Korea · Meat Dishes

Korean Fried Chicken

Korean fried chicken, or yangnyeom chicken (양념치킨), is chicken fried twice — once to cook it, then again, hotter, to set a thin glassy crust — and tossed in a sticky sauce of gochujang, honey, garlic and soy.

40 min✻2 servings✻320 kcal
Korean Fried Chicken

Ingredients

  • chicken wings or thighs500 g
  • salt0.5 tsp
  • black pepper0.25 tsp
  • soy sauce1 tbsp
  • garlic powder0.5 tsp
  • egg1
  • cornstarch4 tbsp
  • neutral oil, for deep frying1 l
  • ketchup2 tbsp
  • gochujang2 tbsp
  • honey1 tbsp
  • soy sauce1 tbsp
  • rice vinegar1 tsp
  • garlic cloves, grated2
  • sesame oil1 tsp
  • sesame seeds for serving1 tsp

Method

  1. 1Marinate. Pat the chicken dry. Whisk the egg with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and the first tablespoon of soy sauce, toss the chicken in it and leave for 15–20 minutes. The egg is what makes the starch cling in the next step — dry chicken in dry starch gives a patchy, powdery crust.
  2. 2Coat and fry the first time. Heat the oil in a heavy pot to 170 °C — at least 5 cm deep, so the pieces float. Toss the chicken in the cornstarch until every piece is evenly coated and shake off the excess. Fry in batches for 8–10 minutes for wings or 10–12 minutes for bone-in thighs, until pale gold and cooked through: the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest piece, or the centre reads 74 °C. This first fry cooks the chicken; the colour comes later.
  3. 3Rest, then fry again. Lift the chicken onto a rack for 5 minutes — moisture from inside moves out into the crust. Bring the oil up to 190 °C and fry again for 2–3 minutes, until deep gold and hard when tapped. The second, hotter fry drives that moisture off, and it is what keeps the crust crisp under the sauce.
  4. 4Make the sauce. In a small pan combine the ketchup, gochujang (Korean fermented chilli paste), honey, the second tablespoon of soy sauce, rice vinegar, grated garlic and sesame oil. Simmer over low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Keep the heat low: gochujang catches and turns bitter quickly.
  5. 5Toss and serve. Toss the hot chicken in the warm sauce just until coated, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve at once. The crust stays crisp for about 10 minutes before the glaze starts to soften it.