Ginger Karaage Chicken

  • 4

Ingredients

  • Marinade
  • 3/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup sake
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
  • 1 1/4-inch slice of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • Fried Chicken
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 8 cups vegetable oil, for frying
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 cups potato starch, divided (you can substitute corn starch)
  • Ground white pepper, to taste
  • Salt, to taste
  • 3 tablespoons Sansho pepper powder (available at Asian markets; you can substitute Szechuan peppercorn or ground fresh bay leaf)
  • 5 fresh shiso leaves, chopped (you can substitute basil)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Make the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, garlic and ginger and stir until the sugar dissolves.

2. Cut each chicken breast into 6 pieces and each thigh into 4 pieces. Place the chicken pieces in the soy marinade. Cover and let sit for 1 hour at room temperature or for up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

3. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot (or a deep fryer), heat the vegetable oil to 365°F.

4. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk until beaten. Add half of the potato starch to a separate bowl.

5. Remove the chicken from the marinade. Dip each piece into the egg mixture and then dredge the egg-coated chicken in the potato starch to coat evenly.

6. Add the coated chicken pieces to the hot oil and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. (You may need to fry the chicken in batches.) Carefully remove the chicken from the hot oil and place onto a paper towel-lined plate. Cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

7. When cool, re-dredge the chicken in the rest of potato starch. Heat the oil to 350°F. Return the chicken to the hot oil and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken from the hot oil and place onto another paper towel-lined plate.

8. Season the fried chicken pieces with white pepper, salt and ground Sansho. Sprinkle the chicken with the chopped shiso. Serve immediately.