Yurinchi Chicken (Crispy Fried Chicken with Soy Vinegar Sauce)
Crispy Japanese fried chicken (karaage) is paired with a tangy yurinchi sauce made from soy, vinegar and sweet elements. Crunchy chicken is the perfect vehicle for the irresistible star-of-the-show sauce, will you be able to stop?
Servings: 4
Calories: 848kcal
Ingredients
For the yurinchi sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sake or mirin
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 Spring onion finely sliced
For the fried chicken
- 900 g chicken thighs boneless (skin on)
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1 tsp mirin
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 cup potato starch
- 600 ml canola oil or vegetable oil
Instructions
To make the yurinchi sauce
- Whisk together all the sauce ingredients until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
To make the fried chicken
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, leaving the skin on.
- Cover the chicken with the grated ginger, sake, mirin, white pepper, and mayonnaise and stir to coat everything. Cover and marinate in the fridge anywhere from 1-24 hours. The longer the better, but 1 hour is fine.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to a shallow bowl of the potato starch. Toss to coat all the chicken pieces well.
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan (around 18-20cm/7-8" diameter) to a temperature of 180ºC/350ºF.
- Carefully place around 8 pieces of chicken one at a time and fry for 5-6 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towels and repeat until you've cooked all the chicken.
- Leave to cool for 20 minutes or so, then reheat the oil to the same temperature and second-fry the chicken in the same size batches for 2 minutes more until crisp.
- Serve hot, either with the yurinchi sauce tableside, in individual bowls on the side, or pour a little of the sauce before serving, with extra in small bowls.
- Serve with a simple green salad, and a small bowl of cooked Japanese rice if you like.
Notes
- Serving
- Serve yurinchi chicken as a main dish or part of a set meal. A simple green salad is all that’s needed to balance the richness.
- Storage
- The sauce keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Freezing the sauce is not recommended. Leftover chicken can be refrigerated for 2–3 days.
- Reheating & Freezing
- Reheat chicken by deep frying or baking at 180°C / 350°F until hot. Chicken can be frozen in a single layer, then stored in a zip-lock bag. Reheat from frozen by frying for 2–3 minutes or baking for 15–20 minutes. Avoid microwaving, as it ruins the texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 848kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 222mg | Sodium: 1291mg | Potassium: 948mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 268IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg