The bigger deal with the twice-fried is that the chicken stays crispier for much longer. When you do a single fry, the chicken's own juice tends to saturate the breading after a little while, making it soggier. With the twice-fry, the juices tend to do that while the chicken rests, and then the second fry dehydrates the crust again, making it stay crispy for a lot longer.
Isn't the method also typically cooking it through to temp, then a flash fry at a higher temp? I'd be worried with the method above having the chicken not cook through since it is cooking halfway then dropping temperature.
@@CommentingAboutFood naw, fat transfers heat extremely well, put your hand into a deep fryer for 2 - 3 minutes and see what happens lol. If it was chicken breasts not chicken thighs I would be worried its over-cooked with the double fry method.
I always double fry because the meat stays crispy for longer and if you're doing stir fry or something saucy then the meat won't get soft in the sauce it stays crunchy anyway
It's also usually made with a wet batter by adding beaten egg as a binder and enough potato starch to make it like a thicker tempura--not the dry method shown here. You fry once at a lower temp, about 325°, to set the batter and par cook, then crank to 360°-375° to finish cooking and brown to your desire.
@@CommentingAboutFood You don't need to worry at all about the chicken not being cooked through if you fry it in small pieces as shown in the video above, or even pieces that are a bit bigger, because they cook through so quickly
How satisfying to watch a RUclipsr who has millions of followers making my country’s food! The Karaage looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!😊💕
Based on making Karaage myself (using different recipies), I've come across some techniques that I realized: 1. I like adding 1 tbsp of kashmiri chili powder to my marinade because it adds a mild spice and makes the color post-fry deeper 2. scoring the chicken allows more starch to get into the pores of the chicken, allowing it to become much crispier 3. mangled cuts of thigh are fine because the bits will end up sticking together during the fry due to the starch 4. coating the chicken in the starch again after the first coating ensures more will stick to the chicken (no unbreaded spots) 5. double fry is key, and should be done after the chicken has been sitting out for 5+ minutes to make it crispier 6. 3 fries is the limit, and the third is good for leftovers (heated via the deep-fry); 4 fries dries out the chicken too much
Used to live in Japan, and yeah this is the super popular snack food of choice over there. I mean, there are other snacks and all, but everybody loves this. It's fried chicken, after all. Chef John's marinade isn't the only way to do this, either. Lots of recipes I learned for this pretty much dip it in soy sauce, sugar, and maybe one extra seasoning of your choice, then top it with pepper and lemon juice. Sometimes yuzu is either added to or replaces the lemon as well. There are also plenty of places who do it rather plain, with just a little salt and pepper in the breading, and serve it with dipping sauces. It's basically smaller, juicier chicken tenders, or bigger, juicier popcorn chicken.
@@krupapoobal4036 No. Mochiko is fine, but it will be just a thin coat. Potato starch will be a thick but not too thick crispy coat. You can do a half all-purpose flour and a half potato starch or just all-purpose flour as well.
Sorry I believed that you were saying komeko. Komeko is the flour made from rice, and mochiko is the one made from glutinous rice, and they are different things. I’m pretty sure the coat of karaage will be sticky with mochiko. Komeko will be a super thin coat which won’t make karaage that crispy.
Happy New Year Chef John. I love the variety of cuisines you provide clear and simple instructions for - and let’s not forget that friendly, soothing and humorous delivery style! Keep up the great work and stay safe.
Chef John, i love your videos...! You did pronounced karaage, perfect also!! I'm japanese and my mom makes the best karaage ever!! She uses salt, papper , garlic powder and soy sauce, that's it. You just need right amount.. and potato starch,katakuriko, is very important !! And she uses chicken wings. It's really really good... i make it same way my mom does and my kids love them.
I can't believe how simple this recipe is. I've always wondered how they make their fried chicken. It's also funny how the sentence "pop the thighs in the fridge for 15-30 mins to let the starch hydrate and dry out a little bit" makes complete sense! Thank you Chef John, I love all your recipes! Fork don't lie!
I couldn’t decide what to fix for dinner tonight. Caught your video and decided to try it. Wow! What a hit! My husband is a chef but has worked as a nurse for the last 20 years. He and my son hate it when I try a new recipe from RUclips. Dinner was met with skepticism but I was surprised to have them tell me they really liked it and want me to make it again. I only fried it once because of time. I served it with rice and sweet chili sauce. Thanks for sharing.
Chef John: "Don't grate a fingertip trying to get those last couple molecules" Also Chef John: "Pick out that little piece of skin" Me: "He means from the ginger, right?" Also Me: "HE MEANS FROM THE GINGER, RIGHT???"
Can I just say I absolutely love your cooking videos! I'm getting more comfortable in my kitchen and whenever I want to make something I come to your recipes! Keep doing what you do Chef John, it's amazing!
Every restaurant serves their own Karaage plate. All different. All great. One of the best things to do here in Japan is visiting a new place for lunch and try out their Karaage teishokus
Great recipe as always, Chef John. My gf is Japanese, and I've been making karaage for her for over 3 years now; this is almost exactly how I do it. It's also similar to what I do for some Korean fried chicken recipes. . Btw I always double fry; double frying allows more of the surface moisture of the chicken to evaporate without it being overcooked, which makes it a bit crispier for much longer.
