
Karaage – Japanese Fried Chicken
Differing from its American or Korean counterparts in quite a few ways, karaage is chicken that is marinaded in a flavoursome mixture of stock, garlic, ginger, soy and mirin before being dusted in potato starch and deep-fried. Karaage chicken’s signature white-speckled appearance and oozy viscosity in every bite make it a street food favourite that is enjoyed here both by itself and as a burger with wasabi-infused mayonnaise and slaw.
While boneless dark meat like the thighs and legs are usually made into karaage, for this recipe chicken breast is used as this cut works best for a burger. Be sure to use a meat mallet to flatten out the breast first to ensure even cooking and that the chicken doesn’t dry out.
Cook’s tip – don’t replace the potato starch with cornflour as this won’t provide karaage chicken’s signature white speckles and crisp. Find potato starch in the gluten-free section of most health or speciality stores.
Prep time: 2 hours, 15 mins incl. marinating /Cook time: 2-3 minutes / Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 500g skinless & boneless chicken breast fillets
- 150ml chicken stock
- 45ml soy sauce
- 45ml mirin
- 10ml fine sea salt
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 small piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2ml freshly ground black pepper
For the coating:
- 150ml potato starch
- 10ml cayenne pepper
- 2ml freshly ground black pepper
- Canola oil, for deep-frying
For the burger:
- 4 brioche buns, halved and cut side toasted
- Shredded green cabbage slaw
- Wasabi mayo (2ml wasabi paste into 40ml Kewpie mayo – adjust to taste accordingly)
Use a meat mallet to flatten out the chicken fillets. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a dish and submerge the chicken in the marinade. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Combine the coating mixture in a bowl. Take each chicken fillet one at a time out of the marinade, shaking off any excess liquid and hold over a separate plate. Using your fingers, sprinkle the coating mixture over the chicken, as evenly as possible. Don’t place the marinaded chicken directly into the coating as this will cause the potato starch to clump together. Once coated, lay the chicken fillets out on to a rack.
In a large pot, pour in the oil up to a 5cm depth and heat to 175°C. Dust a little more coating over the chicken and deep-fry in batches for 2-3 minutes at a time, taking care not to crowd the pot. Drain on kitchen towel and sprinkle with ground white pepper while still hot. Enjoy with lime wedges and the wasabi mayo or assemble on the brioche buns with the cabbage slaw and a few glasses of chilled 2024 Leopard’s Leap Chenin Blanc.
Differing from its American or Korean counterparts in quite a few ways, karaage is chicken that is marinaded in a flavoursome mixture of stock, garlic, ginger, soy and mirin before being dusted in potato starch and deep-fried. Karaage chicken’s signature white-speckled appearance and oozy viscosity in every bite make it a street food favourite that is enjoyed here both by itself and as a burger with wasabi-infused mayonnaise and slaw.
While boneless dark meat like the thighs and legs are usually made into karaage, for this recipe chicken breast is used as this cut works best for a burger. Be sure to use a meat mallet to flatten out the breast first to ensure even cooking and that the chicken doesn’t dry out.
Cook’s tip – don’t replace the potato starch with cornflour as this won’t provide karaage chicken’s signature white speckles and crisp. Find potato starch in the gluten-free section of most health or speciality stores.
Prep time: 2 hours, 15 mins incl. marinating /Cook time: 2-3 minutes / Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 500g skinless & boneless chicken breast fillets
- 150ml chicken stock
- 45ml soy sauce
- 45ml mirin
- 10ml fine sea salt
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 small piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2ml freshly ground black pepper
For the coating:
- 150ml potato starch
- 10ml cayenne pepper
- 2ml freshly ground black pepper
- Canola oil, for deep-frying
For the burger:
- 4 brioche buns, halved and cut side toasted
- Shredded green cabbage slaw
- Wasabi mayo (2ml wasabi paste into 40ml Kewpie mayo – adjust to taste accordingly)
Use a meat mallet to flatten out the chicken fillets. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a dish and submerge the chicken in the marinade. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Combine the coating mixture in a bowl. Take each chicken fillet one at a time out of the marinade, shaking off any excess liquid and hold over a separate plate. Using your fingers, sprinkle the coating mixture over the chicken, as evenly as possible. Don’t place the marinaded chicken directly into the coating as this will cause the potato starch to clump together. Once coated, lay the chicken fillets out on to a rack.
In a large pot, pour in the oil up to a 5cm depth and heat to 175°C. Dust a little more coating over the chicken and deep-fry in batches for 2-3 minutes at a time, taking care not to crowd the pot. Drain on kitchen towel and sprinkle with ground white pepper while still hot. Enjoy with lime wedges and the wasabi mayo or assemble on the brioche buns with the cabbage slaw and a few glasses of chilled 2024 Leopard’s Leap Chenin Blanc.