Love chicken karaage but hate the thought of deep frying? Enjoy the BEST ever Japanese fried chicken with this quick and easy air fryer method, ready in just 10 mins!
In This Post You’ll Learn
Why We Love This
Try this easy chicken karaage recipe for the most irresistible bite-sized chicken pieces. Just like traditional Japanese fried chicken, they’re light and crispy, crunchy, juicy and golden brown!
We totally avoid deep frying whenever we can. This air frying method uses just a fraction of oil compared to deep frying, PLUS there’s no need to measure oil temperature, or risk splashing hot oil around the kitchen. Less oil also means less mess and no waste. Win win!
Enjoy these boneless chicken bites as a bento box treat, quick appetiser, or as the perfect accompaniment to your favourite ramen bowls or Japanese rice soup.
Related: Chicken Katsu / Chicken Nanban
Potato Starch – The secret ingredient for the crispiest fried chicken ever!
For the ultimate thin and crispy coating on your karaage chicken, you’ll need to use potato starch – NOT potato flour.
If you’re heading out to buy some take a close look at the packaging and make sure it says starch. It can sometimes be labelled as “potato starch flour” which is fine. But if it only says ‘potato flour’ this isn’t the same product and won’t work well as a substitute.
Avoid ‘sweet potato starch’ as it yields less crunch, but you can use it as a substitute if that’s all you can find.
One of the most popular products to use is JFC Katakuriko potato starch, which you’ll find online or at Asian grocery stores.
What is Chicken Karaage?
Japanese fried chicken ( also known as 鶏の唐揚げ / tori karaage or karaage chicken) is a popular appetiser or snack. It’s made from boneless chicken pieces that are marinated, coated in starch and (usually) deep fried.
Karaage originated in Japan during the 1920’s and is now so widespread, you’ll find it served at ramen restaurants and izakaya (Japanese pubs), convenience stores and festivals. It’s even a popular dish at Christmas time and to celebrate the New Year!
Some recipes call for a simple marinade of soy sauce and mirin, but we love the additional flavour of sake, rice wine vinegar and ginger flavours.
What You’ll Need
- Chicken – Boneless chicken thighs work best as they absorb the flavour from the marinade and stay nice and juicy once cooked. We prefer using skinless pieces but you can use skin-on chicken thighs if you prefer. You can also use chicken breast if you like them better. (If you do, add 2 tbsp of water into the marinade to keep the chicken juicy after frying)
- Potato Starch – Japanese katakuriko will give you the best, crispiest result. If you can’t get hold of any, the easiest substitutes are cornflour or cornstarch. Finally, all purpose flour can also work if that’s all you have, it just won’t be as crispy.
- Soy Sauce – Japanese style Kikkoman soy sauce works for this dish. You can also sub with tamari.
- Cooking Sake – Sake can be expensive in some areas, so sub with Chinese rice wine if required. You can also omit, or replace the same amount with more mirin.
- Mirin – Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine for cooking. Sub with an equal amount of sugar if you need.
- Rice Wine Vinegar – Look for this in the international aisle at your local supermarket, otherwise head to an Asian grocery store or buy online. If you don’t have any, you can substitute for apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or white vinegar.
- Ginger – Fresh grated ginger works best, sub with 1 tsp of minced ginger or ¼ – ½ tsp of ground ginger. You can actually freeze ginger (skinned and chopped into chunks, slices or finely grated) to use for a recipe like this.
- Vegetable Oil – Peanut, corn or canola oil have high smoke points which will allow you to fry the chicken without the air fryer smoking. You can also use a cooking spray to make it easier. Avoid olive oil as it has a lower smoke point.
How to Make Chicken Karaage
First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.
- Place chicken thigh pieces in a medium bowl and add the marinade ingredients (soy sauce, cooking sake, rice wine vinegar, ginger and mirin). Marinate on the bench for 10 minutes, or cover and pop in the fridge to marinate for longer (up to overnight).
- Brush and coat the bottom of the air fryer basket with vegetable oil (or cooking spray). Pre-heat your air fryer at 200°C / 400°F for 2-3 minutes.
- Coat the marinated chicken pieces in potato starch, tap off any excess starch and place into your air fryer. Tip: Only coat as many pieces as will fit in one layer of your air fryer basket or wire rack, and cook in batches to make sure they stay nice and crispy.
- Brush the tops of each chicken piece generously with vegetable oil until you can’t see any more starch, then close the lid and air fry for 4 minutes.
- Flip each piece over, brush with more vegetable oil and cook for a further 4 minutes. Tip: Stop here or cook for another minute or two for an extra brown and crunchy finish.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Marinade – For extra flavour, marinate the chicken in the fridge overnight. Take it out at least 30 mins before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Coating – Make sure the potato starch coating is nice and thick so it doesn’t come off as you flip the pieces. If you notice any areas of white starch showing while cooking, give it an extra dab of oil to get it nice and crispy.
- Leave Space – If you want those nice and crispy chicken bites you’re looking for, then don’t overcrowd the air fryer. Cook in batches and leave plenty of space between each piece.
