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Today, we’re making a delicious, crispy karaage don. It’s made of delicious fried chicken, Japanese-style, topped with a delicious karaage sauce, on a bed of veggies and white, fluffy rice. This is one of the most delicious and glorious things I’ve churned out of my kitchen, and I’m happy to share it with you! I know you’re going to love the delicious, juicy, crunchy chicken, along with the sweet, savory, tangy karaage don sauce recipe! The karaage recipe on it’s own is amazing, but when you pair it with the fantastic chicken karaage sauce, veggies, and rice, it’s elevated to the next level! This is a Japanese chicken rice bowl recipe that you HAVE to make!
Watch how to make the ultimate Karaage Don
What is Karaage Don?
Karaage Don is short for karaage donburi which translates to “fried chicken rice bowl” This is my masterpiece recipe! I double-coat and triple fry my chicken to perfection, set it on top of hot white rice, then lay a perfectly soft-boiled egg on top!
Creating the ultimate Karaage Don!
I’m using boneless chicken thighs with the skin on for our karaage don. Chicken thighs give the best flavor for this delicious fried chicken rice bowl. I cut it into seven large chunks, as they will shrink when they fry. Refer to my video for how I cut these chicken.
I’m gonna add the chicken into a mixing bowl along with some minced garlic, minced ginger, soy sauce, cooking sake, and pepper. I mix everything together and let it marinate for about 10 minutes. Pour out the extra marinade liquid in the chicken into a separate bowl. Beat one egg and mix it into your chicken. Now, add two heaping tablespoons of all-purpose flour and mix well. This is going to create the first batter for my Japanese fried chicken.
In a tray, add plenty of potato or corn starch and add that reserved marinade liquid into the starch. I use a fork and mix it together and break up any lumps. When you run your fingers through it you’ll feel these little lumps of starch. These little nuggets are going to add some extra crunch to my chicken.
Grab a piece of chicken and add it into the starch. Now with your other hand, add some starch on top of the chicken. Pat it down a little bit and make sure the entire surface of the chicken is coated in starch. Shake off any of that excess starch and then set it aside.
When you finish battering all the chicken allow them to sit out for about five minutes to let the outside dry out slightly. This is going to help make that crust unbelievably crunchy.
How to triple fry chicken for our Karaage Don
Now I heat some oil in a large pot to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F). I’m going to triple fry my chicken, so first, I add them into the hot oil and let them sit for about 15 seconds. I gently agitate them so that way they come off the bottom of the pot and they don’t burn.
I let them cook for another 45 seconds, 1 minute in total. I remove them from the oil and let them rest for 30 seconds. I add them back into the oil for another minute, then remove them again from the oil and let them rest for 30 seconds. I add them back in for one final minute.
Every time that chicken goes in and out of the oil you’re gonna feel that outside get crispier and crunchier. When they finish their third fry take them out of the oil and let them drain.
Putting the finishing touches on our Karaage Don
Now let’s make a perfect soft-boiled egg by boiling a room-temperature egg for 3 minutes and then shocking it in cold water. I’m gonna come back to this later.
In order to really complete this dish, you need to add my green onion dipping sauce onto it! It’s the perfect sauce to go with this Japanese fried chicken and tastes so good! You’ll want to fill up a large bowl with rice and spoon that delicious sauce all over it!
I add some leafy greens on top of the rice, and then mound some thinly sliced cabbage on top. Next, that beautiful golden brown karaage goes on top and I carefully slide that peeled soft-boiled egg right on top. Pour more of that amazing green onion sauce on the chicken and top it with some sliced green onions. Finally, I hit it with some Japanese 7 spice powder.
How to get a perfect fry everytime
Frying is no easy task, trust me! Unless you’re frying with a counter-top fryer that has all the bells and whistles, it can be quite intimidating.
The biggest problem is when you’re frying blind, i.e. frying without knowing the correct temperature. I make sure to list the temperatures in all of my fried food recipes, because it’s such a vital part of frying.
Some people will tell you things like, “Just add a little piece and if it pops up, it’s ready!” While this may be enough information for a seasoned chef, you may as well be speaking a different language to a home cook!
That’s why I ALWAYS recommend that you fry with a good kitchen thermometer. They are one of the most useful tools to have, especially when you’re doing things where *gasp* temperature is important!
I bought the Chef Alarm Kitchen Thermometer 6 years ago and it’s been one of the most important kitchen tools I’ve ever invested in. 6 YEARS AGO! It’s still going strong, is as accurate and reliable as day one, and has made me feel more empowered when it comes to frying.
