Cut each chicken thigh into 2-inch pieces and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Grate the ginger (you will only need ½ tsp) and mince the garlic.
In a large bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sake, and sesame oil. Whisk it all together.
Add the chicken to the bowl and mix it with your hands. Cover and keep in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
Pour the oil into a heavy-bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven) and heat it to 325ºF (163ºC) on medium heat.
Meanwhile, prepare the potato starch and all-purpose flour in separate piles.
First, lightly dredge each marinated chicken piece in the flour and dust off the excess flour. Then, dredge it in the potato starch and remove the excess starch. Continue with the remaining chicken pieces.