This recipe — known as “Chicken Delicious” in our house — started as my attempt at making chicken karaage, Japanese-style fried chicken. The chicken is dredged in katakuriko (Japanese potato starch) and deep-fried, twice. The result is fried chicken that stays shatteringly crunchy for hours. Because I believe frying chicken once is enough, and after much trial and error, the key ingredient turned out to be panko bread crumbs. My kids loved this, gobbled it right up, and said, “Mom, this chicken is delicious!”
Chicken Karaage Nuggets
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 45 M
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp agave nectar
- 2 tbsp sake
- 1 piece fresh ginger, about 11⁄2 inches, peeled and finely grated 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large scallions, white parts only, thinly sliced; green parts reserved for garnish
- 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
- 1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 2 1⁄2 pounds total, each cut into 4 or 5 uniform pieces
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 3 1⁄2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, agave, sake, ginger, garlic, scallions, salt and pepper until smooth. Add the chicken to the marinade. Refrigerate to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack in it.
- In a deep, straight-sided medium skillet, heat 2 inches (5 cm) of oil to 325°F (160°C). When the oil is hot, test the temperature by adding a small amount of panko to the hot oil — it should sizzle and brown up quickly when hot.
- In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs. In a second shallow bowl, spread the panko in an even layer. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, tap off any excess marinade. Dip it into the egg and then cover it with panko. Set aside on a plate and repeat the dredging process with 3 to 5 more pieces of chicken.
- Carefully distribute the pieces of breaded chicken in the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. While the chicken fries, bread a second batch of 4 to 6 pieces. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked chicken to the prepared cooling rack, making sure none are touching. Allow the oil to come back up to temperature and fry the next batch of chicken. Repeat this process until all the chicken is cooked.
- Serve warm or at room temperature and garnish with lemon wedges and the green parts of the scallion.
