Learn how to make some fried Japanese comfort food – chicken karaage. To make this dish gluten free, just use tamari instead of soy sauce. Vegetarians, you can substitute cauliflower for the chicken.
Chris fell in love with Asian food at an early age and later immersed himself in learning how to cook Japanese food. He is the chef/owner of the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Glo Noodle House in Denver.
Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Chef Chris Teigland
Total time: 45 minutes
Inactive time: 30 minutes
Chef Chris Teigland of Michelin Bib Gourmand Restaurant Glo Noodle House
Originally from Chicago – that’s a Cub’s hat he’s wearing in the video – Chef Chris (@christopherteigland) and his wife opened Glo Noodle House in March of 2023. Chris fell in love with Asian food at an early age and later immersed himself in learning how to cook Japanese food. Then he fell in love with his wife.
Glo Noodle House is one of 9 restaurants included in the Michelin Guide’s inaugural Bib Gourmand list for Colorado. The restaurants on this list are offering distinctive flavors with unbelievable value.
Ingredients List
2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into roughly 1” x 1” pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sake
1 tablespoon peeled and sliced ginger
1 cup potato starch
1 cup rice flour
1 tablespoon salt
Ponzu sauce
Yuzu juice or lemon juice
Mayo
Canola oil
4 Persian cucumbers
2 green onions
Black sesame seeds
White sesame seeds
Togarashi
Kosher salt
Cucumber salad dressing:
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
A few drops of sesame oil
1.5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Prep
Vegetarians
Roast the cauliflower on a wire rack set over a sheet tray at 350F for about an hour. You want the exterior to be mostly brown. Depending on the size of your cauliflower, this may take anywhere from 50 to 90 minutes.
Cut the cauliflower into florets. Then just do exactly what we are doing with the chicken.
Make the yuzu aioli
Mix your favorite mayo with a bit of yuzu juice. You can use lemon juice in place of yuzu juice since it is much easier to find.
How to Make Chicken Karaage
Step 1
In a large bowl, add the soy sauce or tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sake and ginger. Add the chicken (or cauliflower) to the bowl and push down the chicken so that it is covered in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to two hours.
Step 2
After your chicken has marinated, remove it from the refrigerator. Put your canola oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Don’t fill it all the way up, leave at least 2 or even 3 inches without oil at the top of the pot. Heat up the oil on your stove to 325F.
Step 3
In another large bowl, add the potato starch, rice flour, and salt. Mix gently and set to the side.
Step 4
In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the cucumber salad dressing. Set to the set.
Step 5
Cut the ends off of the cucumbers, then slice with a roll cutting technique as Chef Chris does in class, or you can slice them into rounds. Add them to a large bowl along with a big pinch of salt. Use your hand to mix the salt into the cucumbers. Set aside for at least 10 minutes and up to an hour.
Step 6
Thinly slice the dark green part of the green onions and set aside for garnish.
Step 7
Now it is time to dredge the chicken. Grab a handful of the chicken, let the excess marinade drip off, and transfer to the bowl potato starch and rice flour. Use your other hand to coat the pieces of chicken in the dredge, squeeze to make sure it adheres, and then transfer to a plate. Repeat until all of the chicken has been coated.
Step 8
Now it is time to fry. The chicken will be deep fried twice at two different temperatures. First, we will fry it at 325F.
Step 9
Drop each pice of chicken away from you as you add it to the oil. This prevents the oil from splashing you and burning you. You made need to do this in two batches. Depending on the size of your pieces, it will take 3 to 4 minutes to fully cook the chicken. Remove the chicken to a wire rack set over a sheet pan, or a plate lined with paper towels.
Step 10
Turn up the heat on your oil until it reaches 350F. Meanwhile, the salt has been pulling moisture out of the cucumbers. Just use your hand to hold the cucumbers in the bowl and pour off most of that liquid. Now add the dressing and toss to coat. Set aside until we are ready to plate.
Step 11
Once the oil has reached 350F, put the chicken back into the oil and fry for about another minute. This is just to make the chicken crispier. Remove the chicken back to your wire rack or plate line with paper towels.
Step 12
Serve the karaage with cucumber salad, ponzu sauce, and yuzu aioli. Top the cucumber salad with the thinly sliced green onion, sesame seeds, and togarashi.
Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into roughly 1” x 1” pieces
- 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1 tablespoon peeled and sliced ginger
- 1 cup potato starch
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Ponzu sauce
- Yuzu juice or lemon juice
- Mayo
- Canola oil
- 4 Persian cucumbers
- 2 green onions
- Black sesame seeds
- White sesame seeds
- Togarashi
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- A few drops of sesame oil
- 1.5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Vegetarians: Roast the cauliflower on a wire rack set over a sheet tray at 350F for about an hour. You want the exterior to be mostly brown. Depending on the size of your cauliflower, this may take anywhere from 50 to 90 minutes. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Then just do exactly what we are doing with the chicken.
- Make the yuzu aioli: Mix your favorite mayo with a bit of yuzu juice. You can use lemon juice in place of yuzu juice since it is much easier to find.
- In a large bowl, add the soy sauce or tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sake and ginger. Add the chicken (or cauliflower) to the bowl and push down the chicken so that it is covered in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to two hours.
- After your chicken has marinated, remove it from the refrigerator. Put your canola oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Don’t fill it all the way up, leave at least 2 or even 3 inches without oil at the top of the pot. Heat up the oil on your stove to 325F.
- In another large bowl, add the potato starch, rice flour, and salt. Mix gently and set to the side.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the cucumber salad dressing. Set to the set.
- Cut the ends off of the cucumbers, then slice with a roll cutting technique as Chef Chris does in class, or you can slice them into rounds. Add them to a large bowl along with a big pinch of salt. Use your hand to mix the salt into the cucumbers. Set aside for at least 10 minutes and up to an hour.
- Thinly slice the dark green part of the green onions and set aside for garnish.
- Now it is time to dredge the chicken. Grab a handful of the chicken, let the excess marinade drip off, and transfer to the bowl potato starch and rice flour. Use your other hand to coat the pieces of chicken in the dredge, squeeze to make sure it adheres, and then transfer to a plate. Repeat until all of the chicken has been coated.
- Now it is time to fry. The chicken will be deep fried twice at two different temperatures. First, we will fry it at 325F.
- Drop each pice of chicken away from you as you add it to the oil. This prevents the oil from splashing you and burning you. You made need to do this in two batches. Depending on the size of your pieces, it will take 3 to 4 minutes to fully cook the chicken. Remove the chicken to a wire rack set over a sheet pan, or a plate lined with paper towels.
- Turn up the heat on your oil until it reaches 350F. Meanwhile, the salt has been pulling moisture out of the cucumbers. Just use your hand to hold the cucumbers in the bowl and pour off most of that liquid. Now add the dressing and toss to coat. Set aside until we are ready to plate.
- Once the oil has reached 350F, put the chicken back into the oil and fry for about another minute. This is just to make the chicken crispier. Remove the chicken back to your wire rack or plate line with paper towels.
- Serve the karaage with cucumber salad, ponzu sauce, and yuzu aioli. Top the cucumber salad with the thinly sliced green onion, sesame seeds, and togarashi.