Korean Fried Chicken
In this recipe, I'll show you my secret tips on how to make the ultimate crispy and flavorful Korean fried chicken wingettes. It all starts with a simple salt water solution that infuses the chicken with a savory seasoning overnight. Then, the chicken is coated in a batter made with Korean fried chicken mix and cold water, giving it an irresistible crunch. Finally, the wings are double-fried for extra crispiness and tossed in a delicious gochujang sauce for an added kick of flavor.
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- heavy-bottomed pot
- Food thermometer
- Wire rack
- gallon Ziploc bag
- Nonstick frying pan
Ingredients
- 16 chicken wingettes (can also use drumettes)
- 500 g cold water (about 2 cups)
- 15 g salt (about 2½ tsp)
- 1 tsp Korean chili powder (While it appears red in color, it's not that spicy.)
- ½ tsp garlic powder (You may replace it with 1 tsp of freshly chopped garlic.)
Coating
- 240 g Korean fried chicken mix (1½ cup; for the batter)
- 240 g cold water (1 cup)
- 240 g Korean fried chicken mix (1½ cup; in the bag)
Other
- vegetable oil for frying (fill the medium pot half full)
Sweet & Spice Sauce (for 8 chicken wingettes)
- 3 tbsp gochujang
- ½ tbsp Korean chili powder
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 4 tbsp honey (or light corn syrup)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the salt, Korean chili powder, and garlic powder (or freshly chopped garlic) with cold water until completely dissolved.
- Add the chicken wingettes/drumettes to the salt water solution, making sure they are completely submerged. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- The next day, remove the chicken wings from the salt water solution and place them in a plate.
- Mix the Korean fried chicken mix and cold water in a bowl using an equal weight ratio, and whisk them together until fully combined.
- Pour the batter onto the chicken wingettes, then flip each one so that they are evenly coated with the batter.
- Add Korean fried chicken mix into a gallon Ziploc bag, place 6 chicken wingettes (batter-coated) into the bag and seal it tightly, leaving some air inside.
- Shake the bag vigorously until the chicken wingettes are evenly coated with the flour mixture.
- Take out the chicken wingettes from the Ziploc bag and gently shake off any excess flour mixture. Transfer the coated chicken wingettes onto a large plate. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken wingettes, doing six at a time, until they are all coated with the flour mixture.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot to 320°F.
- Gently add the chicken wingettes to the hot oil and fry them for approximately 3 minutes, or until they turn golden brown and crispy. Adjust the heat level to maintain the oil temperature around 320°F. Place the fried chicken wingettes on a wire rack to drain any excess oil. (Depending on the pot size, you may need to fry the chicken wingettes in multiple batches.)
- After placing all the chicken wingettes on the wire rack to cool down, increase the temperature of the oil to 355°F. Gently add the chicken wingettes back into the hot oil and fry for another minute, or until they turn crispy and golden brown.(Depending on the pot size, you may need to fry the chicken wingettes in multiple batches.)
- Remove the chicken wingettes from the oil and place them on a wire rack to drain any excess oil.
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a nonstick frying pan, stir and thicken the sauce over low heat until bubbling. Toss the fried chicken wingettes with the sauce until they are evenly coated. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
You may notice that this recipe yields 16 fried chicken wingettes while the sauce provided is only for 8 chicken wingettes.
It is because that the Korean fried chicken wingettes are already flavorful and delicious even without the gochujang sauce. If you're interested in trying different textures and flavors of Korean fried chicken, you can coat half of the fried chicken wingettes with the sauce. But if you prefer to skip making the sauce, it's totally fine as the crispy fried chicken by itself is still enjoyable.