- Cooking Time – Cooking time will be less as you cook more batches, since the air fryer will already be heated up. Keep an eye on the chicken as you go to avoid over cooking.
- Storage – Japanese fried chicken is best enjoyed hot and crispy immediately after frying, or eaten cold the next day (if properly stored in the fridge in an airtight container). We don’t recommend freezing it.
FAQs
For a simple meal, serve it with a fresh lemon wedge, or drizzle with a squeeze of lemon juice. It’s amazing dipped in Kewpie mayo and with a light sprinkle of salt or shichimi togarashi. For something a little different, serve them with a small bowl of sriracha mayo or sriracha aioli.
We love them with tonkatsu sauce and a simple side salad of cabbage mixed with sesame dressing, wafu salad, and a side of takuan pickles.
Add some to your next bento box with a portion of sushi rice or onigiri, Japanese potato salad, kimchi or a few homemade sushi rolls.
Reheat leftover karaage chicken in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 160°C / 320°F. This will keep the coating crispy without drying out the chicken. No need to add extra oil!
If you’re in a rush you can reheat them in the microwave, they just won’t be as crispy anymore. (But still delicious!)
If you don’t have an air fryer you can definitely deep fry them instead. Make sure to use a neutral flavoured cooking oil with a high smoke point and heat properly before cooking. Deep fry the chicken until golden brown, then transfer to a plate lined with 1 or 2 paper towel to drain off excess oil.
You can make them even crispier by double frying. Cook them for only 1-2 minutes during the first fry, then take out and drain. Set aside to cool down to room temperature. Then reheat the oil and fry again for another 2 minutes.
Variations
- Coating – Swap the potato starch for tempura flour for a totally different texture.
- Add Flavour – Try adding garlic, curry powder or black pepper, or a splash of sesame oil in with the marinade.
- Protein – Swap the bite-sized pieces of chicken for chicken wings, firm white fish pieces, prawns, pork or tofu.
- Dipping Sauces – Serve with ponzu sauce, yakitori sauce, gochujang mayo, bibimbap sauce or goma dare.
- Make it a Meal – Serve with noodle dishes like tsukemen, tantanmen or curry udon. We love it with a side of gyoza dumplings!
- Sweet Finish? – Serve up some Japanese coffee jelly with matcha ice cream for dessert.
Try these amazing recipes next:
- Tsukune – Japanese Chicken Meatballs – Juicy and delicious, so easy to make!
- Yakitori – Japanese Chicken Skewers – Pan fry or grill to perfection.
- Teriyaki Chicken – Glossy coating with sweet and savoury flavour!
- Crispy Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken – So crunchy you won’t stop at one.
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g boneless chicken thighs approx 3, skin removed, diced into 6 or 8 pieces each. If using chicken breast, see notes.
For the marinade:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cooking sake sub Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp ginger grated or finely diced
- 1 tsp mirin sub sugar
For the coating:
- 1 cup potato starch sub with cornstarch or all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place chicken thigh pieces in a medium bowl and add the marinade ingredients (soy sauce, cooking sake, rice wine vinegar, ginger and mirin). Marinate on the bench for 10 minutes, or cover and pop in the fridge to marinate for longer (up to overnight).¼ cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp cooking sake, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp mirin
- Brush and coat the bottom of the air fryer basket with vegetable oil (or cooking spray). Pre-heat your air fryer at 200°C / 400°F for 2-3 minutes.3 tbsp vegetable oil
- Coat the marinated chicken pieces in potato starch, tap off any excess starch and place into your air fryer. Tip: Only coat as many pieces as will fit in one layer of your air fryer basket or wire rack, and cook in batches to make sure they stay nice and crispy.1 cup potato starch
- Brush the tops of each chicken piece generously with vegetable oil until you can’t see any more starch, then close the lid and air fry for 4 minutes.3 tbsp vegetable oil
- Flip each piece over, brush tops with more vegetable oil and cook for a further 4 minutes. Tip: Stop here or cook for an extra minute or two for an extra brown and crunchy finish.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Chicken Breast – If you want to swap the thighs for chicken breast, add 2 tbsp of water in with the marinade which will help keep the chicken nice and juicy after frying.
- Marinade – For extra flavour, marinate the chicken in the fridge overnight. Take it out at least 30 mins before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Coating – Make sure the potato starch coating is nice and thick so it doesn’t come off as you flip the pieces while cooking. If you notice any areas of white starch showing while cooking, give it an extra dab of oil to get it nice and crispy.
- Oil – No need to re-baste the bottom of the air fryer basket between batches. Just once at the start is plenty.
- Leave Space – If you want those nice and crispy chicken bites you’re looking for, then don’t overcrowd the air fryer. Cook in batches and leave plenty of space between each piece.
- Cooking Time – Cooking time will be less as you cook more batches, since the air fryer will be nicely heated up. Keep an eye on the chicken as you go to avoid over cooking.
- Storage – Japanese fried chicken is best enjoyed hot and crispy immediately after frying, or eaten cold the next day (if properly stored in the fridge in an airtight container). We don’t recommend freezing it.
Nutrition
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