Korean Fried Chicken
This Korean Fried Chicken is impossibly crispy with a glass-like coating that crackles when you bite into it. Double-fried to perfection and tossed in sweet-savory soy garlic or spicy gochujang sauce — it's the kind of chicken that makes people stop mid-conversation and ask how you made it. Way better than any restaurant, and once you nail the technique, you'll wonder why you ever ordered takeout.
Print Pin Servings: 6 pieces
Calories: 420kcal
Cost: $18.50
Equipment
- 1 Heavy pot or deep fryer For frying chicken at controlled temperatures
- 1 Instant-read or clip-on thermometer CRITICAL - for monitoring oil temperature accurately
- 2 Large mixing bowls One for dry coating, one for wet batter
- 1 Wire cooling rack Never use paper towels - they create steam and sogginess
- 1 Large pan or wok For heating sauce and tossing chicken
- 1 Tongs or spider strainer For safely handling chicken during frying
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings or boneless thighs cut into 2-inch pieces if using thighs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 cup cornstarch or potato starch
- 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- 0.5 cup cornstarch
- 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
- 0.25 cup vodka or soju
- 0.75 cup cold water
- 1 large egg
- 0.5 cup soy sauce
- 0.25 cup honey
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 0.25 cup gochujang Korean chili paste
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- green onions sliced
- pickled radish optional
- For Frying:
- 6-8 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Prep and coat your chicken
- Pat chicken completely dry with paper towels—moisture kills crispiness.
- Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ginger powder, then let sit 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Mix cornstarch, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl for dry coating.
- Whisk together cornstarch, flour, vodka, cold water, and egg in another bowl for wet batter—keep it cold.
- Dredge chicken in dry coating, dip in cold batter, then back in dry coating for double-layer crunch.
- First fry at lower temperature
- Heat oil to exactly 325°F in a heavy pot or deep fryer—use a thermometer, not guesswork.
- Fry chicken in small batches for 8-10 minutes until just cooked through—don't crowd the pot.
- Don't worry about golden color yet—this fry is about cooking the meat.
- Drain on wire rack (never paper towels which create steam), then let rest for at least 10 minutes before second fry.
- Oil temperature drops when you add chicken—wait for recovery before adding more pieces.
- Second fry for ultimate crispiness
- Increase oil temperature to 350-375°F for the second fry.
- Fry chicken again in small batches for 3-4 minutes until deep golden brown and glass-like crispy.
- This is where the magic happens—coating becomes impossibly crunchy.
- Work in batches to maintain proper temperature—don't crowd or temperature drops 50+ degrees.
- Drain on wire rack again while you prepare sauce.
- Sauce and serve immediately
- For soy garlic: Heat soy sauce, honey, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, and butter in large pan until bubbling.
- For spicy: Combine gochujang, honey, soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, and ketchup; heat until thickened.
- Toss fried chicken in hot sauce immediately while both are hot—work quickly or it gets soggy.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
- Serve immediately with pickled radish and cold beer for authentic experience.
Notes
The secret to Korean fried chicken? Double-frying at two temps. I learned this after four years of disasters, including serving my husband's boss completely raw chicken. We ordered pizza at 9 PM. Once I bought a thermometer and started double-frying (325°F then 350-375°F), everything changed. Measuring beats guessing every time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1piece | Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 980mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1.4mg