So happy to see you make my favorite dish! I still can remember the smell when my mom fried karaage…she asked me what I wanted to eat for birthday and I always said karaage…good memories
I made this today and it was absolutely delicious! I had to use cornstarch (it seems difficult to get potato starch in Germany) and I used gin instead of sake and also added a bit of sriracha. Still, or maybe because of that, really, really good!
I guess this comes to late for you but RUF Kartoffel Mehl is pure potato starch (you can check the listed ingredients) and you should be able to find it any supermarket. Nearly every potato flour you can buy in Germany is potato starch. Just check the ingredients list if you are not sure, most of the time it will only list potato starch. It seems way harder to get potato flour than starch. If you are still not sure, if it's white and fluffy like your corn starch it's starch if yellow it's flour. If it tastes like potatoes it's flour if it's tasteless it's starch.
i want to try this..so...i had to look up the recipe because with closed captioning ( which i was using instead of the volume) when you said add mirin...the closed caption translated that word into "urine" which i knew could not be correct!!!😁 I enjoy watching you cook...and describe your methods...
Living in Japan for over two years now, Karage is amazing and absolutely the best fried chciekn. I got a recipe almost identical to this about a year ago and has been my go-to for Games Night and the occasional date night. I occassionaly tinker with my own marinade by chucking in some paprika and home grown chilli's.
@@jackieknits61 Excellent! I’m a bit of a beginner with fish, but I’ll definitely have to try preparing a fish version! You’re right, it’s such a versatile recipe. :}
Definitely going to try this. My favorite part was when you pointed out that most Japanese would say their favorite food is fried chicken. So many African Americans like myself have allowed others to put negative connotations to liking Fried Chicken..Thanks 👍🏾
This is how I've made karaage for years! I normally use ginger powder though since its expensive where I'm at when bought fresh. I serve it on some nice butter lettuce or bread, then top with kewpie and either Sansyo pepper or nanami togarashi. 🤤
I was watching the Abroad In Japan RUclips Channel a few weeks ago, and learned about Hokkaido's Zangi Chicken, which is almost this same exact recipe, except that prior to dredging the chicken, you add a small bit of flour to the marinading chicken and mix until the marinade turns into a paste and /really/ sticks to the chicken.
I've made this twice since seeing this video (and am making it again tonight - Just came back to check the fry oil temp). I'd say you definitely have to season the potato starch before coating. And the double/triple fry method does work, and you don't really have to let them sit too long between fries. Only a minute or two to notice the difference in crunchiness. A great thing about this recipe is, it doesn't lose flour to your fryer oil. So no nasty globs of shit that need to be strained out of your oil - I'm GF and this is a major problem with GF breaded deep fried recipes. Thanks be to you Chef Johnny.
I’m Japanese living in Tokyo. Surprising to see Chef John making Karaage, I just had Karaage for dinner earlier. Lol. You don’t need Mirin or sugar normally but it adds a tiny bit sweeter taste. Traditionally no sugar no mirin. And you have to use potato starch that’s the crispy but thin coating. I am actually after perfecting my favorite Karaage at the moment so hence this video suggestion in my feed lol 😂 You only need four things to make traditional Karaage; 1) Sake (must be cooking Sake not drinking kind as it lacks many amino acids and salt yes it has salt and lasts in fridge, we don’t make any Japanese food with regular sake, with cooking Sake only), 2) soy sauce, 3) eggs 4) potato starch (Katakuriko), besides chicken and spices of course. After marinating you dunk the chicken pieces in potatoes starch. No need to dry on the lack. Then put them in egg white right before putting them in hot oil (190c). You turn it every minute or so and it makes amazing Karaage. It’s the egg white that keeps the juice trapped and it makes amazing ones. My mom adds eggs into the marinate and eggs even make it very moist and tastier but I like them both. I found hers to be too salty again and she uses sugar. Lol. I personally like half flour and half potato starch and double fry them. Anyways thanks for sharing! Love your show. 💖
Nice! Karaage is the best way to do fried chicken in my opinion. I also like Karaage with skin on chicken, it makes it even jucier and more delicious in my opinion. And for the dipping sauce i prefere some japanese mayo with shichimi spice in addition to the lemon.
Your fork scraping reminded me of watching blacksmithing videos and testing the hardness with a file. Sounded like that fork just skated across that chicken.
First time viewer. I love your presentation style. Relaxed and informative. It makes me feel like you are a friend. I use potato starch when making Korean Fried Chicken. I use Maangchi's recipe and she always recommends double frying to make it crispy. It's kind of funny because it then gets tossed in a gochujang based sauce, so it loses some of that crispness. I'll have to try your recipe for karaage. Sake is a little hard to come by here in the UK, but it's available online. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos.
Go to a Japanese grocery store in London there, you have to get the cooking Sake not the drinking kind. I’m Japanese used to live in London and it’s one of those things I didn’t live without. Sake and soy sauce. You can get Mirin but not necessary for Karaage actually. You can use brown sugar. Tastier.
