Japanese Fried Chicken (Tatsuta-Age)
- Makes4 servings
- Cook Time1 hour
- Active time plus cooling20 minutes active
Tatsuta-age is a specific type of tori no karaage, or Japanese fried chicken, but, here in the U.S. at least, "chicken karaage” has become the blanket term. The soy and mirin soak and potato-starch coating (no added cornstarch or wheat flour) qualifies our recipe as tatsuta-age. Semantics aside, the crisp, full-flavored, two-bite pieces of chicken are delicious hot out of the oil or even at room temperature. Double frying the chicken results in superior crispness. It sounds like a nuisance, but since the oil is already hot and each batch takes only a few minutes, it’s an easy step with a huge payoff. We like a lemony mayo-based sauce for dipping, but if you prefer, lemon wedges for squeezing are good, too. Shichimi togarashi is a Japanese spice blend. If you can’t find it, simply leave it out, or substitute with a pinch of cayenne or a squeeze of Sriracha.
Here is our original Japanese Chicken Karaage recipe featured on Milk Street TV.
Don’t mistake potato flour for potato starch. The two are not interchangeable. Potato flour is made by cooking, drying and then grinding whole potatoes, whereas potato starch—the correct ingredient to use here—is the pure starch extracted from potatoes. The dusty white appearance that forms on the surface of the pieces during frying is characteristic of the dish, so don’t be alarmed by its presence.
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