Air fryer chicken karaage
Japanese fried chicken with a gingery soy marinade and a craggy, crunchy coat, made in the air fryer with a spoonful of oil.
- 55 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $2.57 a serving
- 830 calories
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- ½ lemon, cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise (optional)
- 2 cups green cabbage, very thinly sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1½ cups water
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 830 calories, 53 g protein, 111 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $2.57 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No green cabbage? Red cabbage or coleslaw mix works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the chicken with the soy sauce, mirin, ginger and garlic in a bowl, then cover and it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Marinate. Marinating means letting food sit in a flavorful liquid, called a marinade, before you cook it. Always marinate in the fridge, and never reuse marinade from raw meat unless you boil it first.
How you’ll know: The food is coated all over, sealed in a bag or covered dish, and chilling in the fridge.
Timer: 20 min
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Meanwhile, the rice, put it in a small with the water, and bring it over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 18 minutes. Take it off the heat and keep the lid on.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Timer: 5 min
Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl. Lift the chicken out of the , let it drip, and it in the cornstarch, pressing so it sticks.
Marinate. Marinating means letting food sit in a flavorful liquid, called a marinade, before you cook it. Always marinate in the fridge, and never reuse marinade from raw meat unless you boil it first.
How you’ll know: The food is coated all over, sealed in a bag or covered dish, and chilling in the fridge.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Let the coated pieces sit 5 minutes, until the white patches look damp. That’s what turns crunchy.Brush the oil over every piece, lay them in the basket in one layer, and cook 8 minutes.
Timer: 8 min
Dolly’s tip: Any dry white spots stay chalky, so dab a little oil on them.Shake the basket, turn the pieces, and cook 5 to 7 minutes more, until and and the biggest piece reads 165°F.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 6 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Serve with the rice, cabbage, lemon wedges and a little mayonnaise for dipping.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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