Chef John, you are the absolute best in the RUclips biz. I've made many of your recipes and they always come out incredible. When I wanna try something new in the kitchen, first thing I do is check your channel to see if you have a video - which you almost always do. Thank you for your content!
"And that's what you can use if you can't find it...but you can." Chef John always inspiring confidence in my ability to locate the correct items for cooking your recipes!
A thing my obaachan used to go when she made karaage was add in very small amounts of water on the starch, and mix thoroughly to make these small clumps. Those clumps got super crunchy
Moisture is usually drawn to the surface in a once fry method. Korean fried chicken should also be fried twice. By letting it set for a bit when you do the second fry it removes that moisture.
If you are like me, you do not have a store that sells Japanese products in the neighborhood but you do have one that sells Korean products. Not a problem. Instead of sake, use soju (소주). They are identical. Instead of mirin, use mirim (미림). Koreans also have a non-alcoholic mirin substitute called mihyang (미향). Mihyang is as close to mirin as O'Doul's is to Budweiser. Make of that what you will.
There’s a well known RUclipsr named Chris Broad (Abroad in Japan) who has lived in Japan for the better part of a decade and is obsessed with Japanese Fried Chicken. He recently had a video in which he talks about Karage with much delight and I was going to look up the recipe. But Chef John with his always magical timing has me covered
This looks like it will be very good. Will try a batch in my Brevelle Air Fry Oven and prepare an orange glaze for dipping. No need to deep fry as this oven turns out crispy chicken every time.
Love the simplicity of this recipe! Do you think it would be possible to make in a shallower pan, like you do with schnitzel? I love karaage but I don't like how deep frying makes my apartment smell like hot oil.
Try it but beat the thigh pieces thin like you would do making schnitzel. You would probably find it easier to cut the thighs into 4 or, fry the flattened thigh pieces in no more than half and inch of oil and turn them over half way through the frying time.
I don't deep fry either and yes I make karaage. Use smaller peices. I like the idea of pounding them flat, I'm planning to try that. I use potato starch and mochiko. I think it's a Hawaii thing. And serve it with either mayo mixed with Wasabi or with some miso and ground sesame seeds. Very yummy. Or with some chili oil.
@@recoil53 Correct. Frying in either my Deep Fryer or my Cast Iron Skillets makes my house smell the same. I need a better oven fan to suck out the smoking grease. And so do you if you home smells like grease after any type of frying.
@@jackieknits61 I'm a big fan of Karaage served with the wasabi or sriracha flavoured varieties of Kewpie mayo. Will have to give the miso/sesame thing a try!
I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out amazing. I have used almost exactly the same marinade to make grilled chicken thighs and works great as well.
Hello chef John from Sacramento CA, John just switched over to carnivore keto diet and suffer through your videos. My wife bans me from watching while she home with out my headphones. I luckily work in a restaurant as a younger man and my chefs educated my pallette well so I can taste most things in my mind by looking at the recipe and cooking directions. So you been working the potatoes starch lately. Should follow up with German pancakes. "Forks don't lie "I sure want that shirt.
I once accidentally ordered whale karage here in Japan at a yatai food cart festival. There were no pictures just heavy weight kanji! I can't even in Japan without pictures! I was asked by the Japanese staff what country I was from, Australia which amused the Hell out of them, I was hung over so I didn't tweak. I didn't realize what I'd done until I bit into the super dark & strangely strong flavored meat, the coating was much more gingery & soy saucy. I won't ask because Chef John won't do but I chalked it up as a curious & interesting culinary accident..
Can you describe the flavor at all? I'm pescatarian and super curious haha. I haven't had to think about if I'd eat aquatic mammals from an ethical perspective yet though.
Ive been working on this dish for a while and Im still trying to master it. I feel like this video has helped me shape up on the finer details. Thanks Chef John and happy new year.
Wow i have been watching many videos about Karaage lately. What a happy coincidence Chef John did a video love you Chef John you have made my cooking more interesting for years now.
Tried part of the recipe today (Adam Liaw's marinade is still my go to). Using pure potato starch was a revelation, as well as the pre breading strategy. Can't express how grateful I am to have a pre breading strategy now with the help of your instructions.
I made this from the America’s Test Kitchen recipe because they raved about it too, but they only did the single fry. I didn’t have sake but they said I could substitute vermouth, which worked well (but I can’t say whether it tasted authentic since I’d never had karaage before). It was seriously the best fried chicken I’ve ever made. I’m def going to buy some sake next time and use this recipe to compare! Amaaazing. Oh side note, with the leftovers I made an Asian style chicken salad (or an American version of that lol) - lettuce, chopped cabbage, green onion, shredded carrot) and those crispy noodles. It was insanely good and everyone at work was jealous 😂
Best Wishes for 2022 from Sydney, Australia. Thank you for your ever informative, entertaining and most tasty presentations. I love listening to your witty speech and little jokes as well, I'm a better cook because of you. May you keep happy, healthy and safe. 🥰
Lol, I was _just_ about to comment that Chef John should have double fried the chicken, but he did show that method at the very end. Hats off to the all-time pro! 🙇
This is far and away the best karate recipe I have ever had! Perfection! Do try to find potato starch. Bob’s Red Mill makes it. I tried cornstarch at first and the coating was sort of heavy and hard. On my second try, I used potato starch and it was far superior - so light and crispy. The marinade is perfectly balanced. I left out the cayenne as I cannot tolerate it. I didn’t have sake, so I used 1 tbsp of vodka, 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of seasoned rice vinegar in its place. Do yourself a favour and make this dish asap!