If you are not frying with a good quality kitchen thermometer, I highly recommend you invest in one! You can get more info for the Chef Alarm right here.
Ingredients to make Karaage Don
You can get most of the ingredients you need at your local supermarket. There are a few that you might need to order online, so check out my recommended brands!
- Japanese Short-grain Rice (See it on Amazon) –Â You can use any rice for this dish, however, if you want to keep it authentic, a good quality Japanese rice will work best!
- Good quality boneless chicken thighs with the skin on
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Flour
- Potato Starch (See it on Amazon) –Â This is a great organic brand!
- Flour
- Egg
- Soy Sauce (See it on Amazon)
- Cooking Sake (See it on Amazon)
- Japanese 7-Spice Powder (See it on Amazon)
- Kewpie Japanese Mayo (See it on Amazon)
- My delicious green onion sauce!
Prepare to enjoy the best Karaage Don of your life!
This is hands-down, hunger-destroying deliciousness! The chicken is perfect, the sauce is perfect, the egg is perfect… This whole thing is perfect! Clear your weekend plans and make this!
Ready for more delicious Chinese food? Here are more recipes for delicious Chinese dishes!
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Karaage Don
Ingredients
- 1 lb Skinless boneless chicken thigh About two large thighs
- All-purpose flour 2 heaping tbsp
- 2 eggs left at room temperature
- Finely shredded cabbage ½ cup
- Leaf lettuce 2 – 3 leaves
- Cooked white rice 1 cup
- Potato starch or corn starch for battering
- Oil for frying
Marinade
- Minced garlic 4 cloves
- Minced ginger ½ inch piece
- Soy sauce 2 tbsp
- Cooking sake 1 tbsp
Garnish
- Sliced green onion
- Japanese 7 spice powder Shichimi
Instructions
- Slice the chicken thigh into 7 large chunks (refer to the video for a visual aid) and add into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the **MARINADE** ingredients to the chicken and mix well. Allow the meat to marinade for 10 minutes.
- In a small pot, bring water to a boil and add 1 room temperature egg. Allow it to boil for 3 minutes, then shock it in ice water. Leave the egg in the ice water and continue working on the rest of the recipe.
- Pour out the excess marinade liquid into a separate bowl and set aside.
- Beat 1 egg and add it to the meat and mix to combine.
- Add the flour and mix well until no dry flour is visible.
- Pour the potato starch into a shallow tray and pour in the reserved marinade liquid. Mix the liquid into the starch and press down on any large lumps to create small nuggets. These will add extra crunch to the batter.
- Batter the chicken pieces in the potato starch one by one (refer to the video for a visual aid). Then lay them onto a sheet, making sure that they are not touching each other. Allow them to sit in the open for five minutes for the outside to dry out. This ensures a crunchier crust on the chicken.
- Add enough oil for frying to a large pot and heat it to 180 celcius (about 350 F). I highly recommend the use of a kitchen thermometer, as it will ensure that your oil is at the perfect temperature.
Triple Fry Technique
- Add the chicken to the oil, piece by piece. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Allow the pieces to sit in the oil, undisturbed for about 15 seconds. Then, gently move them around, making sure that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Allow them to continue frying for another 45 seconds (1 minute in total), gently agitating them in the oil.
- Remove the pieces from the oil onto a draining pan and allow them to rest for 30 seconds.
- Add the partially cooked chicken back into the oil and fry them for 1 minute.
- Remove the pieces from the oil again for another 30 seconds.
- Add the partially cooked chicken back into the oil for one final minute. Remove from the oil and drain well. Continue cooking the rest of the chicken using this triple fry technique.
- Create the green onion sauce. Refer to Karaage sauce recipe for ingredients and instructions.
- Add rice to a bowl and top with 1/3 of the green onion sauce. Tear the lettuce leaf into pieces and arrange them decoratively around the edge of the bowl. Add the shredded cabbage to the center of the bowl in a mound.
- Lay the fried chicken around the bowl, leaving a hole in the center.
- Crack the chilled soft-boiled egg onto a small dish and carefully slide it onto the center of the bowl.
- Pour the rest of the green onion sauce onto the chicken, garnish with sliced green onions, and Japanese 7-spice powder.
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Does this recipe not require salt? If yes then at what stage does it need to be added?
The soy sauce should add enough salt, but if you’d like to add a little more, I’d add a half-teaspoon in with the marinade.