Discover ways to make the perfect Karaage (Japanese Fried Rooster) with tender hen thighs marinated in aromatics and twice-fried till golden brown. They’re juicy and ultra-crispy, and I’ll share my easy strategies for superb outcomes.
I grew up consuming karaage, Japan’s beloved fried hen. It’s a timeless dish discovered all over the place—from dwelling kitchens and bento lunch containers to avenue stalls and household diners. My mother typically made it once we had friends over, and I’ve been chasing that reminiscence ever since—making an attempt to recreate her model with completely crisp pores and skin and tender, juicy meat. It’s the type of dish you’ll wish to get pleasure from wholeheartedly and with out hesitation.
In the event you’re craving extra fried hen, strive my Fried Rooster Wings, Nagoya Fashion Fried Rooster, or Rooster Nanban subsequent!
What’s Karaage?
Karaage (唐揚げ) is a Japanese cooking methodology the place we coat meat or veggies in flour earlier than deep-frying. Whereas technically something may be ready on this model, the time period is primarily related to Japanese fried hen. Karaage is a staple appetizer in Japanese gastropubs (izakaya) and ramen retailers and a fundamental dish in bento field lunches and Japanese home-cooked meals.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Golden crust and succulent heart – The method I share ensures a crispy crust and extremely moist and tender meat.
- Deceptively straightforward – In the event you ever thought frying hen was daunting, this dish will persuade you in any other case.
- Good for internet hosting – We sometimes serve karaage as a fundamental dish and different dishes for events.
Components for Karaage
- Rooster thighs – boneless and skin-on
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Soy sauce
- Sake
- Toasted sesame oil
- Impartial oil – learn my submit on the Greatest Impartial Oil for Cooking
- Potato starch – or cornstarch
- All-purpose flour
- Lemon wedges, Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise, and shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) – elective toppings and garnishes
Discover the printable recipe with measurements beneath.
Substitutions
- Rooster thighs: I’ve discovered that boneless, skin-on hen thighs ship the perfect outcomes—the pores and skin turns fantastically crispy whereas conserving the meat tender and juicy. That stated, skinless thighs work too, should you choose. In case your hen thighs come bone-in, you’ll be able to ask your butcher to take away the bones or do it your self at dwelling with a pointy knife.
- Sake: In the event you can’t discover this, I like to recommend utilizing dry sherry or Chinese language rice wine as an alternative, or skip it.
- Potato starch: You could possibly additionally use rice flour or corn starch as an alternative. I’ve not examined this dish with tapioca starch, however please let me know the way it seems should you strive it.
- All-purpose flour: For gluten-free, substitute with one of many starches as an alternative.
How you can Make Karaage
Preparation
Step 1 – Put together the hen. Slice the hen thighs into 2-inch items and season with salt and pepper. Place it in a big bowl.
Step 2 – Marinate. Add the grated ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sake, and sesame oil to the bowl. Toss to coat, cowl the bowl, and marinate within the fridge for half-hour.
Step 3 – Warmth the oil. Add oil to a deep pot over medium warmth and preheat to 325ºF (160ºC).
Step 4 – Dredge the hen. Place the flour and starch in separate piles on the shallow plate. Dredge the hen within the flour, then the starch. Repeat with the remaining items.
Cooking
Step 5 – Fry in batches. Submerge a number of hen items within the scorching oil and fry for 90 seconds. Switch the hen to a wire rack to empty the surplus oil. Repeat with all of the hen.
Step 6 – Fry a second time. Elevate the oil temperature to 350ºF (180ºC) and fry the hen once more for 45 seconds, then return to the wire rack, and repeat with the entire items.
Assemble
Step 7 – Serve. Serve the fried hen heat with elective lemon wedges, Japanese Kewpie mayo, and a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi.
Nami’s Recipe Suggestions
- Minimize the hen into evenly sized items – This helps be sure that all of the items cook dinner on the similar fee. When the hen is uniform in measurement, you keep away from undercooking some items whereas overcooking others.
- Don’t marinate too lengthy – I’ve discovered that half-hour is good for the hen to soak within the flavors.
- Evenly coat in flour – Earlier than frying, I counsel evenly shaking the hen to take away the surplus flour, which might make the oil cloudy and compromise the hen’s texture.
- Don’t crowd the pot – There ought to solely be 3–5 items of hen within the pot at one time. Any extra and the oil temperature will drop, inflicting the hen to soak up an excessive amount of oil. For extra useful suggestions, see my submit How you can Deep-Fry Meals at Dwelling.
Variations and Customizations
Like many variations of fried hen, my recipe has numerous room to switch and regulate to your preferences. Listed here are a few of my recommendations.
- Use different cuts of hen. Though they’re much less flavorful and juicy, hen breasts would work on this recipe. Do not forget that hen breasts cook dinner extra rapidly than thighs, so cut back the frying time by 15–20 seconds.
