Chicken Karaage

Chicken Karaage

At 750 Myrtle Diner in Brooklyn, Kaoru Ayabe single-fries his chicken karaage low and slow at a steady 320 degrees. In this variation of Japanese fried chicken, inspired by Mr. Ayabe’s wonderfully light and crunchy karaage, boneless thighs are gently seasoned with ginger, soy and sake — plus a hint of sugar for balance — so the flavor of the meat can be appreciated. What’s special about this karaage recipe, beyond the low and slow single fry, is that the marinated chicken pieces get dipped in beaten egg before gaining their craggy armor of starch (corn or potato). Fried in a rippling pool of neutral canola oil, this humble but stellar appetizer is best enjoyed with a carafe of sake or an ice-cold beer.

Yield: 2 to 3 servings

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely grated (2 teaspoons)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sake

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 large egg

1 cup cornstarch or potato starch

About 1 quart canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Lemon wedges, mayonnaise and shichimi togarashi (see Tip), for serving (optional)

To a medium bowl, add the chicken, ginger, soy sauce, sake, sugar and salt. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Place a wire rack over a large, paper towel-lined sheet pan. Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk. To a large bowl, add the cornstarch. One by one, dip the chicken into the egg, then into the cornstarch until evenly coated. Set the coated chicken pieces on the left side of the wire rack.

To a medium saucepan, add enough oil to fill a third of the way up. Heat the oil over medium-high to 320 degrees. Turn your hood vent on, if you’ve got one, and open a nearby window, if possible. Working in batches, fry the chicken until crunchy and light brown, adjusting the heat so the oil temperature stays between 300 and 320 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes per batch. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried chicken to the right side of the wire rack, away from the portion that was exposed to the raw chicken, to rest slightly.

Serve with the optional (but very delicious) lemon wedges and mayonnaise dusted with togarashi.

Tip: You can find shichimi togarashi, a flavorful Japanese seven-spice blend, in Asian grocery stores and online. But to make your own simplified version in a pinch, stir together ½ teaspoon ground cayenne, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds and a couple grinds of black pepper.

Hi there! In this particular case, with these proportions and this egg method (which I learned from Kaoru Ayabe, whose karaage is among the best I’ve ever had), I found that cornstarch resulted in a lighter, crisper coating. I know; I was surprised, too.