Recipe: Chicken Karaage

Chicken karaage is a popular Japanese izakaya (pub) food. This recipe comes from our customer and pal Mason, who spent several years living in Japan. Shichimi Togarashi, which translates to “seven spice,” is a blend of chiles, citrus and sesame commonly used as a condiment for soups and noodle dishes. It adds great, spicy, citrusy flavour to the karaage coating. Mason recommends serving this with lemon and Japanese mayo (sometimes called “kewpie mayo”) for dipping.

Ingredients:

750 g chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
3 oz sake
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp sesame oil
Cornstarch
Shichimi Togarashi

Instructions:

• With a sharp knife, lightly score chicken thighs, or poke each thigh several times with a fork. Pound meat lightly with a mallet or the blunt side of of knife. Place thighs in a bowl.
• In a blender, combine soy sauce, sake, ginger and sesame oil, blending until smooth. Pour marinade over thighs and let rest 1 hour in the fridge.
• Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry. Heat a good amount of oil in a deep pan.
• Combine a bunch of cornstarch and Shichimi Togarashi on a plate (around 4:1 starch to spices). Coat chicken pieces in cornstarch mixture and fry, a few pieces at a time, turning as needed, until chicken is browned and cooked through.

Photo credit: justonecookbook.com