Karaage or Japanese-style fried chicken can be more exciting with Shio Koji marinade. Juicy and packed with flavor, this dish will keep you coming back for more.Message from Nami( Just One Cookbook®): “Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) is crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. With Hikari Miso's Shio Koji, it tastes even better with the additional umami flavor. If I could only recommend one shio koji recipe, this Karaage would be it!”
1lb (450g)boneless chicken thigh with skincut into 1 inch pieces
4tbsp.SHIO KOJI
1tsp.grated ginger
1tsp.crushed grated garlic
1tsp.soy sauce
½cuppotato starch or corn starch
Vegetable/canola oil for deep frying
Lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
Combine the chicken with Hikari Miso Shio Koji, ginger, garlic and soy sauce in a bowl or large plastic bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 day).
Heat up a pot of cooking oil for deep-frying. Ideal temperature is about 320-335F (160-170C).
When the oil is almost ready, add the potato starch in the bowl or plastic bag with the chicken. Mix and coat the chicken with the starch.
Gently drop each piece of chicken into the pot and deep fry until golden brown.
When it’s done, transfer the chicken onto a plate lined with paper towels. Continue with a new batch to deep fry. Serve immediately with slices of lemon.
Quick Tip
Make sure to deep fry only a few pieces at a time so the oil temperature will not drop too low. If the oil temperature is too high, Shio Koji can be easily burn before the chicken is cooked through.
If you are not sure if the chicken is done, use a knife to cut the thickest piece of chicken and check inside.
Product used in this recipe
Shio Koji 20.4 oz (580 g)
Shio Koji is a traditional Japanese ingredient made with a fermented rice malt (koji) and salt (shio). The enzymes contained in shio koji break down proteins to draw umami out of meat and fish. Shio Koji is in liquid form with the tiny half-dissolved grains of rice malt and packaged in a convenient plastic bottle.
Namiko Hirasawa Chen is the creator of Just One Cookbook, the #1 English-language website for Japanese recipes. Nami believes that anyone can cook traditional and modern Japanese dishes with confidence using her accessible, step-by-step instructions and videos. To help home cooks prepare and beautifully plate their homemade meals, she recently launched her online shop called JOC Goods dedicated to artisan Japanese tableware and kitchenware. Nami was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan and now resides with her family in California.
