Turn a snack into a whole meal with this easy Chicken Karaage Don! Use your stovetop or air fryer to create super crispy karaage. Then get excited because crispy chicken this good deserves to sit on a throne of perfectly cooked rice!

To make this Japanese fried chicken rice bowl, you can make the traditional SUPER crispy Tori Karaage (which is the route we’re taking below) OR you can use my Air Fryer Chicken Karaage recipe if you want a healthier option with less cleanup!
Both options are delicious appetizers, snacks, & fun party food recipe for build your own bowl night!
Jump to:
🎥 Video: Watch How to Make the Recipe
🥘 Ingredient Tips
- Potato Starch: This is what makes insanelyyyy crispy Tori Karaage! You can find potato starch at local Asian markets or online. Cornstarch is a common substitute, but after testing, it’s just not as crispy as potato starch, so I HIGHLY recommend grabbing it!
- Chicken: Chicken thighs are juicer than chicken breasts! Boneless skinless chicken thighs are convenient, but skin-on chicken works well too for extra crispiness & flavor! Cut them into 2-inch pieces as equal as possible for even cooking
- Sake: Sake helps tenderize the chicken & adds subtle umami and sweetness. You can easily find it at local Japanese or Asian markets, or online!
- Japanese Mayo: If you haven’t had it yet, your condiments section is about to change forever. Japanese mayo is different from American mayo - it’s richer because it’s made of yolks (vs whole eggs in American mayo) and has a subtle tanginess. Trust, there’s no going back after trying it! We’ll use it for our karaage dipping sauce. Kewpie brand is so popular that you can now sometimes find it in the Asian section of local grocery stores! Otherwise, Japanese or Asian markets or online definitely have it too.
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 How to Make Karaage Don (Japanese Fried Chicken Rice Bowl)
Make Chicken Karaage
1. Marinate Chicken
Combine bite-size chicken thighs with soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, chicken bouillon, sugar, white pepper, garlic, & ginger.
Massage the chicken into the marinate until it’s fully absorbed, then pop it in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. Keep the chicken in the fridge until the dredge is ready & you're ready to fry.
2. Dredge Chicken
On a large plate of potato starch, drizzle a tablespoon of water at a time, then use your hands to scrunch & mix with the potato starch. You’re going for a wet sand texture with small nuggets of starch for maximum crunchiness!
Add all-purpose flour and egg to the marinated chicken, mix until just combined.
Add a few pieces of chicken at a time, scrunch the starch onto the chicken, then shake off excess. Allow chicken to rest for 10-15 minutes.


3. Fry & Double-Fry Chicken
In a medium-sized pot, add enough oil for a deep fry. Heat on medium-high. Fry the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding. A good rule of thumb is you should be able to see the bottom of the pot!
Gently stir the chicken to separate them from sticking together, then fry for 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and crispy. You’ll also notice the oil bubbles going from large to small. Remove, drain on a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate, turn off heat, and let chicken rest for 15-20 minutes.
Skim any floating starch using an oil sieve, then reheat the oil on medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add chicken back in batches and cook for about 1 minute, or until chicken is a deeper golden brown, & extra crispy! Remove & drain.
Look at the difference between the first & second fry!

Cook Eggs
Heat a small pot of water and eggs on medium-high heat without a lid. Bring to a rolling boil, then cover with a lid and let it sit for 5 minutes for soft boiled eggs and 10 minutes for hard boiled eggs.
Drain then submerge in ice water for 10 minutes for easy peeling, then remove the egg shells. You can use a teaspoon to shimmy between the shell & egg to easily remove the shell!

Assemble Chicken Karaage Don
To a serving bowl, add fresh hot rice, then place as much chicken as you want.
Add a soft-boiled or poached egg on top of your Japanese Don if you'd like extra proten, garnish with green onions, & serve with a wedge of lemon or karaage dipping sauce. Enjoy!

👩🏽🍳 Key Tips
- Keep the Chicken Chilled Until Dredging: Keep the chicken in the fridge until it’s time to dredge. The combo of cold chicken and hot oil is the secret to a shatteringly crispy crust!
- Rest Chicken Twice: After dredging, let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes so the starch sticks well (plus it's less cleanup when frying)! After the first fry, let it rest again so the chicken stays juicy! I know it's tempting to skip this step - but TRUST, you risk creating dried out chicken - you've been warned!
- Craggily Bits = EXTRA Crunch: Drizzle water into potato starch (a little at a time!) to create a crumbly texture. These craggily bits fry up insanelyyy crispy!
- Double Fry = Maximum Crunch: This is how the chicken stays crispy for HOURS! It eliminates excess moisture on the surface that eventually turns your chicken soggy. That's why it's key not to skip the resting period before this step—your juicy chicken depends on it!
- Save frying oil: Don't waste that frying oil - put it to good use! Once the oil has cooled completely, strain excess debris then store it in a mason jar. Use it again to fry Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, Korean Fried Chicken, or Lemon Chicken!
💭 Recipe FAQs
Allow the tori karaage to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Reheat the chicken karaage in the air fryer at 400 degrees F for a few minutes, until they’re warm and crispy. Heat the rice in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it’s warm. Layer the chicken over the rice & enjoy!
Karaage Don is a Japanese rice bowl made of Japanese fried chicken on a bed of hot steamy rice. “Donburi” is a term for rice bowl and “karaage” is a deep frying technique for meat or fish coated in flour or starch.
🥗 What Is Karaage Don Served With?
Enjoy your chicken karaage don as is, but if you want an even more filling meal, enjoy it with a fresh salad drizzled with Japanese Toasted Sesame Dressing or Spicy Edamame. For dessert, serve it with chewy Mochi Ice Cream!
Craving more Japanese recipes? I gotchu:
- Noodles:
- Whip up Mentaiko Pasta—it’s creamy, salty, & fancy without extra effort—or slurp veggie-packed Vegetarian Yaki Udon with chewy noodles & crunchy vegetables!
- Protein:
- Satisfy your cravings with sweet and savory Salmon Teriyaki or 5-ingredient Chicken Teriyaki. Feeling like some crunch? Go for a hearty Chicken Katsu Curry or crispy Tonkatsu.
- Small Bites:
- Enjoy grab-and-go bites like Tuna Onigiri, Salmon Onigiri, Yaki Ongiri, or Japanese Egg Sandwich Budget-friendly, filling, and oh-so-delicious!
Let's Get Cooking!
For drool-worthy step-by-step videos, follow along @MikhaEats on Instagram & Tiktok - and don't forget to tag @MikhaEats for a chance to be featured!

Chicken Karaage Don (Japanese Donburi)
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thigh cut in 2-inch pieces
- 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 ¼ teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
DREDGE:
- 1 cup potato starch
- 2-4 tablespoons water separated
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or cornstarch
KARAAGE DIPPING SAUCE (OPTIONAL):
- 2 tablespoons japanese mayo
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
RICE BOWL:
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 4 eggs room temperature
- Lemon wedges
- Furikake optional
- Cabbage finely shredded (optional)
- Green onions Thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
Cook Chicken
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken and marinade ingredients - chicken, soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, chicken bouillon, sugar, white pepper, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Massage the marinate into the chicken until it’s fully absorbed. Cover & marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Keep chicken cold in the fridge until the dredge is ready.
- Prep the dredge by pouring potato starch onto a large plate. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of water at a time to the potato starch, using your fingers to mix and create crumbles in the starch. Do NOT add all the water at once to the potato starch, otherwise, you could create a slurry and it’ll be harder to manage. Repeat the process until you have crumbly nuggets throughout the dredge (photo example in blog post above).
- To the marinated chicken, mix in an egg and all purpose flour until well combined.
- Add a few pieces of chicken to the dredge at a time, pressing or scrunching the potato starch & its crumbles into the chicken so it really sticks. Repeat for remaining chicken & let chicken rest for 10-15 minutes - this will help the starch better stick to the chicken instead of falling off when cooking!
- In a medium-sized pot, heat enough oil to deep fry on medium-high heat. You’ll know it’s hot enough if you stick a wooden chopstick or spoon in the oil & it starts to sizzle. Add chicken in the oil, working in batches to avoid overcrowding. Best practice is you should be able to see the bottom of the pot. Gently stir the chicken so they don’t get stuck together while cooking. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and oil is producing small bubbles instead of large violent bubbles lol. Remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. Turn off heat & let chicken rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Re-heat the pot of oil on medium-high, then once hot, add chicken back in batches. Again, don’t overcrowd otherwise your chicken won’t get to maximum crispiness! Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until a slightly darker brown & only small bubbles are showing in the oil. Remove, drain on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate.
Cook Eggs
- Heat a small pot of water and eggs on medium-high heat without a lid. Bring to a rolling boil, then cover with a lid and let it sit for 5 minutes for soft boiled eggs and 10 minutes for hard boiled eggs. Drain then submerge in ice water for 10 minutes for easy peeling, then remove the egg shells.You can run a teaspoon between shell & egg to easily remove the shell (photos in blog post above)!
Assemble Karaage Don
- Assemble the karaage don in bowl by layering rice then karaage, & top with an egg. If you're feeling fancy garnish furikake & serve with shredded cabbage and a side of the dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Potato Starch: This creates a crunchy crust for the chicken! You can easily find it at local Asian markets or Amazon. A common alternative is cornstarch, but keep in mind your chicken won't be nearly as crispy, so I HIGHLY recommend grabbing potato starch 🙂
- Sake: Sake adds umami and sweet mellow flavor and helps tenderize the chicken. You can easily find it at local Japanese or Asian markets, or online! Japanese Mayo: This is different from American mayo. It’s richer in color, flavor, and has a subtle tanginess compared to American mayo. Kewpie brand is so popular that you can now sometimes find it in the Asian section of local grocery stores! Otherwise, Japanese or Asian markets or online definitely have it too.
- Key Tips:
- Keep chicken cold until ready to dredge
- Rest Chicken Twice - After Dredging & First Fry
- Create Craggily Bits for EXTRA Crunch
- Double Fry for Maximum Crispiness
- Save frying oil for another use
Nutrition
Exact calculations may vary. For the most accurate nutritional information, use your preferred nutrition calculator, actual ingredients, and quantities used for the recipe. Please consult with your physician or registered dietitian if more precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Leave a Reply