This Korean fried chicken recipe is sweet and spicy, and it’s double-fried until it’s brown and crispy. This recipe is for the sweet and spicy version, which is called yangnyeom-chikin, which literally means “seasoned chicken.” For a delicious treat, you can also make this chicken without the sauce.
Korean fried chicken has become a global sensation, beloved for its ultra-crispy exterior and bursting, juicy flavor. But what exactly makes this dish so crunchy and delicious? The secret lies in a combination of clever cooking techniques and flavorful sauces.
A Brief History of Korean Fried Chicken
While fried chicken traces its origins to Scottish and American cuisines, Koreans have put their own spin on this fried classic. Fried chicken was first introduced to Korea in the 1960s and 1970s through American fast food chains. Over time, Korean chefs began experimenting with double-frying and lighter batters to create their signature extra-crispy, crackling crunch.
By the late 1990s, Korean fried chicken was becoming a wildly popular dish thanks to a fusion of American fried chicken methods and unique Korean flavors. Local chains like Pelicana Chicken popularized the dish, along with the now-essential Korean fried chicken sauces and banchan (side dishes).
Thai fried chicken is a popular dish in Korea and around the world. You can find it on menus and at street food stands everywhere. Korean fried chicken is still very popular around the world, and “KFC” restaurants have opened in cities from Seoul to New York City.
The Keys to Ultra-Crispy Korean Fried Chicken
So how do Koreans make their fried chicken so astoundingly crispy on the outside while keeping the meat juicy and tender inside? It comes down to a few key techniques:
Double-Frying
Unlike American-style fried chicken which is fried just once, Korean fried chicken is double-fried. The chicken is fried at a lower temperature first to cook through, then fried again at a higher temperature to achieve maximum surface crunchiness. This double-frying locks in moisture while creating an incredibly crispy exterior.
Light Batter
American fried chicken batters tend to be thick, but Korean fried chicken has a very thin coating. Flour, cornstarch, and sometimes potato starch are mixed together in a thin batter that sticks to the chicken evenly without losing its crunch. The light batter also prevents the chicken from becoming greasy.
Resting Period
After the first fry, it’s important to let the chicken rest. This helps get rid of extra water from the skin before the second fry, which makes it crispier.
Smaller Pieces
Cutting the chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces also maximizes the crispy surface area. More crunch per bite!
Korean chefs have perfected the art of making ultra-crispy fried chicken by frying smaller pieces of chicken twice with a light batter and letting them rest in between. But the dish’s taste is more than just the crunch.
Signature Korean Fried Chicken Sauces
While the fried chicken techniques originated from American methods, the flavors are uniquely Korean. Countless regional sauce variations exist, but some of the most popular nationwide include:
Gochujang Sauce
This savory, sweet, and ever-so-slightly spicy sauce is made from the Korean fermented red chili paste gochujang. Combining gochujang with honey, soy sauce, garlic, and other ingredients makes for the ultimate balance of savory umami, sweetness, and a touch of heat.
Soy Garlic Sauce
As the name suggests, this sauce blends soy sauce, minced garlic, sesame oil, and a bit of sugar. The end result is a glistening, sticky sauce with a perfect hint of salty and sweet.
Honey Butter Sauce
A guilty pleasure sauce with a prominent flavor of, you guessed it, honey butter. This rich, sweet sauce provides the perfect foil against the chicken’s crispy, salty exterior. A drizzle of honey butter sauce will make your taste buds sing.
Spicy Fermented Crab Sauce
This unique sauce contains pickled crabs or crab paste to provide intense umami flavor along with a fiery kick of chili. It’s an acquired taste but for spice lovers, it’s fried chicken nirvana.
Beyond the core sauces, chefs constantly invent new glazes, rubs, and seasoning mixes. From black pepper or curry flavors to fusion recipes like soy ginger lime, the possibilities are endless.
Perfecting Crunch and Flavor at Home
Recreating the magic of Korean fried chicken at home is totally possible with the right techniques. Here are some tips:
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Use ice-cold water when making the batter – this prevents too much gluten formation from the flour so the batter stays ultra light and crisp.
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Fry the chicken in batches to prevent crowding and uneven frying.
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Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes after the first fry before the second fry.
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Use a candy thermometer to maintain the oil temperature at 325-350°F for the first fry and 375°F for the second.
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Coat the chicken in sauce right before serving to preserve maximum crunch.
With practice, you can make insanely crispy Korean fried chicken with sensational flavors in your own kitchen. Experiment with gochujang, soy garlic, honey butter, and other sauce recipes until you find your favorite.
The Korean Fried Chicken Experience in Miami
Miami’s diversity and vibrant food scene means there are plenty of spots to get your Korean fried chicken fix. From restaurants to food trucks, here are some top options:
Saam Korean BBQ – This K-BBQ joint is loved for its perfected soy garlic and spicy fried chicken. Their chicken is lightly battered and impossibly crunchy.
Oasis – A hip spot in Wynwood offering Korean wings, boneless chicken chunks, and chicken strips with an array of sauce choices from gochujang to citrus chili.
Spicy Chicken Miami – This food truck is dedicated to Nashville hot chicken but with flavors like Korean BBQ, they put a Korean-inspired spin on this southern favorite.
Tal’s Chicken – A Midtown walk-up window serving juicy fried chicken in flavors like Korean sweet chili, spicy gochujang, and even chocolate.
