🍗 Karaage (Japanese fried chicken)

Name: Karaage (Japanese fried chicken)
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: 600 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into pieces; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp grated ginger; 2 garlic cloves, grated; 80 g cornstarch; Oil for deep-frying; Lemon wedges and shredded cabbage to serve

Origin: Japan

520kcal

per serving · 200 g

260kcal

per 100 g

36 gProtein18 g / 100 g

30 gFat15 g / 100 g

20 gCarbs10 g / 100 g

Karaage is Japanese fried chicken: bite-sized pieces of thigh marinated in soy sauce, ginger and garlic, coated in starch and deep-fried until crackly and golden. The coating is thin and very crisp, and the meat inside stays juicy and well seasoned. It is served with lemon wedges and shredded cabbage, in bento boxes, or as a popular izakaya snack.

Diets

✓

No porkfor halal, the meat must be halal-slaughtered

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Low-carb10 g carbs per 100 g

✓

High protein18 g protein per 100 g — 28% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: chicken

Not veganbecause of: chicken

Contains glutenbecause of: soy sauce

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Gluten ⚠ Soy

What it is made of

chickensoy saucegingergarliccornstarch

Recipe

4 servings40 min

Ingredients

600 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, grated
80 g cornstarch
Oil for deep-frying
Lemon wedges and shredded cabbage to serve

Method

Mix the chicken with the soy sauce, ginger and garlic and marinate for 30 minutes.
Drain any excess marinade and toss the pieces in cornstarch.
Heat the oil to 170 °C and fry the chicken in batches for 4 minutes; rest on a rack for 3 minutes.
Raise the oil to 190 °C and fry again for 1 minute until extra crisp.
Serve with lemon and shredded cabbage.

How to make it lighter

Use skinless chicken breast instead of thigh for less fat.
Bake or air-fry the coated pieces for a crisp result with far less oil.
Fill half the plate with shredded cabbage and keep to 4–5 pieces.

History

The karaage frying technique is usually linked to Chinese cooking influences in Japan. Chicken karaage became widely popular in the twentieth century, and the town of Nakatsu in Ōita prefecture is known as a karaage hub.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →