Adam Liaw's herb and spice karaage

This herb and spice karaage takes the best of both fried chicken worlds, taking inspiration from the classic Japanese karaage and the worldwide fame of Southern Kentucky fried chicken. KFC, a casual takeaway in Australia is extremely popular in Japan during Christmas, due to a KFC Christmas marketing campaign in the 70s encouraged Japanese locals to eat KFC during the festive break. Today, many families in Japan pre-order their KFC Christmas meals weeks in advance to avoid long lines!

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 600 g chicken thigh fillets, skin-on
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sake
• ½ tsp sugar
• ¾ cup potato starch (or substitute cornstarch)
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• Japanese mayonnaise, to serve
• Lemon wedges, to serve

For the herb and spice mix

• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp celery salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• ½ tsp dried mustard powder
• 2 tsp ground paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp chicken stock powder

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken thigh fillets into 5 cm chunks, then transfer to a large mixing bowl with the soy sauce, sake and sugar. Mix well to combine and set aside. In a second large mixing bowl, combine the herb and spice mix with the potato starch.
2. In a large saucepan, heat enough oil to deep-fry to 180˚C. Toss the marinated chicken in the spiced potato starch until well-coated, shaking well to remove any excess, then deep-fry for 2 minutes. Remove from the oil and allow to rest for 30 seconds on a wire rack over a baking tray. Deep-fry for a further 2 minutes, or until golden-brown and repeat with the remaining mixture.
3. Serve the herb and spice karaage with Japanese mayonnaise and lemon wedges for squeezing.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.