Japanese chicken karaage is basically fried chicken, but with a twist. The word karaage (pronounced kahraageh) refers to the Japanese method of frying, and there’s one main difference between it and other fried foods. If the meat is seasoned, then coated with flour, it's karaage. If the meat is coated with a seasoned flour, then it's fried chicken. Beyond the semantics, we love it because it’s a quick and easy way to jazz up one of our favorite foods, using ingredients you’re already using at home.

Traditionally, chicken karaage is prepared by deboning skinon chicken thighs. If you’ve got a good relationship with your butcher or are comfortable deboning your own chicken, go for it! If not, easier-to-find boneless, skinless chicken thighs are what we use here, to great success. You could also use breast meat, but be warned, it won’t be as juicy. Chicken karaage is also often fried solely in potato starch. Here, we’ve used a combo of easier-tofind flour and cornstarch, which does just as good a job at creating the perfectly crunchy fried exterior. Make sure to shake off any excess flour/cornstarch mixture before frying to avoid it settling in the pot and burning.

If you want to really guarantee the best crispy, crunchy exterior, fry twice! Fry all the chicken pieces first at 325F for 3 minutes, then remove to sheet rack. Bring the oil temperature up to 350F and fry for 1 more minute, until golden brown. You might never go back to single frying after you try this!

You can serve these with Kewpie mayo as appetizers or a snack, or alongside some veggies (chili smashed cucumbers, maybe?) and rice for dinner. Whatever you do, don’t skip the squeeze of lemon! It helps the marinade shine through after frying, and makes the flavor of this fried chicken pop.

Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below.

Here’s the recipe:

2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

2 tsp. garlic, minced or grated

2 tbsp. sake

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. light brown sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1 1/2 lb. (about 5) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2" pieces

Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. cornstarch

For serving: sliced green onions, Japanese (Kewpie) mayo, and lemon wedges

Directions

Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk together ginger, garlic, sake, soy sauce, brown sugar, and 1 tsp. salt. Add chicken pieces and stir to completely coat. Cover, refrigerate, and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 1 hour.

Step 2

Line a baking sheet with paper towels, and set a wire rack inside. Fit a Dutch oven with a candy thermometer, and add oil 2” to 3” deep. Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F.

Step 3

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch and remaining 1 tsp. salt.

Step 4

Remove one piece of chicken at a time from the marinade and roll it in the flour mixture to coat. Gently shake off the excess flour mixture and transfer to a large plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Step 5

Place 2 to 3 pieces in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. (Keep the oil temperature between 350-365 degrees F.) Transfer chicken to the wire rack. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Step 6

Garnish with green onions, Japanese mayo, and a squeeze of lemon to serv

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Disclaimer: we recorded the episode with Dualgram and apologize the video has a black border around the episode

Unaware that this was going to happen. We will be trouble shooting with Dualgram to see if the issue can be resolved for future episodes because we love the ease that you can flip the camera