I love Japanese food so much, they make everything look too beautiful to eat yet so delicious! Thanks for the great recipe I’ll definitely try it! I love how you post recipes from so many cultures, I pretty much love every kind of food and I’m thrilled to try new things! Thanks again ❤️
Chef John, I have really enjoyed watching your video over the last year or so. The one positive of the Covid lock-down, if you can call anything related to Covid a positive, is that we have had more time and opportunities to become with interesting videos like the ones you produce. Thank you for the efforts and all the good eats!
Karage really is the easiest fried chicken you can make at home. Going from marinade to flour without extra steps like egg wash and breading is a time saver. I'm marinating now and serving with coleslaw and pickles. Japanese chicken served Southern. Some potato salad wouldn't hurt either.
I don't ever fry foods at home because of the mess but this looked so easy I had to try. A total winner! We hadn't even finished eating the meal before deciding when to make it again. A real keeper!
Hey Chef John! Love to You! We're neighbors, I'm just south in Santa Cruz. Wanted to check up on you. You sound a bit 'subdued' in the last couple of videos. Maybe the Seasons, the absolute mind deadening of California Covid restrictions/BS, the rain... You sound 'off' from your normal super enthusiastic self. Just wanted to throw this out. If you Michelle, Family, etc. need anything, we are a 45 minute drive up. Know you've folks EVERYWHERE who love you. Happy Cooking! Keep them coming! You are the first RUclips channel I ever subscribed to! Much Alo'ha!
“Although if it’s a liquid, and it contains alcohol, someone’s drinkin’ it.”
Never change, Chef John.
Truer words have never been said.
People drink rubbing alcohol? pour souls.
That someone is me
@@JoshDragRace0688 People drink mouthwash so it wouldn't surprise me
Lol yess. Love chef john
The bigger deal with the twice-fried is that the chicken stays crispier for much longer. When you do a single fry, the chicken's own juice tends to saturate the breading after a little while, making it soggier. With the twice-fry, the juices tend to do that while the chicken rests, and then the second fry dehydrates the crust again, making it stay crispy for a lot longer.
Isn't the method also typically cooking it through to temp, then a flash fry at a higher temp? I'd be worried with the method above having the chicken not cook through since it is cooking halfway then dropping temperature.
@@CommentingAboutFood naw, fat transfers heat extremely well, put your hand into a deep fryer for 2 - 3 minutes and see what happens lol. If it was chicken breasts not chicken thighs I would be worried its over-cooked with the double fry method.
I always double fry because the meat stays crispy for longer and if you're doing stir fry or something saucy then the meat won't get soft in the sauce it stays crunchy anyway
It's also usually made with a wet batter by adding beaten egg as a binder and enough potato starch to make it like a thicker tempura--not the dry method shown here. You fry once at a lower temp, about 325°, to set the batter and par cook, then crank to 360°-375° to finish cooking and brown to your desire.
@@CommentingAboutFood You don't need to worry at all about the chicken not being cooked through if you fry it in small pieces as shown in the video above, or even pieces that are a bit bigger, because they cook through so quickly
How satisfying to watch a RUclipsr who has millions of followers making my country’s food! The Karaage looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!😊💕
Glory to Japan
I love karaage. Out of all of Japanese cuisine it's one of my favorites.
What is the daily staple food in Japan?
I love Japanese culinary arts. I even invested in the high end Enzo Japanese knife collection that are utilized on a daily basis.
Wow, didn't expect to see you here! Small world. But yeah, Japanese food is really good. Hope I'll be able to visit this year.
Based on making Karaage myself (using different recipies), I've come across some techniques that I realized:
1. I like adding 1 tbsp of kashmiri chili powder to my marinade because it adds a mild spice and makes the color post-fry deeper
2. scoring the chicken allows more starch to get into the pores of the chicken, allowing it to become much crispier
3. mangled cuts of thigh are fine because the bits will end up sticking together during the fry due to the starch
4. coating the chicken in the starch again after the first coating ensures more will stick to the chicken (no unbreaded spots)
5. double fry is key, and should be done after the chicken has been sitting out for 5+ minutes to make it crispier
6. 3 fries is the limit, and the third is good for leftovers (heated via the deep-fry); 4 fries dries out the chicken too much
Good tips! Thanks!
Used to live in Japan, and yeah this is the super popular snack food of choice over there. I mean, there are other snacks and all, but everybody loves this. It's fried chicken, after all. Chef John's marinade isn't the only way to do this, either. Lots of recipes I learned for this pretty much dip it in soy sauce, sugar, and maybe one extra seasoning of your choice, then top it with pepper and lemon juice. Sometimes yuzu is either added to or replaces the lemon as well. There are also plenty of places who do it rather plain, with just a little salt and pepper in the breading, and serve it with dipping sauces. It's basically smaller, juicier chicken tenders, or bigger, juicier popcorn chicken.
