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

FAQs

How do you crisp chicken in an air fryer? ›

If you happen to own an air fryer, you can certainly reheat your fried chicken in its basket. Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and let the fried chicken come to room temperature. Next, arrange the fried chicken in a single layer and cook it for about four minutes, flipping it once to ensure even cooking.

Dry the outside of the food properly before you add oil. Do not use too much oil, as this will make the food less crispy and more fattening. Meat or poultry can be lightly brushed with oil or marinated to get the crispiest results.

Karaage chicken is incredibly crispy due to the twice-frying technique. Why is my fried chicken not crispy? Soggy fried chicken can be caused by the oil not being hot enough and not cooking for long enough.

Most of the time, we use potato starch or cornstarch. Potato starch can be hard to find (although Amazon is now a thing, and Bob's Red Mill is carried everywhere) but produces the best, lightest, crispiest results. Cornstarch comes in a close second and you can get it everywhere.

So the goal of cooking chicken breasts in the air fryer is to cook them just right, quickly, without much oil, and get the most perfect juicy and moist chicken breast! You don't want to overcook them as that can mean dry chicken. You don't want to undercook them, because that, of course, means raw chicken.

Solution #1: Pat Food Dry

A dry surface browns more quickly than a wet one. Moisture on the surface will steam, leaving a soft and sometimes gummy exterior, so we patted meats and some vegetables with paper towels before cooking.

Place a sheet of parchment paper over the chicken skin and a flat ceramic plate to keep the chicken skins flat (if you are ok with them curling up, you can omit this step). Air fry at 350F for 15 minutes or until the skin is crispy. Season the Chicken Skin Chips (Cracklings) with your favorite seasonings!

Here in the US, corn starch is much easier to access in regular grocery stores, so that is a close substitute if you have trouble finding potato starch. As a comparison, I found that karaage made with potato starch yields a crispier skin and texture.

Interestingly, cornstarch contains 25 to 28 percent amylose, which is higher than the amount in wheat or potato starch (which are 20 to 22 percent amylose), and this is why cornstarch works the best for making crispy coatings on fried foods.

The light coating of the cornstarch or flour will help make the chicken crispy when you cook it in the air fryer.

What starch is best for crispiness? ›

Cornstarch is higher in amylose than wheat flour, so it is able to form more of this network, resulting in a crispier product. While cornstarch produces a solid result, I think potato starch performs even better in some cases.

However, a small amount of oil is usually necessary to achieve a crispy texture. A drizzle or a quick oil spray is all you need for restaurant-quality fries and golden brown fried chicken, while other foods don't need any oil, like pizza or leftovers you might reheat.

Air Fryer instructions

At the halfway point (i.e. 6 minutes), flip the chicken skins over so they are skin-side up. Air fry the chicken skins the remaining 6 minutes or until crispy. Add a minute or two to the cooking time if the skin is still a little flabby in parts.

Foil is safe to use in an air fryer so long as you follow three basic rules: never let foil touch the heating element; make sure the foil is weighted so it doesn't blow around the basket; and avoid contact with acidic ingredients, which can cause the foil to leach onto your food.