Mid-week Karaage Chicken With Spicy Mayo

I can count the number of times I've dined at a Japanese restaurant on one hand due to the lack of halal options across Australia and New Zealand. In saying that whenever I have had the chance to eat Japanese food I've made sure to indulge in the fan favourites such as Karaage chicken, Katsu bowls and Sushi. 

We were watching MasterChef last week and the sushi-train episode really made me crave Karaage chicken so I jotted it down on this week's menu and the rest was history. The chicken coating is simpler than I thought and the star ingredient is potato starch. I couldn't find it at my local supermarket and had to buy it from an Asian grocer. But it comes in a huge pack which will last a while. 

The spicy mayo can be made several different ways but I used light mayonnaise and combined it with a teaspoon of paprika and it was perfect. And I also never thought lemon could work this well with fried chicken but it's a must with Karaage! 

Serves: 2  

Ready in: 2 hours and 25 minutes 

Difficulty: ★☆☆

Ingredients

2 chicken thighs (medium sized, washed and cut into bitesize chunks)

2 tbsp dark soy sauce 

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 

1/2 cup potato starch 

Oil for deep frying 

To serve:

1/3 cup light mayonnaise 

1 tsp paprika 

Lemon wedges 

1 chive, finely chopped 

Method 

In a large bowl combine chicken thighs, dark soy sauce, honey and ginger garlic paste. Mix to combine, cover and marinate for 2 hours in the fridge. 

Start to heat oil for deep frying on medium heat. Meanwhile drain excess liquid from the chicken then gradually add potato starch until chicken is lightly coated and white in colour. Toss bowl to combine. 

Deep fry chicken in batches on medium-high heat until chicken is golden in colour and cooked through. Rest fried chicken on a wire rack to avoid sogginess. 

In a small bowl combine light mayonnaise and paprika. Mix well. 

Top Karaage chicken with chives, lemon wedges and spicy mayo. Serve while warm, enjoy!

Notes 

Marinating the chicken for a few hours will help flavour the meat but is optional. Remove chicken from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.

The potato starch should lightly cover the chicken. Avoid pressing starch into the chicken and work with a light hand. 

For best results oil should reach at least 170 C before deep frying. Do not overcrowd the pan when frying.