Korean Fried Chicken

Difficulty:

3/5

Serves:

6 PEOPLE

Korean Fried Chicken (South Korea)

Crispy, double-fried chicken coated in a sticky, sweet, and spicy gochujang glaze — this Korean favorite delivers crunch, heat, and irresistible flavor. Balanced with garlic, ginger, and sesame, it’s the perfect street food bite that’s bold, saucy, and deeply satisfying.

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

3 lbs skinless chicken thighs cut into quarters
Kosher salt and white pepper
1 cup (240ml) potato starch
½ cup (120ml) rice flour
1 tsp (4.9ml) baking powder
½ tsp (2.5ml) garlic powder
½ tsp (2.5ml) ground ginger
Neutral oil for frying, such as vegetable or peanut oil

For the Sauce:

¼ cup (1.2ml) gochujang Korean chili paste
3 tbsp (44.4ml) brown sugar
2 tbsp (29.6ml) honey
1 tbsp (14.8ml) black vinegar
3 tbsp (44.4ml) soy sauce
2 tsp (9.9ml) grated garlic
2 tsp (9.9ml) grated ginger
2 tbsp (29.6ml) sesame oil

To Finish:

2 scallions sliced thin
Toasted sesame seeds
Red chili flakes (optional)

Method:

Make the Sauce:

Add all the sauce ingredients except the sesame oil to a small pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sauce comes up to a simmer, take it off the heat and stir in the sesame oil.

Make the Chicken:

Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and white pepper. Place the chicken on a wire rack on a tray in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to overnight.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the potato starch, rice flour, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp white pepper, garlic powder, ground ginger, and baking powder. Transfer half the dry mixture to another medium bowl and add ½ cup of water to form a wet slurry.

Allow the chicken to come up to room temperature for 20 minutes if it was in the fridge overnight. Toss the chicken in the dry dredge, making sure to coat it thoroughly. Then transfer the chicken to the slurry and coat evenly. Lift the chicken out of the slurry, allowing the excess to drip off, then dredge in the dry mixture again.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed pot full of oil to 350 F (175 C) over high heat. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pot, add chicken pieces to the hot oil and cook until they have turned golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel lined tray to drain.

Once all the chicken pieces have been fried, work in batches again to refry the chicken: return chicken pieces to the pot, making sure not to crowd it, and fry them for another 3 minutes, or until they turn golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a fresh paper towel lined tray to drain.

Once the chicken is fried, toss it with the sauce in a large bowl to coat thoroughly.

Serve the fried chicken topped with sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and red chili flakes if desired.