Chicken Karaage Variations?

September 5, 2014 5:05 PM

I've discovered I love making Chicken Karaage. It's boneless fried chicken in corn/potato starch but ready in just about an hour and has simple, straightforward steps. What kind of variations could I try out? Different flavors/marinades? Different coatings or flavored coatings? Different chunks of meat? Novel dips that pair well? Other ways to fancy it up?

Concerning The coating: I enjoy that it's one step, so not really looking for egg-bath and flour stuff.

posted by The Whelk to Food & Drink (12 answers total)

Marinate it in buttermilk and serve with maple syrup and waffles.
posted by Juliet Banana at 5:11 PM on September 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

Pork would probably also work really nicely with this treatment.
posted by xingcat at 5:14 PM on September 5, 2014

Could you do a chicken-fried steak with this chicken-frying method?

Google Autocomplete also suggests "Chicken-fried bacon" as a thing, which...I'll leave it to your discretion.
posted by Maecenas at 5:41 PM on September 5, 2014

You could probably get some ideas from Cookpad (a Japanese recipe site translated into English).

I really love the hot karaage at Ajisen--squeezing some lemon on it causes some kind of alchemy. No idea what's in it, though.
posted by wintersweet at 5:46 PM on September 5, 2014

Style it with by marinating or dredging in different spices? Stereotyping: Curry powder / ghee, red wine / onion / coriander, lemongrass / coconut milk, cumin / chili powder / tomato?
posted by batter_my_heart at 5:51 PM on September 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

I think the first think I would try is switching up the marinade and adding herbs to the potato starch. Like:
- Thai style - Substitute sake with fish sauce and add some thai chilies in the marinade, serve with lime
- Jerk - Scotch bonnets and brown sugar in the marinade; dash allspice in the starch
- Fajita-ish - Chipotles in adobo, lime, oranges; cilantro

(basically ditto what batter my heart said)
posted by thirdletter at 5:56 PM on September 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oh, you are most definitely looking for Korean fried chicken. The breading is of the dump and mix variety. The coating is a dump and simmer. And it is absolutely fantastic. It does require double frying, but it's absolutely worth it. I found this recipe and have really enjoyed it.
posted by frizz at 6:29 PM on September 5, 2014 [2 favorites]

Make as per usual. Maybe aim to the smaller side for your chicken pieces so you end up with a lot of crunchy surface area.

Assemble Big Salad for each diner - a plate of lettuce at least. A little cucumber, a little tomato, a little crumbled blue (or goat) cheese. If you like it, cut celery into thin slivers and sprinkle on, or use green onions.

In another bowl, toss enough Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing for all the salads with hot sauce. Frank's would be traditional, but I like a Louisiana-style like Louisiana, Crystal, or Tabasco. You could also do Cholula or Sriracha.

Put chicken on salad, put dressing over chicken. Or toss chicken in dressing and then put over salad.

This is also a workable use for next-day leftovers. You can reheat in a low oven and it's okay if the coating gets a little too crispy, because it will soften back up in the dressing.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:36 PM on September 5, 2014

Japanese curry! You can buy a prepared packaged block of curry roux at any Asian grocery store, and then you basically make a stir fry, add water, and the roux. Serve it on rice and stick the karaage on top, boom, instant curry dinner. I actually literally just ate that tonight (but with chicken katsu instead of karaage), and it was delicious.
posted by Itaxpica at 7:23 PM on September 5, 2014

Dip in Japanese mayo + squeeze of lemon.

Sprinkle wasabi powder on top

Eat with fresh basil.
posted by SailRos at 3:23 AM on September 6, 2014

There's a "Thai" place here that serves the most delicious wings I've ever eaten, and it's all about the sauce. This is like your standard Thai restaurant dipping sauce with honey and chili, except that this place adds sriracha and orange. When that sweet/hot/pepper/citrus flavor combo is mixed with the deep, savory taste of golden-brown fried chicken, it is to die for.

I am a Southern lady and I am supposed to be making my own fried chicken, but instead I go there, try to sit in a corner, and eat an entire plate of those like a monster while my husband laughs at me.
posted by heatvision at 3:46 AM on September 6, 2014 [1 favorite]

Just about the laziest fusion experience you'll ever have, also one of the tastiest: dunk your karaage in Thai sweet chili sauce. It's like heaven, if in heaven, you can be acutely aware of your arteries begging for mercy.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:09 AM on September 6, 2014