Chicken Karaage or Japanese fried chicken is one of my favorite ways to cook chicken. The chicken pieces turn out golden brown, tender and juicy inside and full of flavor, and extra crispy on the outside.

Overhead shot of chicken karaage or japanese fried chicken on a plate with uncooked ramen noodles and scallions on the side.

The key to that crisp outer crust is dredging the meat in starch. Japanese cooks are partial to potato starch, so that’s what I use, but you could substitute cornstarch or flour.

One great benefit of using potato starch or cornstarch is that the dish is gluten free (be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari). Since my husband eats a gluten-free diet, this option is perfect.

A similar dish is Mochiko Chicken, which uses a mochiko flour batter instead of potato starch.

What makes Japanese fried chicken so crispy?

The secret to getting extra crispy chicken karaage is to double fry the chicken pieces. Fry them once until they are light golden brown and then remove them from the oil. Once all of the pieces are fried the first time, add them to the oil again to fry a second time.

The second time you fry them, they will become a deep golden brown and shatteringly crisp on the outside. Perfect.

What does karaage mean?

Karaage is a Japanese cooking method whereby food—often chicken or tofu—is dredged in a potato starch, cornstarch, or flour and then fried in hot oil.

Traditionally, karaage chicken was not marinated before coating and frying. But these days, the meat is often marinated first in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, garlic, and other seasonings.

Karaage is sometimes also called tatsutaage, which more specifically refers to pieces of meat or other foods that have been marinated in soy sauce, mirin, and other seasonings before being coated in starch or flour and fried. Now the two terms are often used interchangeably to refer to the same dish.

ingredients for chicken karaage shot from overhead. Ingredients include soy sauce, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, potato starch, and chicken. There are some kale leaves on the side.

What are the ingredients of karaage chicken?

This dish requires only a few ingredients and all of them are easy to find in any supermarket:

Boneless, skinless chicken (I prefer thigh meat, but you can use breast meat as well)
Soy sauce
Mirin or other rice wine
Sesame oil
Ginger
Sugar
Salt and pepper
Potato starch (look for this in the supermarket in either the Asian foods aisle or in the Jewish foods aisle or in a Japanese or Asian grocery or order it online), cornstarch, or flour
Cooking oil for frying

Raw chicken pieces dredged in potato starch.

How do you make it?

Karaage is very easy to make at home and can be made in as little as 45 minutes, even with 30 minutes of marinating time.

Combine the soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to marinate. The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavorful it will be. You can marinate the chicken as long as overnight.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
Dredge the chicken in starch or flour.
Heat 3 or 4 inches of oil in a Dutch oven or another high-sided, heavy-bottomed pot, to about 350ºF.
Drop the dredged chicken pieces into the hot oil and fry until light golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain while you cook the remaining chicken pieces (you’ll need to cook the chicken in a few batches to avoid crowding the pot.)
Once all of the chicken pieces have been fried the first time, fry them a second time, until they are a deep golden brown and very crisp on the outside. Drain again on a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve hot plain, with any dipping sauce you like, or with fresh lemon juice squeezed over it.

low angled shot of japanse fried chicken o a plate with ramen noodles in the background

What is chicken karaage served with?

Karaage can be served as an entrée or an appetizer. You can offer a dipping sauce to go with it as a starter. I like serving it with Sriracha Ranch or a sweet-spicy gochujang sauce.

Serve it as a main dish on a bed of steamed rice or as part of a multi-dish Japanese meal that might include roasted vegetables, salad, miso soup, and other dishes. Or use it as a filling for Onigiri.

Serve Chicken Karaage as a side dish or appetizer with Beef Yakisoba or Shrimp Yakisoba.

But my favorite way to serve chicken karaage is as a topping for a bowl of Spicy Miso Ramen, along with sautéed greens. The crispness of the chicken is a great textural contrast to the tender, chewy noodles and steaming broth.

Spicy Miso Ramen Tare makes a perfect flavor base for the noodles and crispy chicken.

more crunchy fried chicken recipes you’ll love

If you love these crunchy fried chicken bites, try my Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken, Air Fryer Sesame Chicken, Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken, and Chicken Pakora.

Overhead shot of the cooked chicken on a plate with a bowl of sliced scallions and some chopsticks on the side.

more japanese recipes you’ll love

If you love Japanese food as much as I do, try my Miso Glazed Salmon or Chicken Karaage. For sides and snacks, don’t miss my Onigiri, Yaki Onigiri, Soy Sauce Eggs, Stir-Fried Lotus Root, or Chawanmushi.

For breakfast or brunch, try Japanese Souffle Pancakes with a nice cold Matcha Milk Tea!