Fried Chicken vs Karaage: What’s the Difference?

1. What is Karaage (唐揚げ)?

Karaage with Daikon (white radish) side / Ryo Fujita

Many people mislabel karaage as any old fried chicken, as if it is some kind of KFC rip-off. This is not the case. Karaage (pronounced kah-raa-geh) is not your typical fried chicken. With the power of potato and mirin (sweet rice wine), it takes on a whole new taste, something in between mashed potatoes and KFC, with a sweet-ish tang to boot.

2. Power of the Potato Starch

Potato Starch gives batter a new dimension / Dick Thomas Johnson

The difference between American fried chicken and karaage is simple: it is in the batter.

While American fried chicken uses flour batter or beer batter, karaage uses potato starch or potato powder(katakuriko 片栗粒), giving you the feeling of eating chicken and fries at the same time!

3. The History of Karaage (唐揚げ)

The concept of “karaage” is over 400 years old / sota

While karaage only reached the dining tables of the masses around 30–40 years ago, the true origin of karaage lies in the Edo period of Japan’s history (1603–1868). At the time, Chinese food was becoming popular in Japan, and it was fucharyouri (普茶料理), meaning Chinese-style vegetarian cooking, that inspired the creation of karaage.

Read more about the history of karaage and the secrets of karaage-making!