Umai: Japanese Home Cooking Guide
A classic Japanese fried chicken dish, known for its incredibly crispy exterior and juicy, flavorful interior. Perfect as an izakaya style appetizer or a main dish.
Ingredients
- 500 gram boneless skin-on chicken thighs cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoon sake
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- 0.5 teaspoon sugar
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 0.5 cup potato starch
- 3 cup vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken pieces with sake, soy sauce, grated ginger, grated garlic, sugar, and black pepper. Mix well and marinate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Place the potato starch in a shallow dish. Dredge each piece of marinated chicken in the potato starch, ensuring it is fully coated and shaking off any excess.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pot or Dutch oven to 340°F (170°C). Fry the chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pot.
- Remove the cooked chicken with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack set over paper towels to drain excess oil.
- For extra crispiness, you can increase the oil temperature to 375°F (190°C) and fry the chicken again for 1 minute until deeply golden brown. Serve hot with lemon wedges.
Notes
For extra crispiness, double-fry the chicken. Fry once until lightly golden, remove, increase oil temperature, then fry again briefly until deep golden. Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon or Japanese mayonnaise.