The first time I had karaage chicken, it was at a local Japanese restaurant and it reminded me a lot of Chinese brandy fried chicken only better because they were bite sized and delicately crispy. Karaage chicken is traditionally made with chicken thigh meat, but I prefer chicken breasts because of texture. Yes, this is a fried chicken recipe, I'm all about balance ;P, I'd typically have this with steamed broccoli or a salad. I knew this recipe was a big hit when my god-sister's son kept asking for it after I made this for my son's birthday party!
I simplified the recipe by using ground ginger and garlic powder in lieu of fresh. This saves a ton of time and makes this recipe a little more pantry staple friendly. You can also marinate the chicken in bulk and portion out in ziplock bags and freeze until ready to use!
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Marinate in bulk for easy weeknight meals! |
Crispy White Meat Karaage Chicken
Adapted from Food.com
Makes 4 servings (4 oz. per serving)
Nutritional Value per serving- Calories: 321 Fat: 17g Protein: 21g Sodium: 766mg Sugar: 1g Carbs: 22g
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breasts cut into bite size
1/8 Tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Sake (Japanese Rice Wine)
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/8 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 Cup Potato Starch
Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Directions:
To make marinade, combine ground ginger, garlic powder, soy sauce and sake in a large bowl. Whisk until well blended. Add chicken to the marinade and mix so that the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
In a heavy bottom skillet or a wok, heat vegetable oil to 350 degrees F**. While the oil is heating, dust the chicken with potato starch.*** When oil is ready, fry the chicken in the oil until golden. For extra crispiness, lift the chicken from the oil with a steel strainer and return to hot oil.
**If you don't have a thermometer, you can use an un-lacquered wooden/bamboo chopstick to test if your oil is hot enough. After heating up your oil for a few minutes, touch the bottom of the pan with the chopstick, if little bubbles start rolling up, the oil is ready to fry!
***Alternatively you can dust the chicken with corn starch, I've read that potato starch is what gives the karaage chicken it's light crispiness; corn starch would yield a more dense crunch.
Foodspiration: