Popular Japanese appetizer with a delicious kick! This Chicken Karaage with Sweet Chili Sauce is bite-size chicken thighs deep-fried to a golden brown and coated in a delightful sweet chili sauce. You’d be bowled over by this sweet and spicy version of Japanese fried chicken.
This Chicken Karaage with Sweet Chili Sauce (スイートチリソースの唐揚げ) is a popular variation of chicken karaage in our household. The bite-size chicken thighs are deep-fried to perfection and coated with sweet chili sauce.
Chicken Karaage with A Twist
Now that my children are older, they have been enjoying more spicy food so I try to incorporate spicy condiments, sauces, and various spices into Japanese foods whenever I can. Even though Japanese food is not known as a cuisine laden with spices and spicy flavors, it is still fun to play with different seasonings and spice things up a little.
What is Sweet Chili Sauce?
There are a few brands of sweet chili sauce in the market and you can definitely use your favorite brand. The one that I always keep in my pantry is Mae Ploy Thai sweet chili sauce, also known as nam chim kai in Thailand. It has a slight heat to it, but I would not consider it spicy at all. So it’s perfect for someone who appreciates bolder flavor but is overly spicy. You can find Mae Ploy Thai sweet chili sauce being sold in bottles in major grocery stores or Asian grocery stores. If you’re tempted to make your own sweet chili sauce, you can follow the recipe in my Grilled Lemongrass Chicken post.
The sweet chili sauce comes in handy whenever you feel like adding a little kick to your dish or just to up the ante. The nice blend of mildly spicy and sweet flavors just makes everything better. The classic chicken karaage is commonly served with a wedge of lemon and some side condiments such as Japanese mayo for dipping. With the addition of the sweet and spicy sauce, the classic Japanese fried chicken is now packed a serious flavor punch and extra vibrancy.
Too Spicy for Children?
If you have small children who are not used to spicy food yet, you can serve the chicken karaage as it is, and then coat the rest of the karaage with sweet chili sauce for yourselves. For a more garlicky flavor of chicken karaage, you want to check out this recipe.
Chicken karaage is pretty tasty on its own already, but I am certain you will thoroughly enjoy this fun and zingy version as well. So head for the kitchen and make this Chicken Karaage with Sweet Chili Sauce tonight!
More Popular Chicken Recipes
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Chicken Karaage with Sweet Chili Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (roughly 4 pieces)
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 knob ginger
- 1 cup potato starch or cornstarch (more or less)
- 3 cups neutral oil (for deep-frying)
- 2 green onions/scallions
- ¼ cup cilantro (coriander)
For the Sauce
- ½ cup sweet chili sauce (8 Tbsp)
- 2 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Remove and discard extra fat and skin, and cut each of the 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 5 to 6 pieces, about 1½-inch (4-cm) pieces.
- Peel the skin of 1 knob ginger and grate it. Cut 2 green onions/scallions and ¼ cup cilantro (coriander) into small pieces.
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, and the grated ginger, and add the chicken pieces to marinate. Keep in the fridge for 30 minutes. Tip: You may have noticed already but in Japanese cooking, common marinade time is between 20 and 30 minutes to preserve the ingredient’s original taste.
- In the tray or bowl, prepare 1 cup potato starch or cornstarch. In a medium pot (update: I use this Staub 2.75 QT for deep-frying), heat 3 cups neutral oil to 340ºF (170ºC). Use a thermometer or wooden chopsticks to see if the oil is ready (See How to Deep-Fry Foods). Tip: You put a chopstick in the oil and when you see the bubbles around it, it’s ready!
- When the oil is hot, drain the chicken well from the marinade and coat each piece with the corn/potato starch. Make sure the chicken is all covered by the starch so when you put the chicken into the oil, it won’t splatter.
- Slowly place 4–6 chicken pieces into the wok (work with a few pieces at a time, so the oil temperature won’t drop quickly). Deep-fry the chicken for 90 seconds, or until the chicken is light golden color. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack or paper towel to drain excess oil. Let the chicken cook with remaining heat while you work on the rest of chicken.
- Once the chicken is all deep-fried for the first round, use a fine-mesh sieve to pick up crumbs to keep the oil clean. If you don‘t do this step, the crumbs get darker and then the oil gets darker. Increase the heat and bring the oil to 350ºF (180ºC). Deep-fry the chicken for the second time for 45 seconds or until crispy and golden brown.
- Transfer the chicken to a wire rack to drain the excess oil.
- In a frying pan, combine the sauce ingredients—½ cup sweet chili sauce and 2 Tbsp water.
- Add the green onion and cilantro, and mix over medium heat.
- When the sauce is bubbling, add the chicken and quickly coat well with the sauce. Don’t leave in the pan for no more than 15 seconds. Transfer to a serving plate.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. However, the breading will not be crispy any longer.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 5, 2011. The post has been updated with new images and content.
This was absolutely delicious! ! Thank you
Hi Chris! We are glad to hear you enjoyed the dish!
Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.
Happy Cooking!
I made this last night and it was fantastic! I made one change and that was adding 1 Tbs of garlic chilli paste to the sauce because I thought the sauce would be too sweet. I also had to cook the chicken longer than what it said in the recipe. I did the first fry for about 4 minutes and the second fry for a minute and the chicken was still juicy and not over cooked
Hi R C, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your experience with us.
We are glad to hear you enjoyed the dish. Happy Cooking!😊
Do you know what and where I can get the powder that cooks in Japan use to solidify the used oil?
Hi Vickie! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe! You can find it on Amazon.😊
Suwaseru Tenpuru:https://amzn.to/3DfksW6
Abura Katametai: https://amzn.to/3TEh2U8
We hope this helps!
This looks delish! Could you do these in an air fyer?
Hi Chloe! We haven’t tried this recipe in an air fryer before, but we think the frying part can be done in an air fryer.
Let us know how it goes!