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Japanese

Chicken karaage

Non-vegetarian

唐揚げ · karaage

Bite-size chicken thigh marinated in soy, ginger and garlic, dredged in starch and fried until juicy inside and craggy-crisp outside.

Chicken karaage is a Japanese main course, ready in about 1 hour and made with chicken thigh and cornstarch. It serves 3 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h
Serves
3
Level
Intermediate
Calories
449

Ingredients

3 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the chicken with the soy sauce (opens in a new tab), sake (opens in a new tab), ginger and garlic (opens in a new tab), cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes (up to 4 hours).

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Keep raw chicken refrigerated while it marinates and wash hands and surfaces afterwards.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Combine the starch and flour. Drain the chicken briefly and toss each piece in the mixture, pressing so it clings in a rough coating.

    • 5 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil to 165 °C and fry the chicken in batches for 3–4 minutes until pale golden. Lift out and rest on a rack for 3 minutes.

    Food safety: Never leave hot oil unattended, keep the pan no more than a third full and lower food in away from you. Keep a lid nearby to smother any flare-up — never use water.

  4. Step 4

    Raise the oil to 185 °C and fry the pieces again for about 1 minute until deep golden and very crisp.

    • 3 min
    • 185°C

    Food safety: Chicken should reach 74 °C in the thickest piece.

  5. Step 5

    Drain and serve hot with lemon (opens in a new tab) wedges and mayonnaise (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Japan · Well documentedMore food from Japan
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Main courses · Finger food
    Cooking method
    Deep-fried, Marinated / cured
    Taste
    savoury, garlicky, umami, mild
    Diet
    Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    Without the optional extras: Egg-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Child-friendly · Portable / lunchbox
    Cook more with
    Chicken thigh · Cornstarch · Soy sauce · Sake · Fresh ginger · Garlic
    Techniques
    Deep-frying · Marinating · Curing

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom mayonnaise
    • Contains: Wheatfrom soy sauce, all-purpose flour
    • Contains: Glutenfrom soy sauce, all-purpose flour
    • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce
    • May contain: Mustardfrom mayonnaise

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    449 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 225 g · recipe makes 3

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 32%
    • Carbohydrate 19%
    • Fat 49%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy449 kcal199 kcal
    Protein34.5 g15.3 g
    Carbohydrate21.1 g9.4 g
    Net carbohydrate20.7 g9.2 g
    Sugars0.1 g0 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre0.5 g0.2 g
    Fat23.7 g10.5 g
    Saturated fat3.1 g1.4 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol157 mg69 mg
    Sodium783 mg347 mg
    Salt equivalent2 g0.9 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    476 mg
    Calcium
    22 mg
    Iron
    1.9 mg
    Magnesium
    50 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    12 µg
    Vitamin C
    1 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    1 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    24 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: lemon, mayonnaise.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • The double fry gives the crispest crust and keeps the meat juicy.

    Common mistakes

    • Using breast meat — it dries out; thigh is standard.

    Serve with

    • Serve with rice and shredded cabbage, or cold in a bento box.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate for up to 2 days; also good cold.

    Reheating

    • Re-crisp in a 200 °C oven or air fryer for 6–8 minutes.

    Variations

    • Tatsuta-age: A similar soy-marinated fried chicken coated in potato starch alone.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 2, 3

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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