Crispy Chicken Karaage Air Fryer Recipe in Less Than 15 Minutes (2024)

FAQs

How do you crisp chicken in an air fryer? ›

After the first “fry” in the air fryer, the chicken pieces might look a little bland and grey, but don't worry! Give them a flip then air fry a second time at 400F for another 8-12 minutes until they are crispy!

It is important to remember that air fryers function differently than deep fryers. Traditional deep frying methods are open and expel moisture from wet foods as they cook, while air fryers are enclosed appliances, so excess moisture leads to soggy results.

An equal amount of all-purpose flour and cornstarch provides both structure and crunch to the batter. Cornstarch is a go-to ingredient for many fried foods (think crispy chicken wings), and using it to bolster the crisping power of flour resulted in a thinner, crispier, and sturdier (yet still delicate) breading.

For chicken karaage, it's essentially bite-size pieces of chicken thigh dusted with flour and deep-fried in hot oil. With tender and juicy marinated chicken coated in a crispy shell, karaage is a staple in Japanese home-cooked meals.

However, a small amount of oil is usually necessary to achieve a crispy texture. A drizzle or a quick oil spray is all you need for restaurant-quality fries and golden brown fried chicken, while other foods don't need any oil, like pizza or leftovers you might reheat.

After testing a variety of temperatures, I found that 375 degrees F is the best temperature for air frying chicken. Because the air fryer uses convection heat, you do not need to set it as high as you would an oven (in a regular oven, 425 degrees F is best for baking chicken, like Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast).

A very light coating of oil before you place your chicken in the fryer and midway through should get rid of all the flour. If a light coating of oil is not enough, then there is too much flour on the chicken. My chicken is not done after the allotted time. Cook it longer and use a meat thermometer.

Air fry at 390°F for 12 minutes, rotating the chicken once in the middle of the cook time. Again, this is for raw chicken (or raw frozen chicken that has been thawed). The cook time would likely be less for fully cooked store-bought chicken tenders.

When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color! (It has to do with prevention of gluten development.) The baking powder reacts with the oil and creates tiny air bubbles, which also helps form a crispy coating.

Usually when deep frying, I dredge my chicken in beaten egg but I didn't want to clean up the drips from a wet batter in the air fryer. The cornstarch is enough to make the chicken crispy in the air fryer. It won't be a super thick crispy coating but it'll still be crispy!

What does cornstarch do for air frying? ›

Cornstarch – A bit of cornstarch really helps the air fryer do it's thing with our potato wedges. We get a perfect crunch without using too much oil. Seasoning Blend – I keep the seasoning pretty simple on these – paprika, garlic powder, salt, chili powder, etc.

The reason why Japanese fried chicken known as karaage is so crispy is one the use of potato or cornstarch in place of flour as the breading, and two it is typically double or even tripled fried.

The process involves lightly coating small pieces of the meat or fish with a combination of flour and potato starch or corn starch, and frying in a light oil. The foods are marinated prior to coating. The process differs from the preparation of tempura, which is not marinated and uses a batter for coating.

The bag may be labeled 'potato starch' or 'katakuriko'. If you cannot find this, you can sub with tapioca flour or cornstarch – you can drizzle a little bit of marinade into the flour or starch to create some craggily bits. Neutral Oil for Frying – I like to use avocado oil; you can also use canola or vegetable oil.

Air fry at 350F for 15 minutes or until the skin is crispy. Season the Chicken Skin Chips (Cracklings) with your favorite seasonings!

That trick is a sprinkling of baking powder, and it'll get you the crispiest, crackliest bites of fatty, salty skin imaginable, whether you're cooking just one thigh, a plate of wings, or an entire bird. Baking powder, it turns out, is good for quite a lot more than baking.

The air fryer allows you to cut out excess oil while retaining ultra-crispy skin or delicious caramelization on chicken cuts. It's fast: Compared to an oven, chicken cooks quite efficiently in the air fryer. Typically, you'll shave off about 30 percent to 40 percent of the cooking time by using an air fryer.