Korean Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 1.4 kg whole chicken (cut into pieces)
• 2 tbsp rice wine
• 2 tsp ginger (minced)
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup potato starch (or corn starch)
• cooking oil (for deep frying (e.g., rice bran oil))
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
• 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste; add 1/2 tbsp more for extra spice)
• 0.25 cup honey
• 0.25 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• toasted sesame seeds (for garnish)
• green onion (finely chopped or thinly shredded for garnish)

Steps

1. 1

   In a bowl, place the chicken pieces, rice wine, minced ginger, salt, and black pepper. Combine them well.

2. 2

   Evenly coat the chicken with the potato starch. For the best effect, dip individual chicken pieces into the starch, roll them around to ensure full coverage, then set aside.

3. 3

   In a deep saucepan or fryer, add a generous amount of oil and heat it until the temperature reaches 175°C (347°F).

4. 4

   Carefully add the battered chicken to the hot oil. Fry until cooked through, which typically takes between 3 to 5 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. Do not overcrowd the pan; fry in batches if necessary.

5. 5

   Remove the cooked chicken and place them on kitchen paper to drain while you fry the remaining pieces.

6. 6

   Once the first round of frying is complete, use a skimmer to scoop out any floating debris from the oil.

7. 7

   Bring the oil back up to 175°C (347°F). Deep fry the chicken a second time until the batter is golden and very crisp. This second fry is shorter, taking about 2 to 3 minutes. Set the chicken aside.

8. 8

   In a separate saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients: tomato sauce, gochujang, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic, and sesame oil.

9. 9

   Heat the sauce over low-medium heat, stirring well. Once it starts bubbling, remove the pan from the heat.

10. 10

    Place the double-fried chicken into a large mixing bowl and pour the hot sauce over it. Mix lightly and thoroughly to coat every piece.

11. 11

    Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions. Serve hot immediately.

Notes

Alternatively, you can serve the fried chicken and the sauce separately to use as a dipping sauce. Leftover chicken can be refrigerated for a day or two and eaten cold, though it will lose its crunchiness. Using a grease splatter screen is recommended to minimize oil mess.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• fried chicken
• spicy
• korean
• dinner
• crunchy
• deep-fried