- Make it gluten-free. Attempt my Gluten-Free Karaage recipe, which is simply as scrumptious.
What to Serve with Karaage
Storage and Reheating Suggestions
To retailer: Enable the hen to chill fully, then refrigerate it in an hermetic container for 3–4 days or freeze it for as much as 3–4 months.
To reheat: Reheat leftovers within the oven at 350°F (180ºC) for 7–8 minutes or till heat and crispy all through.
Often Requested Questions
Katsu refers to deep-fried cutlets and generally makes use of panko-breaded hen breast, whereas karaage makes use of bite-size hen thighs which are coated in starch. We serve katsu with a sweet-savory brown sauce known as tonkatsu sauce. For karaage, we often serve it with Japanese mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Whereas each karaage and tatsuta-age are beloved Japanese fried hen dishes, they differ barely in preparation and presentation. Karaage is often marinated in a combination of soy sauce, sake, garlic, and ginger, then coated in both flour, potato starch, or a mixture of each earlier than frying. This offers it a golden, rustic look with daring, savory flavors. In distinction, tatsuta-age makes use of a less complicated marinade—often simply soy sauce and mirin—which leads to a barely sweeter style. It’s coated solely in potato starch, giving it a lighter, crispier texture and a pale, virtually powdery end as soon as fried.
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
-
Earlier than You Begin…Please word that this recipe requires half-hour of marinating time. Collect all of the components.
To Marinate the Rooster
-
Put together 1½ lb boneless, skin-on hen thighs by slicing every into 2-inch (5-cm) items. Season with ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly floor black pepper.
-
Now, grate the ginger (I take advantage of a ceramic grater) and measure ½ tsp ginger (grated, with juice). Add it to a big bowl. Mince or press 1 clove garlic (I take advantage of a garlic press) and add it to the bowl.
-
Add ½–1 Tbsp soy sauce, ½ Tbsp sake, and ½ tsp toasted sesame oil to the ginger and garlic. Whisk to mix.
-
Add the hen to the marinade and blend it along with your arms. Cowl and marinate within the fridge for half-hour.
To Preheat the Oil
-
Whereas the hen is marinating, put together the oil for deep-frying. Pour about 3–4 cups impartial oil right into a heavy-bottomed pot (I like utilizing the 2.75-QT Staub), till you may have at the very least 1 to 1½ inches (2.5 to three.8 cm) of oil. Warmth it to 325ºF (160ºC) over medium-low warmth so you may have sufficient time to prep the hen.
To Coat the Rooster
-
In the meantime, dredge the hen items. Put together separate piles of 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) and 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch in a tray. Evenly coat a bit of marinated hen within the flour and dirt off the surplus.
-
Subsequent, dredge it within the potato starch and shake off the surplus. Place it in a separate tray. Proceed with the remaining hen items.
To Prepare dinner: The First Fry
-
Examine that the oil temperature has reached 325ºF (160ºC). Tip: In the event you don‘t have an instantaneous learn thermometer, insert a picket chopstick into the oil; you‘ll comprehend it‘s scorching sufficient if small bubbles begin to seem across the tip. For extra useful suggestions, see my submit How you can Deep-Fry Meals.When it is prepared, gently add 3 to five hen items at a time to the recent oil. Don’t overcrowd the pot. Tip: In the event you add too many items without delay, the oil temperature will drop rapidly, and the hen will soak up an excessive amount of oil.
-
Deep-fry for 90 seconds, or till the hen is a lightweight golden colour. Switch to a wire rack to empty the surplus oil. Tip: If the hen browns too rapidly, then the oil temperature is just too excessive. Both put a couple of extra items of hen within the oil or decrease the warmth setting. Controlling the oil temperature always is essential for deep-frying.
-
The residual warmth will proceed to cook dinner the hen because it rests. Proceed to fry the remaining hen items. Between batches, scoop up and discard the crumbs within the oil with a fine-mesh sieve. This retains the oil clear and prevents it from turning into darker.
The Second Fry
-
Now, elevate the oil temperature to 350ºF (180ºC). Place the primary 3 to five items of rested hen again into the oil and deep-fry for 45 seconds, or till the pores and skin is golden brown and crispy. Switch them to the wire rack to empty the surplus oil. Proceed frying the remaining hen items.
-
The left picture reveals the hen items after the primary fry and the precise picture reveals them after the second fry. The hen items on the precise are barely darker in colour.
Energy: 531 kcal · Carbohydrates: 8 g · Protein: 29 g · Fats: 42 g · Saturated Fats: 19 g · Trans Fats: 1 g · Ldl cholesterol: 167 mg · Sodium: 254 mg · Potassium: 411 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 1 g · Vitamin A: 133 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 19 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Editor’s Notice: This submit was initially printed on October 10, 2012, and up to date with new pictures and a video on October 3, 2019. It was republished on April 25, 2025, with extra suggestions and useful info.