Oh my his recipe is authentic. I’m Japanese and that’s exactly how I make karaage. I put grated onion or onion powder too.
You don’t use mochiko?
@@krupapoobal4036 No. Mochiko is fine, but it will be just a thin coat. Potato starch will be a thick but not too thick crispy coat. You can do a half all-purpose flour and a half potato starch or just all-purpose flour as well.
i have few Japanese cooking channels and all of them use chicken with skin for karaage , which one is the original recipe then ?
You don’t add egg to the marinade? I see egg added in all the diner videos I watch.
Sorry I believed that you were saying komeko. Komeko is the flour made from rice, and mochiko is the one made from glutinous rice, and they are different things.
I’m pretty sure the coat of karaage will be sticky with mochiko.
Komeko will be a super thin coat which won’t make karaage that crispy.
Your tip about removing the skin from ginger with a spoon was brilliant. I always appreciate your small details.
Happy New Year Chef John. I love the variety of cuisines you provide clear and simple instructions for - and let’s not forget that friendly, soothing and humorous delivery style! Keep up the great work and stay safe.
Karaage is a very common lunchbox food, frequently served cold. Due to the marinade, it's still very delicious even cooled in the fridge.
I could've watched other videos about Karaage, but I chose this one- as always- for the voice narration. One of a kind.
Oooh I’ve had karaage with a ginger and soy sauce aioli and it’s heavenly. Thanks for sorting my weekend dinner!
Chef John, i love your videos...! You did pronounced karaage, perfect also!!
I'm japanese and my mom makes the best karaage ever!! She uses salt, papper , garlic powder and soy sauce, that's it. You just need right amount.. and potato starch,katakuriko, is very important !! And she uses chicken wings. It's really really good... i make it same way my mom does and my kids love them.
Karaage is one of my favortie methods of fried chicken
I can't believe how simple this recipe is. I've always wondered how they make their fried chicken. It's also funny how the sentence "pop the thighs in the fridge for 15-30 mins to let the starch hydrate and dry out a little bit" makes complete sense! Thank you Chef John, I love all your recipes! Fork don't lie!
I couldn’t decide what to fix for dinner tonight. Caught your video and decided to try it. Wow! What a hit! My husband is a chef but has worked as a nurse for the last 20 years. He and my son hate it when I try a new recipe from RUclips. Dinner was met with skepticism but I was surprised to have them tell me they really liked it and want me to make it again. I only fried it once because of time. I served it with rice and sweet chili sauce. Thanks for sharing.
Hey! Just one tip. The karaage is much, much better if you leave the skin. It becomes extra crispy after frying.
Chef John: "Don't grate a fingertip trying to get those last couple molecules"
Also Chef John: "Pick out that little piece of skin"
Me: "He means from the ginger, right?"
Also Me: "HE MEANS FROM THE GINGER, RIGHT???"
I'm sure that's what he means. Finger skin would cook up nicely...
Yikes
@@supergeek1418 As Mr. Lecter would say: "I'm having an old friend for dinner!"
😂
Can I just say I absolutely love your cooking videos! I'm getting more comfortable in my kitchen and whenever I want to make something I come to your recipes!
Keep doing what you do Chef John, it's amazing!
Every restaurant serves their own Karaage plate. All different. All great. One of the best things to do here in Japan is visiting a new place for lunch and try out their Karaage teishokus
Great recipe as always, Chef John. My gf is Japanese, and I've been making karaage for her for over 3 years now; this is almost exactly how I do it. It's also similar to what I do for some Korean fried chicken recipes. . Btw I always double fry; double frying allows more of the surface moisture of the chicken to evaporate without it being overcooked, which makes it a bit crispier for much longer.
So happy to see you make my favorite dish! I still can remember the smell when my mom fried karaage…she asked me what I wanted to eat for birthday and I always said karaage…good memories
I made this today and it was absolutely delicious! I had to use cornstarch (it seems difficult to get potato starch in Germany) and I used gin instead of sake and also added a bit of sriracha. Still, or maybe because of that, really, really good!
Good idea!
I guess this comes to late for you but RUF Kartoffel Mehl is pure potato starch (you can check the listed ingredients) and you should be able to find it any supermarket. Nearly every potato flour you can buy in Germany is potato starch. Just check the ingredients list if you are not sure, most of the time it will only list potato starch. It seems way harder to get potato flour than starch. If you are still not sure, if it's white and fluffy like your corn starch it's starch if yellow it's flour. If it tastes like potatoes it's flour if it's tasteless it's starch.
i want to try this..so...i had to look up the recipe because with closed captioning ( which i was using instead of the volume) when you said add mirin...the closed caption translated that word into "urine" which i knew could not be correct!!!😁 I enjoy watching you cook...and describe your methods...
i was just looking if someone else noticed it
Living in Japan for over two years now, Karage is amazing and absolutely the best fried chciekn. I got a recipe almost identical to this about a year ago and has been my go-to for Games Night and the occasional date night.
I occassionaly tinker with my own marinade by chucking in some paprika and home grown chilli's.
Happy new year, Chef John! Karage has always been my all time favorite way to cook chicken thighs (and even tofu). I’m so happy to see you feature it!
