Chicken karaage / Japanese fried chicken

I think this is my 3rd chicken karaage post . There is no such thing as too much Japanese fried chicken , right ? 😀

Karaage ( kara-ageh) is a technique of Japanese deep-frying , you just simply dredge the seasoned ingredients in flour or potato starch and deep-fry them . 

This fried chicken is simply seasoned with the usual suspects that you can find in your pantry . If you're fond of Japanese food , you've probably got 2 of the ingredients .

Sake is a Japanese alcoholic drink brewed from rice , it is also an important ingredient , it adds umami , sweetness , acidity and depth to foods . Mirin is a sweet cooking liquid , it is brewed from glutinous rice and just like sake , it also adds depth and umami-rich flavour . ( Source : Japanese Soul Cooking ) 

I used cooking sake ( check the last photo ) in all of my Japanese dishes and it's way cheaper the sake that you can find in the wine section . It does the job and so far , my taste buds have no complaints about it lol 

If you can't find potato starch ( scroll down for the photo ) , use cornstarch instead .

I made half of the recipe listed below , I used 475 grams ( 2 pieces ) boneless chicken legs . This cut of chicken is perfect for deep-frying ,  the meat is really moist and soft after cooking , as long as you won't overcooked it . 

Tired of you same ol' same ol' fried chicken recipe ? Try this dish ! Simple and easy to prepare with amazing flavour payoff ! 

Recipe adapted from Japanese Soul Cooking

4 chicken legs ( about 2 pounds ) , boned and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic , peeled and grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons grated ginger

1/4 cup sake

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons mirin

1 cup katakuriko / potato starch

Oil for deep-frying  

Steamed rice , for serving

Lemon ,  cut into wedges , for drizzling 

* Mix together the chicken , garlic , salt , ginger , sake , soy sauce and mirin in a bowl ,  stir until well combined . Marinate chicken for 15 minutes . I marinated mine for 1 hour 

* In a shallow bowl , add in potato starch . Squeeze excess marinade from the chicken and dredge each piece into the starch , shake off excess . Or you can put the starch in a ziplock or food bag , add pieces of chicken inside and shake until each piece is well coated . Transfer the dredged chicken pieces on a plate . 

* Fill a saucepan or a skillet with oil to a height of at least 1-inch . When the oil is hot , carefully add the chicken pieces , cook in batches . Fry for 5 minutes or until chicken turns golden brown . Transfer chicken to the paper-lined plate to drain or place on a wire rack to drain excess oil . 

* Serve piping hot with rice or on its own .