Best Chicken Karaage Japanese Chicken Nuggets Recipes

CHICKEN KARAAGE (JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• In a medium sized bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic and ginger together.
• Add the diced chicken pieces to the marinade and then mix thoroughly until the chicken is coated.
• Cover and chill for 30 minutes or up to 24+ hours. I've even marinated this up to 2 days and it was fantastic.
• Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge and set aside. Discard the excess marinade.
• In a small bowl, add the corn starch.
• Toss the chicken into the corn starch until all are breaded.
• As I mentioned, I used an air fryer for this recipe but you can always fry the chicken in a skillet with 1 1/2" of vegetable, canola or avocado oil, the oil temperature should be pretty hot, just be sure not to crowd the chicken. Cook until golden brown on all sides (about 5-6 minutes total per batch); transfer to paper towels or a wire rack to remove any excess oil.
• If you're using an air fryer, preheat it for 8-10 minutes at 400
• When ready, spray your air fryer basket with olive oil spray.
• Add the chicken in a single layer trying not to overcrowd, spraying the chicken with olive oil spray, and then air fry at 400 for about 3-4 minutes, then shake or turn the chicken over once the top of the chicken is brown, and fry again for another 3-4 minutes until brown and crispy. The internal temperature should be at least 165.

TORI NO KARA-AGE (DEEP FRIED CHICKEN NUGGETS)

Steps:

• In a medium sized bowl, mix together the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken in the mixture and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Mix the corn flour with the plain flour.
• Take each piece of chicken from the marinade and roll in the flour mixture until it is coated completely.
• Heat the oil to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) and deep-fry the chicken pieces for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve on a bed of salad garnished with a lemon.

KARAAGE (JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Mix garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sake, mirin, sesame oil, black pepper, cayenne, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Place chicken in the marinade and mix until thoroughly and evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 10 hours.
• Set up your dredging station: Place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. Add potato starch to a wide, shallow bowl.
• Remove chicken from the refrigerator. Stir to coat with marinade. Toss 2 or 3 pieces at a time in the potato starch until evenly coated. Shake off any excess starch and place chicken on the wire rack. Repeat to dredge remaining pieces.
• Tap the rack on the baking sheet to remove any loose chunks of starch, then transfer the baking sheet and rack of chicken to the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Without crowding, lower chicken carefully into the hot oil in batches. Fry, tossing occasionally, until cooked through and the outside is crunchy and browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken.

KARAAGE (JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• In a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the chicken, combine ginger, garlic, sake, soy sauce and sugar. Toss chicken pieces in marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
• Fill an aluminum or thin stainless steel pot (best for quick temperature adjustments), with sides at least 5 inches tall, with about 3 inches of peanut oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Place several layers of newsprint or paper towels on a sheet pan.
• While the oil heats, place a wire rack over a second sheet pan. In a bowl, combine potato starch, salt and pepper. Remove one piece of chicken at a time from marinade, and tuck in any jagged bits or skin as you roll it in starch mixture to coat. Rest it on the rack. Repeat with all chicken pieces.
• Gently shake off excess potato starch before cooking each piece of chicken. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time, keeping oil temperature around 325 degrees (temperature will fall when you add chicken) and no lower than 300 degrees. Fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oil using a wire-mesh spoon or long chopsticks, and cool on newsprint or paper towels.
• When all the chicken has been fried once, increase the oil's temperature to 375 degrees. Fry chicken pieces a second time, keeping the oil between 350 and 375 degrees, until the crust is deep golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain on newsprint or paper towels. This second frying makes the coating stay extra crisp, even if you don't serve it immediately.
• Serve hot or at room temperature, with a lemon wedge, and lettuce and cucumber slices for a cool, fresh contrast, if you like.