memories of vancity: chicken karaage!!!

I got my first taste of chicken karaage at my favorite izakaya restaurant in vancouver: guu with garlic.
Karaage is a simply prepared fried chicken, Japanese style. At the restaurant it was served with a garlic mayo. Yummo.
My sister requested I make my Japanese Chicken today so I thought I'd change up the recipe a little bit. Usually the chicken is done by frying or baking wings or chicken breast and finishing it in sauce. I found the recipe for Karaage and figured it'd be delicious to prepare the chicken this way and serve it with the sauce drizzled on top instead of cooking the chicken in it to preserve the crunch.
It turned out wonderful. Karaage has a great, crunchy texture without the heaviness that often comes with a traditional fried chicken done with flour, eggs, etc.
It's also marinated first which offers extra juiciness to the finished product and a flavor that'd make the chicken taste good even without a sauce. The sauce itself is soy based and brings the familiar flavors that you would get when you order terriyaki chicken in a Japanese restaurant.
One of the best things about this dish is....it's extremely cheap to make! Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are much cheaper than breasts and most of the other ingredients are inexpensive or even better, already found in your kitchen!

Karaage Ingredients
*4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into bite-size pieces
*3 tablespoons soy sauce
*1-inch length ginger root, peeled and finely grated
*1 tablespoon whisky, dry sherry, or sake (optional)
*1/2 cup corn starch
*Vegetable oil for deep frying
*1 lemon, cut into wedges

Procedure
1. Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl with soy sauce, ginger, and (optional) whiskey. Mix to coat chicken. Marinate, refrigerated, for 30 minutes.

2. Place corn starch in wide, shallow dish. Take each piece of chicken from the marinade and roll in the corn starch until completely coated. Tap chicken to remove excess corn starch, and set aside in a clean bowl.

3. Fill a deep cast-iron skillet, Dutch oven, or deep-fat fryer with enough vegetable oil to come at least 1 1/2 inches up the sides. Over medium-high heat, bring the oil to 350°F (hot but not smoking).

4. Working in batches of 10-12 pieces, gently slip chicken pieces into the oil. Fry until the chicken is a rich golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove chicken from oil with a slotted spoon, and place on paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken.

5. Serve hot, with lemon wedges for squeezing.

(Recipe from seriouseats.com)

*Sauce

• 3 Tbs Soy Sauce
• 3 Tbs Water
• 1/2 Cup White Vinegar
• 1 Cup White Sugar (I always use less, depends on your taste)
• 1/2 Tsp Salt

Procedure

1. Mix all ingredients in a heavy saucepan
2. Bring up to a simmer on medium/low heat
3. Allow mixture to reduce so the consistency is slighly thicker, like a glaze.
4. Drizzle onto chicken and rice

(recipe courtesy of my friend's momma!)

*The sauce could easily go with another protein. Stir fried beef, salmon or even tofu.