Crispy fried chicken is a universal love language and this delicious Japanese Fried Chicken says “I love you” louder than words ever could! These golden bites of Tori Karaage are cooked to perfection for easy sharing & snackage!
OKAY, here are allllll the tips on how to make insanelyyy crunchy karaage that’s still succulently juicy in the center! The type of starch you use is key AND techniques to prep and fry. This method uses traditional oil frying, but if you want a more hands off version with less oily cleanup – skip over to my Air Fryer Karaage recipe!
Either way, enjoy it as an appetizer recipe you know everyone will LOVE or make it a full meal with rice as Karaage Donburi with a side of Chili Garlic Edamame and Toasted Sesame Dressing drizzled on a fresh salad!
🎥 Video: Watch How to Make Chicken Karaage
🥘 Ingredient Tips for Japanese Fried Chicken
- Potato Starch: This is the secret to unbelievably crispy Japanese fried chicken! You can find it at local Asian markets or online. Cornstarch is a common substitute, but after testing, it’s nowhere close to the level of crispiness the potato starch creates, so I HIGHLY recommend making the effort to grab it!
- Chicken: I usually use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but skin-on works well too for extra crispiness & flavor! Cut them into 2-inch pieces as equal as possible for even cooking.
- Sake: Sake is a Japanese rice wine that helps tenderize the chicken thighs! It also adds umami and sweet mellow flavor. Grab it at local Japanese or Asian markets, or online!
- High Smoke-Point Oil: Use neutral oil with high smoke-point for frying, such as grapeseed oil (my fave), avocado oil, peanut oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil. Avoid low smoke-point or flavored oils like olive oil or sesame oil.
- Japanese Mayo: This is different from American mayo. It’s richer in color, flavor, and has a subtle tanginess that American mayo doesn’t have – 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.
🔪 Instructions
1. Marinate Chicken
In a large bowl, massage together sliced chicken thighs with soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, chicken bouillon, sugar, white pepper, garlic, and ginger.
Marinate it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes—or overnight for even more flavorful chicken! Keep the chicken in the fridge until the dredge is ready & you’re ready to fry.
2. Dredge Chicken
In a bowl or plate of potato starch, add a tablespoon of water at a time and mix with your hand until it feels like wet sand with little craggily nuggets. These turn SUPER crispy when fried!
Remove the chicken from the fridge then mix the marinated chicken with all-purpose flour and egg until JUST combined – don’t over mix here!
Add a few pieces of chicken and press the potato starch mix firmly onto every nook and cranny. Shake off any extra starch, then let the coated chicken rest for 5-10 minutes so the dredge doesn’t flake off while frying.
Plus you’ll have less cleanup at the bottom of your pot & crunchier chicken!
3. Fry Chicken
Fill a medium-sized pot with enough oil for deep frying and heat it on medium-high. To test if it’s ready, stick a chopstick or wooden spoon into the oil—if it sizzles, you’re good to go!
Fry the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding (pro tip: you should still be able to see the bottom of the pot). Give the chicken a gentle stir to keep it from sticking together. Fry for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown and the oil’s bubbles calm down from wild and chaotic to small and steady. Remove the chicken, let it drain on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate, and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
Skim out any floating starch bits with a sieve, then reheat the oil. Time for round two – this is how the chicken STAYS crunchy! Fry the chicken again in batches for about 1 minute until it’s a deeper golden brown, ultra-crispy, and the oil bubbles are tiny (& less threatening lol).
Check out the difference between first vs. second fry!
Enjoy with karaage dipping sauce or a squeeze of lemon! For an even more filling meal, serve it with rice as a Karaage Don!
👩🏽🍳 Key Tips
- Keep Chicken in Fridge until Dredge is Ready: Let the chicken stay cold in the fridge until you’re ready to dredge. That cold chicken hitting hot oil helps create the EXTRA crispy crust!
- Rest Chicken Twice: Give the chicken a 10-15 minute rest after dredging so the starch sticks well (plus it’s less cleanup when frying)! After the first fry, let it rest again to lock in the juices. Skip this and you risking dry sad chicken – you’ve been warned! lol
- Make Craggily Bits for EXTRA Crunch: Add a drizzle of water to the potato starch (a little at a time!) to create a crumbly texture. These craggily bits fry up insanelyyy crispy!
- Double Fry = Maximum Crunch: The second fry is the secret for chicken that stays crispy for HOURS. It eliminates extra moisture that would eventually turn your chicken soggy and makes your chicken beautifully golden and glorious. Don’t skip the resting period before this step, though—your juicy chicken depends on it!
- Save frying oil: That oil still has a lot of life left! Strain out any debris once it’s cooled and store it in a mason jar. Use it again to fry Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken or Korean Fried Chicken!
💭 Recipe FAQs
🥗 What to Serve with Tori Karaage
Enjoy your crispy tori karaage with more Easy Japanese Recipes, like:
- Noodles:
- Creamy Mentaiko Pasta that looks fancy (but is SUPER easy to make!) or Vegetarian Yaki Udon that mixes in tons of veggies.
- Protein:
- Sweet & savory Salmon Teriyaki or Chicken Teriyaki made of only 5 ingredients! Or a hearty Chicken Katsu Curry or Tonkatsu if you’re craving more crunchiness.
- Small Bites:
- Enjoy your Japanese karaage on the go too with Tuna Onigiri, Salmon Onigiri, Yaki Ongiri, or Japanese Egg Sandwich for a cheap & filling meal!
Let’s get cooking!
Get into my secret stash of Goody-Packed Newsletters with meals planned for you & time-saving tips! Want step-by-step videos of how to make my recipes too? I gotchu over at my youtube channel. Aight, enough chatting, more eating!
Tori Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
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
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
DREDGE:
- 1 cup potato starch
- 3 1/2 tablespoons water separated
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or cornstarch
- 1 egg
KARAAGE DIPPING SAUCE (OPTIONAL):
- 2 tablespoons japanese mayo
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- 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 and you're ready to fry.
- 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. 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 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.
- Optional: In the meantime, stir together japanese mayo, garlic powder, and lemon juice in a small saucer. Cover & set aside in the fridge.
- 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. Cool for a few minutes before enjoying with lemon wedges or karaage 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:
- 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.
