Karaage Chicken Vs Fried Chicken You Won’t Believe It

Two styles of fried chicken originated in two different countries, resulting in Japanese karaage chicken and old-fashioned Southern fried chicken from America with their unique features.

If you are wondering how these chicken dishes differ from each other, you are in the right place.

Keep reading this article and you will find the answer.

What is karaage chicken?

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Karaage chicken, known as Japanese fried chicken, is one of the popular dishes in Japan.

It is an incredibly versatile dish that can be used as the main course of any meal with a side of rice and karashi mustard sauce, served in salads, or as a snack.

Karaage is made by coating chicken in a special type of batter that can be found in traditional Japanese cooking.

The batter consists of potato starch, soy sauce, sake, ginger, and garlic.

You can marinate the chicken then dip it in the potato starch, or season the batter, all will result in the same dish that is crispy, tasty, and unique.

In Japanese cuisine, karaage refers to a type of cooking method that can be applied to various ingredients, mainly chicken, but also other kinds of meat and fish.

What is fried chicken?

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Fried chicken is a staple in American cuisine, especially in the south.

Fried chicken is traditionally made with pieces of boneless, skinless white meat chicken that is coated in seasoned flour or batter and deep-fried in hot oil.

Fried chicken can also be made from any skin-on and bone-in cuts of chicken, like chicken wings, chicken drumsticks, or chicken thighs.

It is often served with a variety of side dishes such as steamed or grilled vegetables, coleslaw, sandwiches, French fries, or mashed potatoes.

Fried chicken is considered an unhealthy dish because of its high levels of cholesterol and fat which are bad for your heart health.

Therefore, you can choose skinless chicken and air-fry it instead of deep-frying in oil like traditional ways.

What are the differences between karaage chicken vs fried chicken?

There are some key differences between karaage chicken and fried chicken, mainly in their origin countries and what kinds of flour that the chicken is coated with.

Check it in the table below for detailed information:

	Karaage chicken	Fried chicken
Origin	Japan	South America
Batter	Soy sauce, sake, ginger, garlic, potato starch, or potato powder	Salt, pepper, and other spices per preference (garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, sage, thyme, oregano,…)
Size	Usually smaller pieces of chicken	Larger can be the whole drumstick, chicken thigh, or chicken breast fillet
Taste	Stronger and spicier	Milder but richer
Side dishes	Rice, karashi mustard sauce, vegetable salad, miso soup	French fries, salads, mashed potatoes, coke, or sandwiches

What are the similarities between karaage chicken vs fried chicken?

Besides the key differences between Japanese karaage chicken and American fried chicken, they are actually fried chicken dishes from two cuisines.

Therefore, there are some similarities between karaage chicken and fried chicken, as listed below:

1. Karaage chicken and fried chicken are cooked the same way

Karaage just refers to a Japanese cooking technique in which food is deep-fried in oil.

Therefore, there is no difference between the term “karaage” in Japanese and “fried” in America.

Karaage chicken and fried chicken are cooked the same way.

Chicken is either marinated with favorite spices and tossed in potato starch/ flour, or just dipped in seasoned batter, and then deep-fried.

2. Karaage chicken and fried chicken have the same look and texture

Due to the same cooking method, karaage chicken and fried chicken look similar, with a beautiful golden brown color.

The chicken pieces are crispy outside and juicy inside, which provides you with an interesting mouthfeel in every bite.

3. They are not a healthy option in the long term

However, the bad news is both Japanese and American versions of fried chicken are not good to consume in the long term.

Due to the deep-frying method, these dishes are high in calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium, which pose a risk to our heart health.

But don’t panic, an occasional treat with karaage chicken or Southern fried chicken will be just fine.

Which one is better?

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We have now come to the end of this article.

Now you know how Japanese karaage chicken differs from Southern fried chicken in many ways, including its ingredients, cooking method, flavor profile, and more.

However, in conclusion, they are both mouth-watering and worth trying.

Which one would you like to try first?

No matter what you prefer between karaage chicken or fried chicken, keep in mind that these delicacies should be only consumed occasionally for better health.