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Crispy Chicken Karaage served with rice, coleslaw, and tonkatsu sauce in a bowl.

Chicken Karaage Rice Bowl

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
A simple Japanese-inspired rice bowl featuring crispy Karaage chicken, steamed rice, a fresh homemade slaw, quick tonkatsu sauce, and pickled onions. Full of flavour, texture, and easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
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Ingredients
 

Full Batch:

  • 1 kg chicken thigh fillets
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh or jarred ginger
  • 2½ tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons cooking sake
  • 2 teaspoons sugar

Half Batch:

  • 500 g chicken thigh fillets
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh or jarred ginger
  • 4 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cooking sake
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

For the Coating:

  • 1 cup plain flour gluten-free works fine
  • 1 cup potato starch or substitute rice flour
  • Vegetable oil for frying

For the Tonkatsu Sauce:

  • ½ cup tomato sauce aka ketchup
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cooking sake
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or any mustard

For the Coleslaw:

  • 1/4 whole Finely shredded cabbage
  • 3 small grated carrots julienned carrots work great too
  • 2 spring onions or 1/2 finely sliced red onion
  • Kewpie mayonnaise
  • White or black pepper to taste

For the Pickled Onions:

  • 1 large red onion thinly sliced
  • ½ cup vinegar white or rice vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch of salt

Extras for Serving:

  • Steamed rice
  • Pickled ginger optional

Instructions
 

Marinate the Chicken:

  • Microplane the garlic into a bowl. Add grated ginger, soy sauce, cooking sake, and sugar. Score the underside of each chicken thigh in a crisscross pattern, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Add to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Make the Tonkatsu Sauce:

  • Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Store in the fridge.

Prepare the Coleslaw:

  • Finely shred cabbage, grate carrots, and slice spring onions. Toss with Kewpie mayonnaise and season with pepper.

Make the Pickled Onions:

  • Place sliced onions in a colander and rinse with boiling water (removes the bite a little), then place them into a bowl. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, then pour over the onions. Cool and refrigerate. They'll keep for a week or more. You can also pickle other vegetables this way, for example carrots, just slice very thinly.

Cook the Rice:

  • Use your preferred method (rice cooker or stovetop). Season lightly with salt.

Flour and Fry the Chicken:

  • Mix plain flour and potato starch in a bowl. Coat chicken pieces, leave for 2-3 minutes, then coat again with flour, dusting off any excess. Fry at around 170°C until golden brown, they'll take about 4-5 minutes each batch. I use a small saucepan and work in batches, you'll need about 1 1/2 inches of oil. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Assemble the Bowl:

  • Scoop rice into a bowl, add coleslaw, top with Karaage chicken, drizzle tonkatsu sauce and Kewpie mayo, and finish with pickled onions or pickled ginger.

Video

Notes

  • The Chicken Karaage recipe follows the version shared at Taste of Asian Food  - tasteasianfood.com
  • The chicken can stay in the marinade overnight (I've even left it a couple of days before) and it will be even more flavoursome.
  • Pickled onions can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.
  • Use Kewpie mayonnaise, if possible, for authentic flavour.
  • My daughter likes to julienne the carrots for the coleslaw instead of grating them as she says it makes the coleslaw extra crunchy.