Looking for an easier or healthier way to make chicken karaage at home? Skip out on the deep frying and use an air fryer to make crispy, juicy Air Fryer Chicken Karaage!

What is Karaage?

Karaage (pronounced kah-rah-ah-geh) is Japanese fried chicken. These typically bite-sized, boneless pieces are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and super flavorful! They are a common dish that can be found inside bento, on the dinner table, in restaurants or izakaya, and even in the konbini (convenience stores). It’s so delicious so once you start eating them it’s hard to stop!

Karaage is typically deep-fried, but today, I’ll be featuring a recipe that uses an air fryer. An air fryer makes this dish a bit healthier, faster, and easier to clean-up. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal or if you have kids!

What is an air fryer?

An air fryer is a small countertop convection oven designed to simulate deep frying without using a lot of oil. You can achieve similar results in a regular convection oven, but due to the size, it’s significantly faster since it’s a much smaller space to heat up.

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can use a convection oven to make karaage or you can do the traditional deep-fry method in oil.

February Creator Feature: Hikari Murakami

Monthly, I feature recipes from fellow creators – whether that be a professional chef, home-cook, or stay-at-home-parent. I am constantly amazed by the creativity of others when it comes to food and I am passionate about sharing these people with my community and beyond.

This month’s feature is Hikari Murakami, a mother, content creator, and entrepreneur. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Hikari for many, many years (over 12 years?!) and she constantly amazes me. On her social media channels, Hikari loves sharing her journey raising her adorable daughter Adeline Airi, her love for makeup, and about easy, no-fuss Japanese cooking! For those of you who are looking for tips on raising your child bi-culturally, I highly recommend checking out Hikari’s content!

You can find Hikari on:
Instagram, TikTok, and her Blog.
You can also see her online boutique that she runs with two other friends (who are also moms!): Lily & Onyx

Hikari has worked and reworked her Air Fryer Chicken Karaage recipe to make it taste as close to regular karaage as possible. It’s juicy, delicious and best of all, Addie (her daughter) loves it!

Some tips from Hikari before you get started

Cut the chicken into even bite sized pieces. It’s important to cut the chicken into similar sizes so they’ll all cook evenly.
Use 1:1 ration for the potato starch to plain flour. You may end up needing more of the flour combo, so just make sure to use a 1:1 ratio.
Coat well, but a light layer. When coating the chicken with the flour combination, you want to make sure all surfaces are coated but not too thick.
Shake excess flour off. If you don’t do this, the coating may be too thick and won’t be crispy.

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