DISH RESEARCH · Dish
Karaage
Also known as: 唐揚げ
Japanese soy-and-sake-marinated chicken thighs double-fried in flour and potato starch.
About Karaage
Karaage is a Japanese frying method most closely associated with bite-sized fried chicken. This profile follows a chicken-thigh version marinated with soy sauce, sake, ginger, garlic and sesame oil, then coated with both wheat flour and potato starch.
Soy sauce provides salt and fermented savouriness, while sake, ginger and garlic give the chicken a clean aromatic depth. Toasted sesame oil adds nuttiness, and the double coating creates strong browning without masking the rich thigh meat.
The pieces are irregular and deep golden brown, with a rough, craggy crust and small crisp ridges. Beneath the dry shell, the skin and dark meat remain moist and tender, making each piece compact and juicy.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Soy, Wheat (gluten), Sesame.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Karaage
Japanese Chicken Karaage with Soy, Sake and Ginger.
- Skin-on chicken thighsJuicy dark-meat base
- Kosher saltSavoury seasoning
- Black pepperPeppery seasoning
- Fresh gingerBright aromatic marinade
- GarlicSavoury aromatic marinade
- Soy sauceFermented savoury marinade
- SakeRice-wine aroma
- Toasted sesame oilNutty marinade richness
- Neutral oilDeep-frying medium
- Potato starchCrisp outer coating
- All-purpose wheat flourInitial light coating
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Skin-on chicken thighs:
- Kosher salt:
- Black pepper:
- Fresh ginger:
- Garlic:
- Soy sauce: . Soy is source-confirmed; the source does not identify the soy-sauce producer or wheat formula, so Wheat remains pending on this ingredient
- Sake:
- Toasted sesame oil:
- Neutral oil: . The source names neutral oil without identifying its plant source, blend or producer; no specific oil or allergen absence is inferred
- Potato starch: . The source permits potato starch or cornstarch; this profile fixes potato starch
- All-purpose wheat flour:
Origins & food traditions
Japanese cook Namiko Hirasawa Chen supplies the complete chicken karaage recipe selected here, using thigh meat marinated with soy sauce, sake, ginger, garlic and sesame oil before a flour-and-potato-starch double coating and double fry. Japan's official tourism site independently describes traditional festival karaage as bite-sized chicken marinated with soy sauce, garlic and ginger, coated with flour and/or potato starch and fried crisp.