Korean Fried Chicken
Twice-fried chicken with a thin shatter-crisp coating and a sticky-spicy gochujang glaze. The Korean version is lighter and crisper than American fried chicken; the second fry is what does it. Sweet, garlicky, hot, addictive.
Overview
Chicken wings (or boneless thighs) get a light cornflour-and-flour coating and fry low and slow first to cook through. They cool, then fry hot and fast for the crisp. The sauce is a quick reduction of gochujang, gochugaru, soy, garlic, ginger, honey and rice vinegar; the just-fried chicken tosses in the sauce and gets eaten immediately.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 kg chicken wings (separated into drumettes and flats) or boneless thighs (cut into chunks)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 100 g cornflour
- 50 g plain flour
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons gochujang
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons water
Garnish
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 2 spring onions (sliced)
Method
Stage 1 - Prep the chicken
- Pat the wings very dry. Season with salt and white pepper.
- Mix the cornflour and plain flour in a bowl.
- Toss the wings in the flour; shake off excess. Let sit 10 minutes (the surface absorbs the flour).
Stage 2 - First fry
- Heat the oil to 160°C in a deep pan.
- Fry the wings in batches for 8-10 minutes until cooked through but pale.
- Drain on a wire rack; let rest at least 5 minutes.
Stage 3 - Sauce
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook 2-3 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened. Set aside.
Stage 4 - Second fry
- Increase the oil to 180°C.
- Fry the wings again in batches for 4-5 minutes until deep golden and shatteringly crisp.
- Drain briefly.
Stage 5 - Toss and serve
- Place the hot wings in a large bowl; pour the sauce over.
- Toss to coat completely.
- Pile onto a plate; scatter sesame seeds and spring onions.
- Eat immediately.
Notes
- Twice-fried, no shortcut: Single-fry gives soggy or burnt. The first fry cooks through; the second crisps. The rest between fries lets steam escape.
- Cornflour-heavy coating: This is what gives the thin, shatter-crisp shell. Too much plain flour gives a heavier, breadier crust.
- Sauce after the toss: Coat just before serving; sauce on chicken sitting around goes soggy fast.
Storage
- Eat immediately. Doesn't reheat well.
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