Japanese Twice-Fried Chicken (Karaage) Recipe
Prep Time:
1 hour
Cook Time:
25 minutes
Servings:
4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sake
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon Kewpie mayo, divided
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 large clove minced fresh garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 3 tablespoons sweet or spicy chili sauce
  • 2 cups avocado, peanut, or other vegetable oil with a high smoke point
  • ½ cup potato starch
  • 2 cups shredded Napa or other cabbage
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
  • 1 long sweet pepper (such as Anaheim or banana), thinly sliced into rounds
  • 3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 2 small lemons, cut into wedges
Directions
  1. Place the chicken on a cutting board and pierce it all over with a fork to allow the marinade to penetrate.
  2. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
  3. Transfer the chicken to a plastic bag.
  4. Add the soy sauce, sake, 1 tablespoon mayo, ginger, garlic, and white pepper. Seal the bag and massage gently to evenly coat the chicken.
  5. Place the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
  6. While the chicken marinates, mix together the remaining ½ cup of mayo with the chili sauce, then chill until ready to serve.
  7. Drain the excess marinade from the chicken.
  8. Transfer the chicken to a shallow dish and blot it with a paper towel to remove excess liquid.
  9. Heat the oil in a heavy medium-sized pot until it reaches 325 F.
  10. Meanwhile, dredge the chicken with the potato starch, making sure that each piece is coated.
  11. Once the oil is hot, cook the chicken in batches for about 2 minutes.
  12. Remove the chicken with a heat-proof slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels, repeating until all of the chicken has been fried. Let rest for 5 minutes.
  13. Heat the oil to 375 F.
  14. Fry the chicken in batches a second time for about 30 seconds until deep brown and crispy. Transfer to a clean batch of paper towels.
  15. Fill shallow bowls with some of the cabbage, tomatoes, and pepper slices and top with the hot karaage chicken and garnish with the sliced scallions and lemon wedges.
  16. Serve with mayo sauce for dipping.