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

Learn how to make crispy air fried karaage with the Ninja air fryer in under 15 minutes. Karaage (pronounced kah-rah-ah-geh) is a Japanese style deep fried marinated chicken dish that is crispy on the outside but juicy and bursting with flavor on the inside. It is a favorite at Izakayas and can be eaten as a main or side dish. Karaage is also served in obentos with shredded cabbage and a squeeze of lemon juice.

It is much healthier and easier to prepare Karaage in the air fryer compared to the traditional method of deep frying. The outer crust is still crispy and the chicken meat is tender and savory with sweetened soy, ginger, and garlic. To get the best taste, use fresh chicken thighs that are meatier and fattier. You can also use leaner cuts and a lighter spray of oil for a healthier option.

Pre-made Karaage Mix

I actually prefer preparing karaage with pre-made mix as it cuts the prep time down to 5 minutes. It is a fool proof alternative that tastes just as good as making it from scratch. When making it from scratch, your results can vary a bit depending on the brand of the raw ingredients. The pre-made mix cuts out the guess work. All you have to do is cut the chicken into bite size chunks, evenly coat the chicken meat with the mix, and spray a light coat of oil. The cooking time is the exactly same.

Below are two of my favorite mixes. I personally prefer the taste of the Kikkoman brand.

Making Karaage from scratch

When making Karaage from scratch, the chicken is marinated in a sweet soy sauce and then dredged with potato starch. Potato starch is extremely light and can hold its crispness for quite some time. Dipping sauces are not necessary since the flavor is already embedded into the chicken meat. A squeeze of lemon juice is all that it needs. Also, rather than having whole chicken parts, the thighs are cut into small chunks which makes cooking times quick and easier to manage. The circulating heat in the air fryer also helps to cook the chicken evenly.

Air fryer chicken karaage ingredients

Meat

• 1 Pound Boneless Chicken thighs

Marinade

• 2tbspSoy sauce
• 2tbspMirin
• 1tspGrated ginger
• 1tspGrated garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Coating

• 4tbspPotato starch

Instructions

• Cut the chicken up into bite size pieces
• Put the chicken into a ziploc bag along with the marinade ingredients: soy sauce, mirin, ginger, garlic, and salt and pepper.
• Marinade the chicken in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Overnight is preferred.
• Remove the excess marinade from the bag.
• In a separate bowl or ziploc toss the chicken in the potato starch to give it a nice even coating.
• Place the chicken in the air fryer on top of the wire rack and apply a light coating of oil spray so that there aren’t any dry potato starch spots left.
• Set the air fryer to 390F for ten minutes. Flip the chicken half way through.

Other air fryer recipes you might enjoy!

Chicken katsu (Japanese chicken cutlet)

Yakitori (Chicken skewers)