Salty Flame Restaurant – Featuring Korean Fried Chicken with a sweet gochujang glaze and crispy, sticky Sweet and Sour Chicken. It’s an explosion of Korean flavors in Miami.
Wherever you choose to experience it, Korean fried chicken in Miami offers addicting crunch and flavor. The chicken is fried to crispy perfection and lacquered with glossy, mouthwatering sauces. With so many restaurants to sample, you could eat Korean fried chicken every day and never get bored of the variety!
The Secret Behind the Crunch
So what makes Korean fried chicken so crispy after all? It comes down to the methodical double-fry, light and airy batter, and resting period that Korean chefs have mastered over the years. This results in the ultimate texture: shatteringly crispy chicken with juice locked inside. Paired with creative Korean sauces, it becomes a globally revered and craveable dish.
All it takes is a bit of technique and some patience to recreate the magic at home. For those who want to leave the work to the experts, head to a Korean fried chicken specialty restaurant and experience the crunch for yourself. With the Korean fried chicken trend only growing, this crispy delicacy is here to stay.
Cooking – double fry method
Put about two inches of vegetable oil (or another neutral cooking oil) in a pot with a heavy bottom. Heat the pot until it reaches 375 °F. After adding the chicken, make sure the oil is hot because that can change how long it takes to cook.
Carefully lower the chicken into the oil and don’t crowd the pot. Each batch should fry for about two to four minutes depending on the size of the chicken–check a piece of chicken with an instant-read thermometer to make sure it reaches 165 °F. The chicken should be a pale brown at this point and slightly crispy.
Remove the batch from the oil and place onto a paper towel lined wire rack. Putting the chicken on the rack in sections helps me keep track of which batch was fried first. This will also help with the second fry. Make sure the oil is back up to the right temperature and repeat with the next batch.
Once all the chicken is fried, you want to place them back in for the double fried portion. Double frying will help get the outer layer super crispy and golden, similar to crispy sweet potato fries and sweet and sour pork. It’s also a very significant part of what makes Korean fried chicken different from other variations.
Fry for another two to three minutes until the coloring begins to turn golden brown. If you touch the fried chicken with your tongs you should be able to see quite a difference in hardness between chicken that has been fried once vs. a second time.
While you are frying the chicken, you can also make the sweet and spicy sauce. This sauce is specifically for yangnyeom-chikin and typically includes a combination of gojuchang (fermented red chili paste) and sweetener like rice syrup or honey along with other spices and ingredients. Most of the time, this sauce is spicy due to the gojuchang, which is sold in varying degrees of spiciness. You can find it at your local Korean grocery store, or online.
For this recipe, I like to add sesame oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add minced garlic. Cook the garlic until it’s fragrant (about 30 seconds), and lower the heat to medium-low. Then, combine the gojuchang, honey, soy sauce, and ketchup in the saucepan. Cook the sauce for another one minute until all the ingredients are fully incorporated–you don’t want to really boil this sauce since it’s already thick.
In a large mixing bowl, add your chicken and pour about half of the glaze over the chicken. Shake the bowl around to fully coat the chicken and add more sauce based on your preference. Serve Korean fried chicken with a side of pickled daikon radish (chicken-mu), some french fries, and a nice cold beer. If you love Korean food, you can also pair this with spicy pork bulgogi, tteokbokki, Korean potato salad, and japchae.
The chicken & marinade ingredients
For this recipe, you can use chicken thighs or wings. I prefer skin-on thighs so that I still get the fattiness of the skin. Prep your chicken by deboning the chicken thighs and/or cutting the wings into separate pieces so that the wing and the drumstick are separated (this helps with frying evenly and eating).
For the marinade, combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, ginger powder, and onion powder in a mixing bowl. Then add the water and white vinegar and make sure all the ingredients are incorporated. This marinade is pretty thick and chunky, like applesauce. If you do need to add more water, add one tablespoon at a time. Place your prepped chicken in an airtight container, pour the marinade over the chicken, and make sure all the pieces are coated.
Now, you need to marinate overnight (or at least 12 hours)–I know, the agony of waiting! But what’s great is that you can prep this ahead of time. Similar to tori karaage, we realized the longer we marinated, the better the flavor. You can marinate up to 18 hours and it’s still fine (I have not marinated longer than this)!
how to make korean fried chicken
FAQ
What makes Korean fried chicken crispy?
Also, Korean fried chicken is often made with a wet batter and coated in a thin layer of potato starch, which helps to create a unique crunchiness. Apr 13, 2023.
What is the trick to getting crispy chicken?
Double Dredge—Adding two times as much flour to the chicken is the best way to make sure the breading stays on. This creates a super thick, extra crispy coating on your chicken. After dredging the chicken in seasoned flour, dip it into an egg wash and place it back into the flour. Sep 12, 2023.
What coating is Korean fried chicken?
Potato starch is what’s normally used for coating the chicken in Korean fried chicken. It’s either purely just potato starch or mostly potato starch mixed with a bit of wheat flour. In addition to this, Korean fried chicken is fried twice.
When you add sauce to Korean chicken, does it stay crispy?
MAKE AHEAD: Once you’ve fried the chicken, leave it on the wire rack until it’s cool. Don’t toss it with the sauce. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Any leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge – once the chicken has been tossed with the sauce it won’t stay crispy when you reheat it, but it will still taste delicious.