Juicy and Crispy Air Fryer Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Juicy and Crispy: The double air-frying technique works like double deep-frying, keeping the chicken tender inside and crispy outside. Sake and mayonnaise help soften the chicken while marinating, and the mayonnaise also coats it to prevent dryness.
• Perfectly Seasoned: I tested this recipe multiple times to find the ideal balance of seasonings, ensuring the karaage isn’t too salty but still packed with flavor.
• Easy to Make: All you need is a plastic bag to marinate the chicken and an air fryer to cook it! Marinating takes one hour, but the actual cooking time is short.

What is Karaage?

Karaage (pronounced Kah-la-ah-geh) is a Japanese fried dish that has been popular in Japan for a long time.

The original version wasn’t seasoned—it was simply coated with flour and deep-fried. Today, karaage is typically seasoned with soy sauce and ginger, then coated with flour and deep-fried.

Karaage isn’t limited to chicken; any dish coated with flour and/or potato starch and fried can be called karaage.

Differences Between Karaage and Other Dishes

• Karaage vs. Fried Chicken: Karaage is seasoned before coating, while fried chicken is typically seasoned through the batter.
• Karaage vs. Chicken Cutlet (Katsu): Karaage is coated with flour and/or potato starch, while cutlet (katsu) is coated with panko.
• Karaage vs. Tatsuta Age: Tatsuta Age is another type of Japanese fried chicken, seasoned with soy sauce and mirin, then coated with potato starch and deep-fried. Since many modern karaage recipes also use potato starch and season the chicken, the difference between the two has become minimal.
• Karaage vs. Tempura: Tempura uses a batter made of flour, egg, and water.
• Karaage vs. Korean Fried Chicken: Karaage has a thin coating, while Korean fried chicken has a thicker, crispier, and crunchier coating, usually seasoned with a sweet and spicy sauce.
• Karaage vs. Nanban: Karaage is eaten as is, without sauce, while Nanban is lightly seasoned, coated with flour and egg, deep-fried, then soaked in a sweet and sour sauce and served with tartar sauce.

Notes on Ingredients

See the recipe card for the full ingredients list.

• Chicken Thighs: Use boneless, skin-on chicken thighs for the best results. I couldn’t find boneless, skin-on chicken, so I used bone-in thighs and removed the bones with a knife.
• Sake: Sake helps soften the chicken, making it juicy and tender. You can omit it if you don't have it.
• Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise also helps tenderize the chicken while coating it to prevent it from drying out.
• Cornstarch: While potato starch is more commonly used in Japan, I used cornstarch because it’s more widely available in the U.S. You can also use potato starch.

Variations

• Tofu Karaage: Freeze extra-firm tofu, defrost it, press out excess moisture, and use it like chicken to make tofu karaage.
• Lemon Karaage: Add lemon zest and lemon juice to the marinade for a light and refreshing flavor.
• Chinese Five-Spice Karaage: Add a little Chinese five-spice to give it a Chinese-inspired taste.
• Karaage Don: If you have leftover karaage, try my karaage don recipe, which includes two flavor variations, spicy and sweet or sour and sweet.

How to Make Airfryer Karaage

Step 1: Cut the chicken and marinate it with seasonings for one hour

Step 2: Add flour and cornstarch, then knead it into the chicken

Step 3: Bake in a preheated air fryer at 320°F for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway

Step 4: Increase the temperature to 390°F and bake for another 3-5 minutes

Storage & Reheating Instructions

Karaage

• To Store: Once cooled, transfer the karaage to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For freezing, wrap individual servings in plastic wrap, place them in an airtight container or plastic bag, and store them in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
• To Reheat: Remove the plastic wrap and reheat in an air fryer at 300°F for 5-10 minutes, or until crispy on the outside.

Marinated Chicken

• To Store: Keep the marinated chicken in the fridge for up to 1-2 days or freeze it for up to 1 month. Be mindful that the longer the chicken marinades, the saltier the karaage will be.
• To Defrost: Transfer the frozen marinated chicken to the fridge and let it defrost before cooking.

What to Serve with Karaage

Since karaage doesn’t contain any vegetables, I recommend pairing it with side dishes and soups that are packed with veggies.

• Salad: Light salads like onion and tuna salad or creamy options like Japanese potato salad pair well.
• Soup: Any soup, such as miso soup or corn soup, makes a great addition.
• Bento: Karaage is also perfect for bento boxes!

More Japanese Main Dish Recipes

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