This Japanese style of fried chicken is known for its crispy shell and its succulent center. It can be difficult to achieve these two very different textures but the triple-fry helps to ensure you achieve that crunch-level you crave while protecting the juicy meat inside. Some folks even fry their karaage meat FOUR times (David Chang at Momofuku) but we've found that three is our lucky number.

Marinated chicken coated in the potato starch mixture

Recipe: Karaage

This recipe makes 4–6 servings depending on how much you like to eat :)

Ingredients

8 boneless/skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1.5/2-inch morsel sizes)
2.5 C. potato starch (Allan's gma in Japan uses cornstarch, but we like potato)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Marinade:
- 1/2 C. soy sauce
- 1/4 C. sake
- 1/8 C. mirin
- 1 TBSP. sugar
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece of ginger (grated)
- 2 scallions (chopped into 1" pieces)
- 1/4 pepper
Vegetable oil (we get one of those big jugs from Costco)
cherry tomatoes, cucumber and lemon wedges (for serving)
Rice (optional, but recommended)

Instructions

Create the marinade and submerge chicken for at least 4 hours (overnight is ideal if you can).
Pour oil into cast iron pan until 2/3 full and wait for oil to heat up.
Mix the potato starch, salt and pepper in a bowl and then roll each piece of chicken so it is coated completely.
Fry the chicken in small batches, avoiding putting too many in at once (these guys like their space when they fry).
Remove freshly fried pieces and let them rest on a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
Once cooled, fry chicken for a second time and let rest.
Once cooled, fry chicken for a third and final time and let rest before serving.
Plate, serve and enjoy (pairs nicely with Japanese beer (e.g., Sapporo or Kirin) .

Also, karaage makes for excellent bento boxes for lunch the next day (pro-tip: wait for rice to cool so it doesn't make the chicken soggy).