Hellobee

While we try to eat healthy in the Dolphin household, sometimes we just want a special treat. This recipe is actually a favorite of Mr. Dolphin, but while Lion will eat it, there are definitely other forms of chicken he likes better. I usually make this the night before chicken nuggets appear on the daycare’s monthly snack menu since, even though I won’t pretend that fried chicken is healthy, we think chicken karaage is more delicious (and less processed) than the nuggets served at daycare. Lion is happy to have a substitute that is similar to what the other kids are being served.

Chicken karaage is basically a really flavorful Japanese style chicken nugget. It’s generally made with chicken thighs, marinated with seasonings and then mixed with potato starch (or corn starch) before being fried.

 
Lion actually finished off most of this plate. We try to serve a cucumber salad to accompany the dish first, otherwise he might eat chicken only for dinner.

What I love about chicken karaage is that it is much easier than most of the other types of fried chicken I’ve made. It takes only about 30 minutes total, with about 5-10 minutes of prep time and the rest devoted to frying. I throw the marinade into a Ziploc bag with the chicken and let it sit, then when it’s time to cook, I throw in the potato starch and mash it together. Other types of fried chicken that I’ve made often involve a dry-wet-dry breading technique, or at the very least, a lot of time putting the dry breading on. With this recipe, you are making more of a batter so it’s faster to put together and the potato starch results in a light non-greasy breading. As a bonus, Lion is always excited to get in on the action and likes to squish the ingredients together in the bag.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

For the marinade:

• 1 inch ginger, grated (can also use 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger)
• 8 garlic cloves, minced or pushed through a garlic press
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sake (see substitution notes below)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 egg yolk (optional; it changes the texture of the breading and makes it a little crispier. I like it both with and without the egg yolk, but if you omit it, you may want to add a bit more soy sauce and sake)

For the frying:

• 1/2 cup potato starch (see substitution notes below)
• Oil

Directions:

1. Cut chicken thighs into 2 inch pieces. You can make them smaller if you prefer, but just make sure to cut them to a uniform size to ensure frying time is about the same.
2. Mix all ingredients for the marinade in a plastic bag. Using a bowl or Tupperware container also works, but as I mentioned in this post, we do tend to use plastic bags when cooking meat because it deters my toddler from handling raw meat. Add chicken and let it marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. I’ve let it marinate overnight, too, with no problems.
3. When you’re ready to fry, heat oil in a wok. You’re supposed to actually deep fry the chicken, so feel free to use whatever deep frying method you use. I don’t like to waste the oil, so I usually only put in no more than an inch of oil and then flip the chicken over halfway through. I don’t have a thermometer, so I check to see if the oil is hot enough by putting a wooden chopstick straight down in the oil. If bubbles form around the chopstick, the oil is ready.
4. Pour the potato starch into the plastic bag, reseal the bag and mix it up. Lion loves squishing the chicken in the bag! It won’t look like the chicken is covered in batter, but that’s okay, our karaage always has enough coating once it is fried.
5. When the oil is ready, working in small batches of about 5-6 pieces of chicken at a time, place the chicken in the hot oil. I fry the chicken for about one minute, then flip each piece over to let it fry on the other side. If you’re truly deep frying it, I’d leave it in for about 90 seconds.
6. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the oil and place on a wire rack on a baking sheet to let any excess oil drain off. You can also use paper towels, but I find that it makes the chicken soggier and sometimes the breading will stick to the towels. If you’re making a large batch, you can keep the chicken warm in an oven at around 180 degrees. Continue to fry the rest of the chicken in small batches.

Cooling and draining.

Chicken karaage is often served with lemon wedges. Because of the seasonings used in the marinade, I don’t find it necessary to use any dipping sauces. However, Mr. Dolphin is obsessed with hoisin sauce and tries to find an excuse to put it on just about anything.

The above recipe makes a fairly large batch and there are always enough for leftover lunches.

We serve it with rice and vegetables, often times a lightly pickled cabbage since Lion loves anything tangy. Enjoy!

Chicken karaage! Yum!

Substitution Notes

Sake: I’m able to find sake in the vinegar aisle of my local grocery store, next to the other cooking wines. If you’re unable to find sake, good substitutes are a dry sherry or mirin. If you don’t like to cook with alcohol, I would completely omit the sake and instead add in a teaspoon of sugar for some sweetness and balance.

Potato starch: Unlike sake, my local grocery store does not carry potato starch and I have to get it from the Asian market. I really like using potato starch because the breading comes out lighter and less greasy. However, I have successfully made this with corn starch when I ran out of potato starch. I also once used flour and while it mostly worked, there were some pieces where the breading fell off.

The first few times I made chicken karaage, Lion picked off all the breading and just ate the chicken. He eats it whole, now, though.

Reheating notes

If you’re making a very large batch, I would keep the cooked chicken warm in a 180 degree oven as you work. If you have leftovers, you can certainly reheat in the microwave, though the breading will get a bit soggy. Reheating in a 325 degree oven for about five minutes usually works for us and crisps up the breading a bit.