I do it with tofu too. Very yummy. And with cod fish. Really works well with a variety of foods.
@@jackieknits61 Excellent! I’m a bit of a beginner with fish, but I’ll definitely have to try preparing a fish version! You’re right, it’s such a versatile recipe. :}
@@sinensis What about the nooks and crannies? How do you make sure the starch sticks to the plain, smooth tofu?
Had this dish when I was in Japan. I found that adding the chicken to a curry dish is even better. They are just awesome together.
No way I'd ask you to make this but I I'm pretty thankful you've made it
Definitely going to try this. My favorite part was when you pointed out that most Japanese would say their favorite food is fried chicken. So many African Americans like myself have allowed others to put negative connotations to liking Fried Chicken..Thanks 👍🏾
I don't know,,, if I love his cooking technique the most!!! or his tenderheartedness character, the most. But "As Alwaaaaya, I ENJOY".
I love Chicken Karaage, order it all the time at a Japanese restaurant I frequent... it's usually coated with different drizzled sauces
This is how I've made karaage for years! I normally use ginger powder though since its expensive where I'm at when bought fresh. I serve it on some nice butter lettuce or bread, then top with kewpie and either Sansyo pepper or nanami togarashi. 🤤
I was watching the Abroad In Japan RUclips Channel a few weeks ago, and learned about Hokkaido's Zangi Chicken, which is almost this same exact recipe, except that prior to dredging the chicken, you add a small bit of flour to the marinading chicken and mix until the marinade turns into a paste and /really/ sticks to the chicken.
Love that channel.
The first time I ate these in Japan was like love at first sight. We still cook them from time to time. Tabasaki (Yamachans) chicken is also amazing.
I've made this twice since seeing this video (and am making it again tonight - Just came back to check the fry oil temp). I'd say you definitely have to season the potato starch before coating. And the double/triple fry method does work, and you don't really have to let them sit too long between fries. Only a minute or two to notice the difference in crunchiness. A great thing about this recipe is, it doesn't lose flour to your fryer oil. So no nasty globs of shit that need to be strained out of your oil - I'm GF and this is a major problem with GF breaded deep fried recipes. Thanks be to you Chef Johnny.
I’m Japanese living in Tokyo. Surprising to see Chef John making Karaage, I just had Karaage for dinner earlier. Lol. You don’t need Mirin or sugar normally but it adds a tiny bit sweeter taste. Traditionally no sugar no mirin. And you have to use potato starch that’s the crispy but thin coating. I am actually after perfecting my favorite Karaage at the moment so hence this video suggestion in my feed lol 😂 You only need four things to make traditional Karaage; 1) Sake (must be cooking Sake not drinking kind as it lacks many amino acids and salt yes it has salt and lasts in fridge, we don’t make any Japanese food with regular sake, with cooking Sake only), 2) soy sauce, 3) eggs 4) potato starch (Katakuriko), besides chicken and spices of course. After marinating you dunk the chicken pieces in potatoes starch. No need to dry on the lack. Then put them in egg white right before putting them in hot oil (190c). You turn it every minute or so and it makes amazing Karaage. It’s the egg white that keeps the juice trapped and it makes amazing ones. My mom adds eggs into the marinate and eggs even make it very moist and tastier but I like them both. I found hers to be too salty again and she uses sugar. Lol. I personally like half flour and half potato starch and double fry them. Anyways thanks for sharing! Love your show. 💖
Nice! Karaage is the best way to do fried chicken in my opinion. I also like Karaage with skin on chicken, it makes it even jucier and more delicious in my opinion. And for the dipping sauce i prefere some japanese mayo with shichimi spice in addition to the lemon.
That is the popular way!
Love the always happy introduction of the dish 💕 i can feel the joy in your voice 💕
Your fork scraping reminded me of watching blacksmithing videos and testing the hardness with a file. Sounded like that fork just skated across that chicken.
ive been waiting for this for so long. thanks for granting one of my food wishes Chef
First time viewer. I love your presentation style. Relaxed and informative. It makes me feel like you are a friend.
I use potato starch when making Korean Fried Chicken. I use Maangchi's recipe and she always recommends double frying to make it crispy. It's kind of funny because it then gets tossed in a gochujang based sauce, so it loses some of that crispness. I'll have to try your recipe for karaage. Sake is a little hard to come by here in the UK, but it's available online. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos.
without 2x fry it'll lose those crispiness much faster and worse
Ah Maangchi! I love her so much! See you next time, byeee!
Go to a Japanese grocery store in London there, you have to get the cooking Sake not the drinking kind. I’m Japanese used to live in London and it’s one of those things I didn’t live without. Sake and soy sauce. You can get Mirin but not necessary for Karaage actually. You can use brown sugar. Tastier.
@@KittenBowl1 Thank you. So cooking sake, not he expensive stuff. Good to know. Nice name you chose, kawaii. 🙂
Chef John, you are the absolute best in the RUclips biz. I've made many of your recipes and they always come out incredible. When I wanna try something new in the kitchen, first thing I do is check your channel to see if you have a video - which you almost always do. Thank you for your content!
