Rookie Pan
← All recipes
Japan, Asia · Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Restaurant-Style Juicy Karaage with Spring Onion Ponzu

Chicken thighs hydrated in their marinade for extra juiciness, fried low then hot for a shattering crust, served with a bright spring onion ponzu.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time40 min
Marinating the chicken+ 1 h
DifficultyMedium
About servingsThe oil must be at least 4 cm deep in the pot to keep its temperature steady, so it is fixed at 1 L for a 20 cm pot whatever the number of servings. Once cooled, strain the oil and reuse it 2 to 3 more times.

Method

  1. Trim the yellow fat from the chicken and cut it into large pieces of about 40 g (8 pieces). Add the soy sauce, sake, oyster sauce, ginger, garlic and water and massage firmly for 2 minutes, until the meat has soaked up all the liquid. Mix in the beaten egg and sesame oil and marinate in the fridge for 60 minutes.

    Add in this stepChicken thighs (skin on) 320 gSoy sauce 1½ tbspSake or mirin 1 tbspOyster sauce ½ tspGrated ginger 1 tspGrated garlic 1 tspWater 2 tbspBeaten egg 2 tbspToasted sesame oil ½ tsp

  2. In a small bowl, stir the sliced spring onions into the ponzu. Leave it while you fry so the onion flavours the sauce.

    Add in this stepSpring onions, finely sliced 20 gPonzu sauce 2 tbsp

  3. Do not shake off the marinade: add the flour straight to the chicken and toss until it clings like a thin batter. Then roll the pieces generously in the starch so the coating looks craggy, spread them on a plate and leave for so the starch settles and turns slightly damp.

    Add in this stepPlain flour 2 tbspPotato starch 5 tbsp

  4. Heat the oil to 160°C (medium heat): a dry wooden chopstick should release small bubbles slowly. Add the chicken and fry without moving it for in total, cooking this amount in 1 batch(es). Lift onto a wire rack and rest for ; the carry-over heat gently finishes the inside.

    Add in this stepOil for deep-frying 1 L

    medium heat

  5. Raise the oil to 190°C (high heat) and return the rested chicken in the same batches, frying for in total. It is ready when the crust is deep golden and sounds crisp as you lift it. The thickest piece should reach at least 75°C inside.

    high heat

  6. Stand the pieces on the rack to drain for 1 minute, then serve with lemon, the spring onion ponzu and a pinch of shichimi.

    Add in this stepLemon ½Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice) to taste

Cook's tip

Getting the meat to absorb water first is the secret to juiciness. If liquid is still pooling in the bowl, keep massaging. No oyster sauce? Add an extra ½ tbsp soy sauce instead.

Cooking it at camp

Instead of deep-frying, pour 1.5 cm of oil into a cast-iron pan, shallow-fry over medium heat turning halfway, rest the pieces, then turn up the heat and fry again for 30 seconds a side. Marinate at home and carry the chicken in its zip-lock bag in the cooler; take the ponzu in a jar.