This is a recipe that has been years in the making, with many ebbs and flows to it's nature. I originally learned how to make karaage from a book by the renowned television (and restaurant) chef Morimoto in his aptly named book "Japanese Home Cooking." This was a pretty simple recipe, and likely how most people make it. Over the years I've added my own twists to it, with influence from the restaurants I've worked at, and the tastes that I've gathered with the times. I am an astoundingly lazy person and do not often find the time or willpower to do the overnight marinade and instead opt for a more powerful marinade that works in a shorter time. Sometimes I'll prep it on my lunchbreak in order to eat at dinner time. I like to accompany this dish with a cabbage salad, occasionally rice, and some sort of dipping sauce or flavorful Chinese/Japanese BBQ spice mix.

PLEASE NOTE THIS RECIPE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1lb chicken thighs, boneless skinless, or boneless skin on cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 2 Tbsp sake
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp MSG
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 3 cloves grated garlic
• 1 inch grated ginger
• 1 Tbsp potato starch
• Lemon zest

Frying

• Potato starch, around 3/4 cups to start
• 3 cups to 1 quart of neutral oil

Directions

1. First, prepare all marinade ingredients by combining them together in a large freezer bag or some sort of airtight container
2. Let chicken marinate for at least 2 hours, up to 10-12. If more, the flavors may become too imposing. This is for lazy people after all!
3. In a large bowl, add potato starch
4. With one hand, add a bit of the marinade liquid while using the other hand to stir the potato starch. This will help to get some crackly bits on the outside of the chicken
5. Add chicken pieces a few at a time, making sure each of them is thoroughly coated in starch. You'll want to press the starch into all of the crevices and toss them all around. By adding all of the pieces to the one bowl you will make more parts that will get nice and crispy
6. With a wire rack lined baking sheet ready to catch the chicken once fried, preheat the oil to 375
7. Working in batches based on the size of your frying vessel, fry the chicken for about 5 minutes until it's crispy and golden. You will want to make sure you're not overcrowding or letting the oil temperature drop too much. Use a thermometer to keep the temperature going
8. Once cooked, remove chicken to the wire rack, and serve once all batches are complete

Notes

• Smaller cuts on the chicken is not always better. I've changed a lot over the years in terms of how large I like to cut it, but for now I stick to a nice 1 inch size. This gives some good heft to each piece and let's you taste good chicken if you have it. If you're working with less than desirable pieces, maybe cut them smaller so the marinade is more potent.