"And that's what you can use if you can't find it...but you can." Chef John always inspiring confidence in my ability to locate the correct items for cooking your recipes!
I am currently sick and bed ridden but hearing your voice makes me feel better.
Japanese American here. You pronounced "karaage" perfectly.
Chef John is the best.
Best I've ever seen on RUclips! Hands down! And an inspiration for any chef wanna be like me! Thank you Chef!
Finally somebody who knows how to peel ginger 😁
Chef John's recipe here is perfect Kara-age recipe, which is so much enjoyed the the millions of Japanese here in Japan. Thank you!
A thing my obaachan used to go when she made karaage was add in very small amounts of water on the starch, and mix thoroughly to make these small clumps. Those clumps got super crunchy
I pumped my arm and yelled "my man" when Chef John dropped the Steph and Klay
xDDD
Yes! Excellent. Haven't watched yet, but am excited.
I have another food wish as well. Okonomiyaki!
Also Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki! It's the less popular style, but my personal favorite. My host father made it for me on my exchange trip to Japan.
Or also Modanyaki, that was one of my favourites. It's all good stuff!
Moisture is usually drawn to the surface in a once fry method. Korean fried chicken should also be fried twice. By letting it set for a bit when you do the second fry it removes that moisture.
If you are like me, you do not have a store that sells Japanese products in the neighborhood but you do have one that sells Korean products. Not a problem. Instead of sake, use soju (소주). They are identical. Instead of mirin, use mirim (미림). Koreans also have a non-alcoholic mirin substitute called mihyang (미향). Mihyang is as close to mirin as O'Doul's is to Budweiser. Make of that what you will.
My favorite! My recipe I season the starch with a little white pepper and paprika.
There’s a well known RUclipsr named Chris Broad (Abroad in Japan) who has lived in Japan for the better part of a decade and is obsessed with Japanese Fried Chicken.
He recently had a video in which he talks about Karage with much delight and I was going to look up the recipe. But Chef John with his always magical timing has me covered
I tried this, marinating the chicken overnight. I didn’t have any potato starch but had corn starch on hand. End result was still very tasty.
This looks like it will be very good. Will try a batch in my Brevelle Air Fry Oven and prepare an orange glaze for dipping. No need to deep fry as this oven turns out crispy chicken every time.
I was just wondering how this would work in an air fry oven. Please let me know how it turns out!
That Karaage Chicken looks so delicious. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Chef John thanks for sharing!
Love the simplicity of this recipe! Do you think it would be possible to make in a shallower pan, like you do with schnitzel? I love karaage but I don't like how deep frying makes my apartment smell like hot oil.
Try it but beat the thigh pieces thin like you would do making schnitzel. You would probably find it easier to cut the thighs into 4 or, fry the flattened thigh pieces in no more than half and inch of oil and turn them over half way through the frying time.
I don't deep fry either and yes I make karaage. Use smaller peices. I like the idea of pounding them flat, I'm planning to try that. I use potato starch and mochiko. I think it's a Hawaii thing. And serve it with either mayo mixed with Wasabi or with some miso and ground sesame seeds. Very yummy. Or with some chili oil.
Wouldn't you still be cooking in hot oil?
@@recoil53 Correct. Frying in either my Deep Fryer or my Cast Iron Skillets makes my house smell the same. I need a better oven fan to suck out the smoking grease. And so do you if you home smells like grease after any type of frying.
@@jackieknits61 I'm a big fan of Karaage served with the wasabi or sriracha flavoured varieties of Kewpie mayo. Will have to give the miso/sesame thing a try!
Thank you for making this recipe! My mum is gluten intolerant and I was struggling to find a good recipe to share. But now she has this!
I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out amazing. I have used almost exactly the same marinade to make grilled chicken thighs and works great as well.
Hello chef John from Sacramento CA, John just switched over to carnivore keto diet and suffer through your videos. My wife bans me from watching while she home with out my headphones. I luckily work in a restaurant as a younger man and my chefs educated my pallette well so I can taste most things in my mind by looking at the recipe and cooking directions. So you been working the potatoes starch lately. Should follow up with German pancakes. "Forks don't lie "I sure want that shirt.
Tonight, I'm going to be the Scottie Pippen of my Japanese Fried Chicken.
You are an absolute treasure for anyone learning to cook or try a new recipe. Thank you for doing what you do
I once accidentally ordered whale karage here in Japan at a yatai food cart festival. There were no pictures just heavy weight kanji! I can't even in Japan without pictures!
I was asked by the Japanese staff what country I was from, Australia which amused the Hell out of them, I was hung over so I didn't tweak.
I didn't realize what I'd done until I bit into the super dark & strangely strong flavored meat, the coating was much more gingery & soy saucy.
I won't ask because Chef John won't do but I chalked it up as a curious & interesting culinary accident..
Can you describe the flavor at all? I'm pescatarian and super curious haha. I haven't had to think about if I'd eat aquatic mammals from an ethical perspective yet though.
@@soogymoogi It's definitely mammal not fish it can be very dark as the karage was & it's gamey in a venison way.
@@bigolmemoryhole6944 huh wouldn't have expected whale to be gamey. Interesting!
