Japanese Fried Chicken

Um, this was so good! Not your standard American fried chicken at all! A friend has been watching a lot of PBS recently and saw a cooking show I think called "Milk Street" and was telling me about this recipe, said I had to try it. I checked around the web and found the website, but then went looking at the library and found the cookbook. Really flavorful foods. I copied a few other recipes before I returned the book to the library.

Like anything fried, this takes time and does make a bit of a mess. Plan this for a Saturday when you have a lot of time since you have to marinate the chicken for 30-60 minutes then coat it and let it sit for another 30-60 minutes before you can fry it. The flavors are so good it's totally worth the time it takes to make it.

Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage)
serves 4

for the chicken:
3-oz. chunk unpeeled fresh ginger, coarsely grated
1/4 c sake
1/4 c tamari
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into thirds
2 c cornstarch
1 Tbsp shichimi togarashi
     (or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes and 2 1/2 tsp sesame seeds)
1 tsp ground pepper
2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil

for the dipping sauce:
1/4 c tamari
1/4 c unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil

To make the chicken, gather the ginger in your hands and squeeze as much juice as possible into a large bowl. Add the ginger solids to the bowl and stir in the sake, tamari, and lemon zest. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour.

Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, shichimi togarashi, and pepper. Working 1 piece at a time, remove the chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off, then dredge in the cornstarch mixture, pressing evenly to adhere on all sides. Transfer to the rack and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil to 375*. Add a third of the chicken to the hot oil and fry, stirring to prevent sticking, until the chicken is deep golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean wire rack, return the oil to 375* and repeat twice with the remaining chicken.

For the dipping sauce, whisk together all ingredients.

from Christopher Kimball's Milk Street: The New Home Cooking