Crispy White Meat Karaage Chicken

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!

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:

Karaage Chicken Sliders!

With Taylor Farm's Asian Chopped Coleslaw.

Shrimp Salad Roll with Tarragon and Chives

This is such an easy and fast recipe that's perfect for the summer. A good seafood roll is hard to come by here in Sacramento. Opting to make it at home, you can add more veggies, control the salt, and use lower calorie ingredients too! Alternatively, the shrimp salad can be enjoyed on a bed of lettuce!

When I went on the hunt for lobster roll and shrimp roll recipes they were typically served on a delicious looking roll. Come to find it was a New England Style Hot Dog Bun. that are hard to find in California. Lucky for me, my cousin-in-law Truc got me a pack of NE Style Buns from her east coast visit! The New England Style Hot Dog Bun is slightly sweet and more pliable than a regular hot dog bun. The way they're baked and cut make them ideal for buttering and toasting! I'm truly thankful for getting to try these buns before attempting to make my own! :P

This recipe can be made ahead and can keep for up to 2-days in the refrigerator. If making the same day, it's ideal to make it a few hours ahead of time to let the shrimp salad chill and let the herbs' flavors develop. The recipe below is approximately half the FineCooking.com's recipe, I also substituted the fresh herbs with dried herbs to make the recipe a little more pantry ingredients friendly.

Shrimp Salad Roll with Tarragon and Chives
Adapted from FineCooking.com
Makes 6 servings
Nutritional Value per serving- Calories: 244 Fat: 10g Protein: 12g Sodium: 509mg Sugar: 3g Carbs: 22g
Nutritional Value per serving (Shrimp Salad Only)- Calories: 69 Fat: 2g Protein: 6g Sodium: 349mg Sugar: 0g Carbs: 2g

Ingredients:
1 lb large shrimp (31 to 40 per lb.)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery with leaves
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used Kraft Olive Oil Mayo)
2 Tbsp. dried chives
2 Tsp. dried tarragon
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice; more to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
6 hot dog rolls, preferably New England-style split top rolls
3-4 Tbsp Ghee or melted butter (optional)

Directions:
In a large pot, bring well-salted water to boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and let cook until pink, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally (the water does not need to return to a boil). Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Peel the shrimp, de-vein (if necessary), and cut into small pieces.

In a large bowl, combine celery, mayonnaise, chives, tarragon, and lemon juice. Stir ingredients until well mixed and add shrimp. Add salt, pepper and more lemon juice to taste.

Heat a pan or skillet on medium heat. Lightly brush each side of hot dog buns with ghee or melted butter. Once the pan is hot, place the bun with one of the buttered sides down on the pan. Grill until lightly-browned and flip over and grill the other side is lightly browned. Spoon the shrimp salad into the rolls and serve. Enjoy!

Variations: Substitute the cooked shrimp with cooked lobster to make a lobster roll!