Ive been working on this dish for a while and Im still trying to master it. I feel like this video has helped me shape up on the finer details. Thanks Chef John and happy new year.
garlic, ginger, honey, butter, soy sauce, and brown sugar for a sauce, toss in the sauce and serve on rice. mmmm
I sure hope you do more Japanese recipes, Chef John!
Wow i have been watching many videos about Karaage lately. What a happy coincidence Chef John did a video love you Chef John you have made my cooking more interesting for years now.
Tried part of the recipe today (Adam Liaw's marinade is still my go to). Using pure potato starch was a revelation, as well as the pre breading strategy. Can't express how grateful I am to have a pre breading strategy now with the help of your instructions.
I get irrationally happy whenever I watch any of your videos and hear either "a shake of cayenne" or "a-tap-a-tap-a"
I made this from the America’s Test Kitchen recipe because they raved about it too, but they only did the single fry. I didn’t have sake but they said I could substitute vermouth, which worked well (but I can’t say whether it tasted authentic since I’d never had karaage before). It was seriously the best fried chicken I’ve ever made. I’m def going to buy some sake next time and use this recipe to compare! Amaaazing.
Oh side note, with the leftovers I made an Asian style chicken salad (or an American version of that lol) - lettuce, chopped cabbage, green onion, shredded carrot) and those crispy noodles. It was insanely good and everyone at work was jealous 😂
Happy New Year and Congratulations on reaching 4 million subscribers! Your channel is my happy place 😊
I’m on a bento box kick. This is a desire of my heart. Thanks Food Wishes.
OMG! That looks amazing! I need to get my husband to make this for me! He is after all the household chef! 🧡
Fried + chicken + Chef John = CLICK + COOK!
“Oh yeah fork don’t lie.”
Best.Quote.Ever
Dont forget the forever classic,
"Wet hands make smooth balls"
Best Wishes for 2022 from Sydney, Australia. Thank you for your ever informative, entertaining and most tasty presentations. I love listening to your witty speech and little jokes as well, I'm a better cook because of you. May you keep happy, healthy and safe. 🥰
Ooh, yum! Thanks, Chef John, I bet this'll be delicious! I've been looking for a good fried chicken recipe for boneless/skinless pieces.
Steph and KLAY!!!!! Nice timing Chef John. Can't wait for Sunday.
One of my favorite snack foods, which I also enjoyed while I was in Japan. Simple and easy.
Ooh! I love karaage! Thanks Chef John, and Happy New Year!!
You’re the man Chef John
Lol, I was _just_ about to comment that Chef John should have double fried the chicken, but he did show that method at the very end. Hats off to the all-time pro! 🙇
This is far and away the best karate recipe I have ever had! Perfection! Do try to find potato starch. Bob’s Red Mill makes it. I tried cornstarch at first and the coating was sort of heavy and hard. On my second try, I used potato starch and it was far superior - so light and crispy. The marinade is perfectly balanced. I left out the cayenne as I cannot tolerate it. I didn’t have sake, so I used 1 tbsp of vodka, 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of seasoned rice vinegar in its place. Do yourself a favour and make this dish asap!
Loving the potato starch series!! More please 😃
I made this tonight and the family loved it. It took some preparation, but it was totally worth it.
Happy new year, to another year of great recipes
I love Japanese food so much, they make everything look too beautiful to eat yet so delicious! Thanks for the great recipe I’ll definitely try it! I love how you post recipes from so many cultures, I pretty much love every kind of food and I’m thrilled to try new things! Thanks again ❤️
Chef John, I have really enjoyed watching your video over the last year or so. The one positive of the Covid lock-down, if you can call anything related to Covid a positive, is that we have had more time and opportunities to become with interesting videos like the ones you produce. Thank you for the efforts and all the good eats!
Karage really is the easiest fried chicken you can make at home.
Going from marinade to flour without extra steps like egg wash and breading is a time saver.
I'm marinating now and serving with coleslaw and pickles. Japanese chicken served Southern. Some potato salad wouldn't hurt either.
I don't ever fry foods at home because of the mess but this looked so easy I had to try. A total winner! We hadn't even finished eating the meal before deciding when to make it again. A real keeper!
You are, after all, the "hokage" of your karaage.
Thanks for a really easy gluten free recipe--my kid with celiac disease will love this!
and yes, I know to use GF soy sauce :-)
Shokugeki no Soma showed me this dish, so happy to see the chef prepare it
The great grandfather of youtube cooking popping out another banger.
"Oh, yeah... Fork don't lie" I laughed out loud 6:31
Hey Chef John! Love to You! We're neighbors, I'm just south in Santa Cruz. Wanted to check up on you. You sound a bit 'subdued' in the last couple of videos. Maybe the Seasons, the absolute mind deadening of California Covid restrictions/BS, the rain...
You sound 'off' from your normal super enthusiastic self.
Just wanted to throw this out. If you Michelle, Family, etc. need anything, we are a 45 minute drive up. Know you've folks EVERYWHERE who love you. Happy Cooking! Keep them coming! You are the first RUclips channel I ever subscribed to!
Much Alo'ha!
For non-Americans:
Corn starch = Corn flour
Corn flour = Corn meal.
I just love your show! Thank you so much, Trying this one today