Chicken Karaage: Japanese Fried Chicken

In addition to the prep and cook time above, inactive time is at least 1 hour to marinate chicken pieces.

Lightly season chicken pieces with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine grated ginger, minced garlic, soy sauce, sake, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and sugar. Add chicken pieces, toss to coat and let chicken marinate for at least one hour in the refrigerator.

Pour enough vegetable/peanut (and sesame) oil into a large pot to reach a depth of 2 inches. Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pot and heat the oil to 325 F over medium heat.

Put the potato flour/starch into a shallow bowl.

Remove chicken from marinade. Lightly pat chicken pieces dry with a paper towel. Working in batches, toss chicken in the potato flour until lightly and evenly coated. Fry the chicken pieces a few at a time, until cooked through. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove fried chicken from the oil using a kitchen spider or tongs, and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all the chicken is fried, letting the oil come back up to temperature before frying each batch.

Once all the chicken is cooked, turn up the flame and heat oil to 375 F and fry the chicken nuggets a second time. Do this in batches, until each batch is crisp and golden brown, about another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove fried chicken pieces and drain on a wire rack or on paper towel. Repeat until all the chicken is fried, letting the oil come back up to temperature before frying each batch.

Serve with plenty of lemon wedges.

Adapted slightly from Just Hungry.