Description
Discover the secret to the crispiest and most flavorful Best Korean Fried Chicken with this recipe featuring a double frying technique and your choice of sweet soy garlic or spicy gochujang sauce. Perfectly crispy on the outside and tender inside, this dish is a delicious appetizer or main course to impress your guests.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Marinade
- 3 lbs chicken wings - about 30 to 36 wings
- 2 cloves garlic - finely minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger - grated
- 1 Tablespoon mirin
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Dry Batter
- 2 cups flour or cornstarch or potato starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Soy Garlic Sauce - Sweet and Tangy
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger - grated
- 3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Gochujang Sauce (Yangnyeom Sauce) - Sweet and Spicy
- ¼ cup gochujang
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons strawberry jam - seedless variety
- 2 ½ Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 ½ Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon ketchup
- 6 Tablespoons water
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger - grated
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Marinate the Wings: Season the wings with finely minced garlic, grated ginger, sea salt, and mirin. Let them marinate for at least 1 hour to absorb the flavors.
- Prepare the Dry Batter: In a large bowl, mix together the flour or cornstarch or potato starch with baking powder. Thoroughly coat each marinated wing with the dry batter to completely cover the surface.
- First Frying: Pour vegetable oil into a large pot to a depth of 1 ½ to 2 inches and heat it to 345 degrees F. Fry the wings in batches without crowding the pot for 5 to 7 minutes. Once fried, transfer the wings to a cooling rack to drain excess oil.
- Second Frying: Increase the oil temperature to 375 degrees F. Double fry the wings in batches again until they become crunchy and golden brown. Drain on a cooling rack.
- Prepare the Sauce: For either soy garlic or gochujang sauce, combine all the respective ingredients in a medium pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens to your liking. Adjust thickness by adding water if necessary.
- Coat and Serve: While the sauce is still hot, drizzle it over the double-fried wings and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately, optionally with Korean pickled radish on the side.
Notes
- Serve the Korean fried chicken with Korean pickled radish to complement the flavors perfectly.
- You can choose between flour, cornstarch, or potato starch for the dry batter, each providing a different texture and flavor.
- Double frying ensures the chicken skin renders fat at a lower temperature then crisps up at a higher temperature, creating the signature crunch.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat leftovers in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through. Cover with foil if the sauce starts to burn.
- Optional wet batter method: mix 2.5 cups water, 1.25 cups cornstarch, 1.25 cups flour, and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Coat wings with 2 cups cornstarch before dipping into wet batter, then fry as directed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
