Air fryer karaage recipe
Make crispy Air Fryer chicken Karaage for a healthier twist on classic Japanese fried chicken. Perfectly juicy and flavorful!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs boneless (skin on or off)
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 0.25 oz garlic clove grated, 2 medium
- 0.2 oz ginger root grated, 1.5-inch piece
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1 large egg
- 10 tbsp potato starch or tapioca starch, add more if needed
- 5 tbsp white rice flour or more if needed
- Avocado oil spray
Serving:
- 1 persian cucumber sliced on diagonal
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Chicken prep: Trim away excess fat and dice the chicken to around 2.25 inch (5.7 cm) chunks.
- Season & Marinate: Transfer the chicken to a large container and season with salt, pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sake. Gently massage to distribute the seasoning evenly. Seal the container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to a day in advance).
- Mix with egg: When you are ready to fry the chicken, add an egg into the marinade and use your hands to mix it well. There’s no need to drain the chicken. The slightly wet chicken (when in contact with the flour and starch) will create lumpy crevices and give the chicken extra crunchy coating and texture.
- Coat with starch and flour: Prepare a large mixing bowl mixed with starch and flour. Take a piece of chicken from the marinade and add it directly into the bowl. Coat and gently press the chicken well on all sides (including crevices) until you don’t see any pink spots visible. Set it aside over a large tray to catch all the chicken pieces until you finish the batch. Add more starch and flour in a 2 to 1 ratio if needed.
- Air fry (double fry): Spray the air fryer basket with a layer of oil. Place the chicken into the basket in a single layer with space between each. Spray with more oil until you don’t see any white spots. Air fry at 400°F (205 °C) for 8 minutes, open the basket (wait for 10-15 seconds before you attempt to flip), flip the chicken, spray with more oil on top, Air fry for 6 more minutes or until the chicken is golden brown.
- Cooling rack: Rest the chicken over a cooling rack to keep the bottom crisp. You can also keep the rack in an unheated oven to keep them warm. Repeat the process until you finish the entire batch.
- Serve: Transfer the chicken to a large serving plate. Arrange cucumber slices and lemon wedges on the side of the plate, but inside the rim. Don’t drizzle the lemon juice until ready to eat to keep the chicken crispy.
Notes
- Rice flour is often used to achieve a light and crispy texture. If you don’t have it, substitute it with more potato starch.
- In my recipe experiment, I found that a 2:1 ratio of starch to flour gives the most light, airy, and crispy texture.
- Don’t drain away the marinade. You want the chicken to be wet (soaked in marinade) when you dump it into the starch flour mixture. The slightly wetter chicken will grab the flour mixture well and create a more crumbly outer texture.
- Coat the chicken well with starch and flour mixture on all sides (include small crevices). If not, the wet spots will stick to the air fryer basket.
- Spray the chicken with oil until you don’t see white spots on the chicken or it will taste powder-ish and leave white spots on the chicken (as opposed to golden brown color).
- Make-ahead: Trim and dice the chicken. Marinate in an airtight container up to 24 hours in advance.
- Reheat the chicken: 340°F (171 °C) for 6 minutes.
- I do not recommend using chicken breasts for this recipe. The chicken turns dry, especially after reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25lb | Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 659mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 157IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg