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Close up shot of golden brown pieces of air fried chicken karaage.
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Crispy Chicken Karaage - Japanese Fried Chicken

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!
Course Dinner, Snack
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Marinating Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 18 Pieces
Calories 96kcal
Cost $10

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:

For the coating:

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

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

    Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 208mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.4mg