Air Fryer Chicken Karaage Recipe
A crispy and flavorful Air Fryer Chicken Karaage recipe featuring marinated bite-size chicken thigh chunks coated in potato starch and air fried to golden perfection. This Japanese-inspired dish is perfect served with lemon wedges, kewpie mayonnaise, sriracha, and sides like boiled rice and pickled vegetables.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Air Frying
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Halal
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 500 g chicken thigh fillets chopped into bite-size chunks
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tbsp shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp salt
Coating and Cooking
- 100 g potato starch or rice flour
- spray oil approx 30 sprays
Serving Suggestions
- lemon wedges
- kewpie mayonnaise
- sriracha
- boiled rice
- Japanese-style marinated cucumber
- pickled vegetables such as red onion or radish
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Add the chopped chicken thigh fillets to a bowl.
- Mix Marinade: Add soy sauce, shaoxing rice wine, sesame oil, garlic powder, ground ginger, and white pepper to the chicken. Mix well to coat all pieces evenly and marinate for 30 minutes. If in a hurry, marinate for at least 10 minutes.
- Add Salt: Sprinkle salt over the marinated chicken and mix again to evenly distribute.
- Prepare Coating: Place the potato starch or rice flour in a separate large bowl for coating the chicken pieces.
- Coat Chicken: Toss each piece of chicken individually in the potato starch to coat thoroughly. Avoid clumping by working with one piece at a time. Place coated pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket, working in batches if necessary.
- Air Fry: Spray the chicken pieces with spray oil. Cook in the air fryer at 200C/400F for 25 minutes until golden and crispy. Turn or shake the basket twice during cooking, spraying additional oil each time for extra crispiness.
- Serve: Serve the chicken karaage hot with lemon wedges, kewpie mayonnaise, sriracha, boiled rice, marinated cucumber, and pickled vegetables on the side.
Notes
- Marinate for at least 30 minutes to develop full flavor, but 10 minutes is sufficient if short on time.
- Use potato starch for crispier coating; rice flour or cornflour can be substituted if needed.
- Ensure chicken pieces are spaced out in the air fryer basket for even cooking and crispiness.
- Spraying oil multiple times during cooking helps achieve a golden and crunchy texture.
- Chicken thigh is preferred for juiciness; you can substitute with chicken breast but expect a leaner result.
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free soy sauce and cornflour instead of potato starch if desired.
Find it online: https://mealsbykate.com/air-fryer-chicken-karaage-recipe/
