There’s nothing more I love than crispy, salty, and spicy fried chicken. I’ve been on Japanese food kick lately so I decided to try my hand at the famous karaage. The main difference between a karaage and your run of the mill fried chicken is the flour used for the breading. Instead of all purpose flour, karaage uses potato starch. This gives the chicken a crispier yet lighter texture, almost akin to potato chips. This recipe is easy but takes a while as there are several components to it, but it makes for a very relaxing and satisfying way to spend the weekend.

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast, cleaned and cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsps sake
2 tbsps grated ginger
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 cup potato starch
1-2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
1/2 cup kewpie mayo
1/4 cup lemon juice
sriracha sauce (or any hot sauce you like)
togarashi
cabbage, half a head (cut into very thin shreds)
salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sake, garlic, and ginger. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Once satisfied with the marinade, add the chicken and make sure every piece is coated. Place a plastic wrap over the bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours.
2. In a separate small bowl, prepare the dipping sauce. Mix the kewpie mayo and half the lemon juice. Add hot sauce if desired, add as little or as much as you want.
3. Prepare the following: a shallow and wide bowl, a baking pan/cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and wire racks with paper towels on top.
4. Place the potato starch on the bowl and season with salt, pepper, and togarashi. Mix thoroughly.
5. Drain the excess marinade from the chicken and dredge the chicken in the potato starch. Make sure all the pieces are fully coated and dust off any excess flour. Set aside in the prepared baking sheet.
6. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil to 325 ºF (163 ºC) on medium heat. Use a thermometer to get an accurate reading. Also, you want at least 2 inches of oil in the pan.
7. Once the oil has reached the desired temperature, gently submerge each chicken piece into the oil. Make sure not to overcrowd, add only about 3-5 pieces at a time. If you put too many chicken at a time, the oil’s temperature will quickly drop and this will result in uneven cooking and the chicken will absorb too much oil.
8. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked chicken to the wire rack. Clean up any debris left behind before frying the next batch.
9. Sprinkle the chicken with togarashi. Serve immediately while still hot with the cabbage and dipping sauce. Use the remaining lemon juice as dressing for the cabbage if desired.