I have a weakness for fried chicken, and I found that Japanese style Chicken Kara-age is the best. I got hooked on the appetizer at Samurai Noodle here in Houston. I feel they have the best ramen in town and their Chicken Karaage appetizer is almost a meal in itself. Sadly I don’t work on that side of town anymore, so I cannot just pop in at lunch and get my grub on.
I gave this a try before based on this recipe, but wanted something a bit healthier, so I migrated the recipe to the air fryer. Here is my first test which came out pretty good, but I think the coating is not up to my standards. I like a heavier coating, but batter type coating does not play well with the air fryer. It did have a light crunch and tender chicken bites as I used dark meat.
- 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- 1 thumb size piece of ginger grated about 1 tablespoon.
- 2-3 cloves of garlic grated.
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of mirin rice vinegar.
- about 1/2 cup of potato starch
- spray canola oil
Make a marinade with the grated ginger and garlic mixed in the soy sauce and mirin. Cut the chicken thighs into 1-2 inch pieces, which is easier to do when slightly frozen. coat the chicken pieces in the marinade and let sit at least 1 hour, but over night is better.
Lightly dust the marinaded chicken with the potato starch and add to pre-heated air fryer. Spray liberally with the canola oil and cook for 8 minutes about about 375 degrees. Toss the chicken and spray the other side and cook for an additional 5 minutes until done. I served it with some garlic yogurt as I’m still not a mayonnaise fan.