-on chicken thighs with 4 Tbsp shio koji, 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice), 1 tsp garlic (crushed), and 1 tsp soy sauce in a bowl or large plastic bag. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
- Heat up a pot of 3 cups neutral oil for deep-frying. The ideal temperature is about 320–335ºF (160–170ºC).
- When the oil is almost ready, add ½ cup potato starch or cornstarch to the bowl or plastic bag with the chicken. Mix and coat the chicken with the starch.
- Gently drop each piece of chicken into the pot of hot oil and deep-fry until golden brown.
To Serve
- When it’s done, transfer the chicken onto a plate lined with paper towels. Continue with a new batch to deep-fry. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @justonecookbook on Instagram so we can see your delicious creation!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Hikari Miso. To read more about my partnership with Hikari Miso, click here.