The Dish: Fried Chicken Options Flooding Local Restaurants this Spring

Fried chicken, the meal of choice for spring picnics, is popping up on multiple San Diego restaurant menus this month in sandwiches and other variations. Here’s the latest:

Junya’s Crispy Karaage: The latest culinary creation from RakiRaki Ramen owner/chef Junya Watanabe is his twist on the Japanese style of fried chicken known as karaage. Antibiotic-free chicken is marinated for 48 hours in fermented soy sauce and 12 spices, garlic and ginger, then coated with 22 spices, double-fried and served with house Japanese (kewpie) mayonnaise. The karaage is available in regular and spicy varieties in jumbo boxes, in sliders, with fries, in ramen or curry and in a bento box, priced from $11.40 to $25. The new JCK menu, introduced last week, is available at the RakiRaki location at 4646 Convoy St., Suite 102-A in Kearny Mesa. It’s also available for takeout. Visit rakirakiramen.com.