Tori no Karaage (鶏の唐揚げ, Japanese fried chicken)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy pot or donabe-safe deep fryer
• •Kitchen thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Long cooking chopsticks, or tongs
• •Shallow tray for coating with katakuriko

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the chicken

   Cut the chicken thighs into pieces about 1 1/2 inches across, keeping a little skin on each piece if you can. Thigh meat stays juicy through the double fry, and the skin gives the starch something good to cling to. Make the pieces close in size so they finish together.

   If you can only buy boneless skinless thighs, use them. They won't have quite the same richness, but they are a sensible stand-in. Breast meat cooks too quickly and dries before the crust has time to crisp.
2. 2

   Marinate briefly

   In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, sake, mirin, grated ginger, garlic, salt, and white pepper. Add the chicken and turn every piece until coated. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Longer is not better here; too much time in soy tightens the surface and makes the finished chicken taste salty before it tastes like chicken.

3. 3

   Drain and coat

   Lift the chicken from the marinade and let it drain well in a sieve for 5 minutes. Put the katakuriko in a shallow tray and press each piece into it, turning until every surface is covered. Shake off the heavy excess, then rest the coated chicken on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes, until the starch looks slightly damp in places.

   That short rest matters. Dry loose starch falls into the oil and burns; starch that has touched the chicken forms a thin shell and fries cleanly.
4. 4

   Heat the oil

   Pour 2 to 3 inches of oil into a heavy pot and heat it to 160 C or 320 F. Keep a rack over a tray nearby. The lower first temperature gives the heat time to reach the center without over-darkening the soy in the marinade.

5. 5

   First fry

   Fry the chicken in small batches for about 3 minutes, turning once or twice. Do not crowd the pot; crowded oil cools sharply and the coating drinks oil instead of sealing. The pieces should be pale gold and cooked through, or very nearly so, when you lift them out to the rack.

6. 6

   Rest the chicken

   Let the fried chicken rest for 5 minutes while you cook the remaining batches. The carryover heat finishes the center, and moisture moves outward toward the crust. That sounds like trouble, but it is exactly why the second fry works.

7. 7

   Second fry

   Raise the oil to 180 C or 355 F. Return the chicken in batches and fry for 60 to 90 seconds, just until the surface turns deeper golden and crisp under the chopsticks. This hotter fry drives off the moisture that reached the crust during the rest, giving karaage its clean, crackling bite.

8. 8

   Serve at once

   Drain on the rack, not on paper towels, so the underside stays crisp. Serve with lemon wedges and, if you like, a small mound of shredded cabbage. Salt is usually unnecessary; the marinade has already done that work.

Chef Tips

• •Buy chicken thighs that look plump and glistening fresh, with no sour smell and no grayness at the edges. Sourcing first, always. Frying only protects a good piece of chicken from being spoiled.
• •Katakuriko is potato starch, and it gives karaage its pale, crisp, slightly craggy shell. Cornstarch works in a pinch, but it fries a little harder and less delicately, so don't call it the same thing.
• •Use chopsticks or tongs to move the chicken gently in the oil. If a piece sticks, leave it another few seconds; the crust releases when it has set.
• •Keep the batches small. The oil should bubble actively but not violently around each piece. If the sound drops to a dull simmer, the pot is crowded or the oil is too cool.
• •Karaage is best just after the second fry, but it is also one of the great bento foods. Cool it on a rack before packing, or trapped moisture will soften the crust.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken can be cut and the marinade mixed earlier in the day, but combine them only 45 minutes to 1 hour before frying.
• •Coat the chicken shortly before frying. If it sits too long after starching, the coating turns pasty and heavy.
• •Leftover karaage keeps one day refrigerated. Recrisp it on a rack in a hot oven or toaster oven; microwaving warms it but softens the crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)