Japanese Fried Chicken Kara Age Food

JAPANESE CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN - KARA-AGE

Steps:

• Cut chicken in bite size pieces. In a plastic container or large ziploc bag, combine grated ginger, garlic, soy sauce and Sake.
• Put the chicken in the marinade and mix chicken well. Put the chicken in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a deep frying pan or a wok, heat vegetable oil to 180 degree Celsius or 350°F
• Dust the chicken with potato starch and fry in the oil until golden. To make them really crispy, lift chicken from the oil with chopsticks or tongs from time to time so that the chicken will be aired out (so to speak).

JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN (KARAAGE CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towel. Put the chicken and the Marinade ingredients into a ziplock bag or a bowl.
• Massage the bag well ensuring that all pieces are coated with the marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Heat enough oil in a deep pot or pan to 160°C/320°F (note 3). The depth of the oil should be about 3-4cm/1¼-1½".
• Meanwhile, drain excess marinade from the chicken, place the chicken pieces on paper towels to remove excess liquid, and put them in a bowl.
• Sprinkle over the corn flour and turn chicken to coat every piece with corn flour.
• Fry chicken in batches. Add several chicken pieces to the oil one by one and fry for about 2.5-3 minutes (note 4). You may want to move the chicken pieces around as they tend to stick to the bottom of the pot/pan.
• Take the chicken pieces out of the oil and rest for at least 3-4 minutes (note 5) on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
• Skim any flour crumbs from the oil if there are any and increase the temperature of the oil to 190-200°C/374-392°F (note 3).
• Put the chicken pieces back into the oil in batches and fry for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until golden brown and crunchy. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
• Serve immediately with shredded lettuce and parsley for decoration if using.

KARAAGE (JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• In a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the chicken, combine ginger, garlic, sake, soy sauce and sugar. Toss chicken pieces in marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
• Fill an aluminum or thin stainless steel pot (best for quick temperature adjustments), with sides at least 5 inches tall, with about 3 inches of peanut oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Place several layers of newsprint or paper towels on a sheet pan.
• While the oil heats, place a wire rack over a second sheet pan. In a bowl, combine potato starch, salt and pepper. Remove one piece of chicken at a time from marinade, and tuck in any jagged bits or skin as you roll it in starch mixture to coat. Rest it on the rack. Repeat with all chicken pieces.
• Gently shake off excess potato starch before cooking each piece of chicken. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time, keeping oil temperature around 325 degrees (temperature will fall when you add chicken) and no lower than 300 degrees. Fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oil using a wire-mesh spoon or long chopsticks, and cool on newsprint or paper towels.
• When all the chicken has been fried once, increase the oil's temperature to 375 degrees. Fry chicken pieces a second time, keeping the oil between 350 and 375 degrees, until the crust is deep golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain on newsprint or paper towels. This second frying makes the coating stay extra crisp, even if you don't serve it immediately.
• Serve hot or at room temperature, with a lemon wedge, and lettuce and cucumber slices for a cool, fresh contrast, if you like.

CHICKEN KARAAGE (JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, sake, and ginger in a large bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place cornstarch in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag and toss until chicken is coated with cornstarch.
• Fry chicken in batches until juices run clear and it is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels or on a wire rack.

KARA-AGE - JAPANESE STYLE FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Grate the ginger and squeeze it over a bowl to extract it's juices. Add the sake or wine and soya.
• Cut the chicken thighs into four chunks and rub well with the marinade, then set aside in the marinade for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oil slowly for 165-170oC/330-340oF. Pat the chicken dry on paper towel. When the oil is hot, dust the chicken generously with cornflour and lower the pieces into the oil. To maintain the oil temperature, do not add too many chicken pieces at once. Deep fry the chicken pieces for 4-5 mins, until crisp, golden and cooked through.
• Halve on chicken piece to make sure it is cooked inside. Drain the rest of the chicken, then serve hot or cold.
• Garnished with salad leaves.

JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN (CHICKEN KARAAGE)

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken, cut off any excess fat and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Using a sharp knife, score the chicken, especially in fibrous parts of the meat. Use the point of the knife to poke small holes in the chicken, then cut the chicken in bite-size (1 1/2-inch) pieces.
• In a mixing bowl combine the chicken, sake, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well, rubbing the marinade into the chicken. Marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Add the egg slowly to the chicken while mixing with your hands. Add the cornstarch and lightly toss to coat the chicken. In a medium saucepan heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer reads 335 degrees F. Fry the chicken, a few pieces at a time, until golden brown, about 10 minutes (the internal temperature of the meat should be 165 degrees F). Shake off any excess grease. Cool and reserve the oil for another use. Plate the chicken and garnish with lemon wedges to serve.

KARAAGE (JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Mix garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sake, mirin, sesame oil, black pepper, cayenne, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Place chicken in the marinade and mix until thoroughly and evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 10 hours.
• Set up your dredging station: Place a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. Add potato starch to a wide, shallow bowl.
• Remove chicken from the refrigerator. Stir to coat with marinade. Toss 2 or 3 pieces at a time in the potato starch until evenly coated. Shake off any excess starch and place chicken on the wire rack. Repeat to dredge remaining pieces.
• Tap the rack on the baking sheet to remove any loose chunks of starch, then transfer the baking sheet and rack of chicken to the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Without crowding, lower chicken carefully into the hot oil in batches. Fry, tossing occasionally, until cooked through and the outside is crunchy and browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken.

JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN KARAAGE WITH ONION GINGER RELISH

Steps:

• Massage chicken pieces with 1/2 tsp salt (to remove any unpleasant smell) and wash under cold running water and pat dry.
• If using bone in chicken legs, cut thigh meat (not skin side)in several areas to make leg sections lay flatter. Using the dull side of knife, pound slightly to flatten more. If using boneless chicken thighs, pound lightly to flatten for quick frying.
• Combine marinade/coating mixture thoroughly in a large bowl and marinate chicken for 30 minutes. Because this coating is thick, it is best to use your hand to coat the chicken pieces. In Asia, we call these types of coating marinades as simply marinades since it does impart taste to the food being marinated.
• While chicken is marinating, make vinegar sauce by combining all sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Make relish by combining all relish ingredients and set aside.
• With ample oil (about 1 inch in depth) in a wok or deep fryer, heat oil to medium high. Fry chicken turning them occasionally and adjust heat for even frying. They are done when nicely browned and crunchy, and no longer red in the center. This takes approximately 30-40 minutes for bone-in leg sections and about 15-20 minutes for boneless thigh sections. Timing will depend on how high the temperature is.
• Remove and cut in bite size pieces using a cleaver for bone in chicken or cut in bite size pieces using a regular kitchen knife for boneless chicken. Usually one leg section will yield 4 to 5 cut sections. Arrange on large platter and drizzle vinegar sauce over the chicken pieces and arrange a mound of relish on top.

JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN THIGHS (KARAAGE)

Steps:

• Cut chicken thighs crosswise into 1- 1 1/2 inch wide strips.
• Combine soy sauce, sake, ginger, garlic, sugar, and salt in zip-top bag. Add chicken and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• While chicken marinates, line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set wire rack in second baking sheet and line with tripe layer of paper towels. Place cornstarch in bowl.
• Lift chicken from marinade, 1 piece at a time, allowing excess marinade to drip back, but leaving any garlic or ginger bits on the chicken. Coat chicken with cornstarch, shake off excess, and place on parchment-lined sheet. Reserve marinade.
• Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 325 degrees. While oil heats, check chicken for dry white patches of cornstarch. Dip back of a spoon into reserved marinade and gently press into dry spots to lightly moisten.
• Using tongs, add half the chicken, one piece at a time, to oil in a single layer. Cook, adjusting heat if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees, until chicken is golden brown, 3 - 5 minutes. (There is no need to take the temperature of the chicken; it will be cooked through by the time it is golden brown and crispy.).
• Using skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer chicken pieces to paper towel-lined rack. Return oil to 325 and repeat with remaining chicken.
• Serve with lemon wedges.

KARAAGE-JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Using a fork, prick holes all over the fillets, then cut into 5cm pieces.
• Mix soy, sake and ginger juice and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towel and then toss in the corn starch.
• Heat the oil to 165-170C degrees and fry slowly and well.