Korean Fried Chicken

Korean Fried Chicken – juicy, yet crispy pieces of chicken coated in a sweet and spicy sauce. An easy fried chicken recipe with a fiery kick making for the perfect meal or appetizer. This chicken truly is perfect for any occasion.

If you love fried chicken, I strongly advise you to try this Korean fried chicken recipe! The chicken stays tender and juicy on the inside while maintaining that crispy, crunchy skin we all know and love. It has an added kick from the gochujang used in the sauce which makes this dish incredibly bold in the flavor department.

Recently hubs and I have been going to this restaurant that has this incredible Korean fried chicken and I just had to recreate this recipe at home. I think I came pretty close to the restaurant version. Did I mention that it is also extremely simple to make? Because it is!

I love recipes where I get to experiment with different flavors and ingredients from all over the world, right in the comfort of my own home. Korean fried chicken has now become a staple dish at my house, we make it at least once a week.

What is Korean fried chicken?

Korean fried chicken or “KFC“, refers to a variety of different fried chicken dishes from South Korea. Generally referred to as “chikin” it is used in popular dishes such as huraideu-chikin and spicy yangnyeom-chikin.

Korean fried chicken is drastically different than what we are used to, using an Asian frying technique that renders out the fat in the skin – transforming it into a thin, crispy crust. The sauce is then absorbed, adding bold flavors without making it soggy. In South Korea, fried chicken is consumed as a meal, an appetizer, anju (a Korean term for food consumed with alcohol), or as an after-meal snack. In other words, this chicken is so good you’ll want to eat it ALL the time.

Ingredient Notes

• Chicken – I used boneless, skinless breasts – cut into 1 inch pieces. I have also made this with chicken thighs, I used a meat mallet to cut through the bones. You can use whole chicken thighs as well.
• Egg – Large, beaten.
• Cornstarch – To get that nice crispy skin. You can substitute with flour, but you’ll need to double the amount and possibly double fry to get that crispy texture.

Korean Sauce

• Butter – I used unsalted because we’ll get plenty of sodium from the sauce.
• Gochujang Sauce – You can use any of your favourite hot sauce but I find that Sriracha or Sambal Oelek are the most similar in flavor. Gochujang is a red chili paste that is savory, sweet and spicy. I usually find this in the Asian aisle of my grocery store, or visit your local Asian market.
• Honey – You can substitute with agave or maple syrup.
• Brown Sugar – You can use regular granulated sugar or mix 3 tbsp of granulated sugar with a tsp of molasses to make brown sugar.
• Soy Sauce – I used low sodium.
• Garlic – Fresh is best! Minced.
• Ginger – I used fresh, minced. You can use dried if you don’t have fresh. To keep your ginger lasting a long time, simply store it in a ziploc bag or plastic bag and freeze it. When you’re ready to use, just grate it.
• Rice Vinegar – If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar instead.
• Sesame Oil – most light oils and nut oils will work as a substitute (light olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil) it just won’t have as much of that toasted sesame flavor. You can add toasted sesame seeds to the light oil to help with the flavor.

Garnish

• Green Onions – Sliced.
• Toasted Sesame Seeds
• Red Chilis – Sliced.

How to make Korean fried chicken

1. Coat the chicken – Toss the chicken pieces through the egg first, then dredge through the cornstarch.
2. Cook the chicken – Add oil to a heavy bottom pan and heat to 375 °F. Add chicken to the pan and fry in batches about 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
3. Make the sauce and toss with chicken – Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Stir int he brown sugar and honey and cook for about 1 minute until the brown butter dissolves. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and gochujang sauce to the skillet and stir. Cook for 30 seconds then add the chicken to the skillet and toss well with the sauce.
4. Serve – garnish with green onions, toasted sesame seeds and red chilis. Serve hot.

How to serve

The traditional pairing to Korean fried chicken is pickled radish and an abundance of beer or soju; but I like to serve mine over a nice, simple sticky rice! Add this chicken to a stir-fry, atop a fresh salad or eat it as an appetizer as is. The flavor profile of this Korean fried chicken will blow your mind – you’ll want to eat it with a shovel, no matter how you serve it.

If you want some easy to make ideas on what to serve with your chicken, try these recipes!

• Coconut Rice
• Chow Mein
• Easy Fried Rice
• Instant Pot Rice

Can I make this in advance?

Absolutely! You can prep your chicken and sauce the night before, store them both separately and covered in the fridge and just fry them up before serving! Quick and easy.

Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Cooked chicken will start to grow bacteria so don’t leave it sitting out for longer than 1 hour.

If you want to extend the “shelf life” of cooked chicken, you can freeze it in a covered airtight container, heavy-duty freezer bags, or wrap tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Keep in mind, you may lose some quality if freezing.

To reheat leftovers, pop them in the microwave or back into a skillet or wok until heated through.

Did you love this recipe? Try these!

• Korean Beef Stir Fry
• Korean Style Pork Chops
• Skillet Chicken Satay
• Korean BBQ Chicken
• Korean Beef Rice Bowls
• Sweet and Spicy Korean Meatballs