What is Chicken Karaage?

Ginger-garlic-soy marinated chicken coated in potato starch and fried twice for a shatteringly light, juicy crunch.

Where does Chicken Karaage come from?

Chicken Karaage is a Japanese (Kyushu) dish from Kyushu (Fukuoka), Japan.

Can Chicken Karaage be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Chicken Karaage recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Chicken Karaage take to make?

About 40 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 3.

Recipe

Name: Chicken Karaage
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Japanese (Kyushu)
Ingredients: 1.5 lbs boneless chicken thigh, bite pieces; 3 tbsp + 2 tbsp soy sauce + sake; 1 tbsp each ginger + garlic, grated; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 3/4 cup potato starch (katakuriko); as needed neutral oil, for frying; plenty lemon wedges + Japanese mayo, to serve

Asia → 🇯🇵 Japan → Kyushu (Fukuoka)

Chicken Karaage

Japanese (Kyushu) · easy · serves 3

prep 25 min · cook 15 min

~429 cal · 58g protein · 10g carbs · 15g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Golden crisp fried chicken pieces with lemon

🇯🇵 Kyushu (Fukuoka)

Karaage is Japan’s beloved fried chicken — bento hero, izakaya staple, festival snack. Kyushu, especially around Fukuoka and Nakatsu, is its heartland, with whole shops devoted to it. The potato-starch coat and the double fry are what make it so crisp yet never heavy.

Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 3 —

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1.5 lbs boneless chicken thigh, bite pieces

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3 tbsp + 2 tbsp soy sauce + sake

•

1 tbsp each ginger + garlic, grated

•

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

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3/4 cup potato starch (katakuriko)

•

as needed neutral oil, for frying

•

plenty lemon wedges + Japanese mayo, to serve

Instructions

Marinate the chicken (or mushrooms and tofu) in soy, sake, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil for 20 minutes.

Toss each piece in potato starch, pressing on a craggy coat; rest 5 minutes so it hydrates.

Fry at 325°F for 90 seconds, then rest the pieces 3 minutes.

Fry again at 375°F for 60–90 seconds until deep gold and glass-crisp — the double fry is the secret.

Drain, salt lightly, and serve piled with lemon and mayo. Best eaten standing by the fryer.

Kyushu izakaya tradition.

Ratings & reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to cook it.

🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Kyushu (Fukuoka). The southern island that fries chicken to a national art.

🗺️

Japan. An archipelago obsessed with seasonality and craft.

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Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →