This dish is quickly growing in popularity around the world and this is my version of the most common variety, Yangnyeom! The biggest difference between this version and most of the recipes you’ll find is that we’re leaving out the tomato sauce/ketchup. I’ve added vinegar to replace and even amp up the acid component that you would normally get from tomatoes!
This recipe is still evolving and so I will update with future iterations! The double frying method of cooking along with use of a starch coating creates a super crispy exterior while maintaining nice and juicy meat.
Ingredients:
- 4 Deboned Skin on Chicken Thighs (Cut into 4 equal pieces each.)
- Fresh Ginger (I use a microplane to grate it.)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Potato Starch (You can use Rice Flour or Corn Starch.)
- Oil for frying (I use peanut oil.)
For the sauce:
- 3 tbsp Gochujang
- 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Shoyu
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 3 Cloves Garlic Minced (I use a garlic press.)
- Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and fresh grated ginger. Let marinate for at least 30 min.
- Get your sauce started by placing all ingredients into a small pot on low heat until everything is dissolved and incorporated. Turn off heat until your done frying your chicken.
- Heat oil to 325° and coat your chicken pieces with starch. You do not need a super thick coating but you do want everything covered.
- Fry for 4 minutes at 325° and drain on a wire rack, work in small batches.
- Fry again this time at 375° for 3 minutes or until golden brown once again resting on a wire rack when finished.
- Warm up your sauce and using a large mixing bowl coat the chicken pieces thoroughly. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds if you like and serve immediately!
A few things that bear mentioning! Most Korean FC uses wing segments and they would work well for this recipe with an increased cook time of 3 or 4 minutes more. I just prefer the easier to handle size of the quartered thighs. No need to get your hands all sticky!
Some people use tapioca starch, arrow root flour, or even sweet potato starch though I haven’t experimented with them. Mirin could be replaced by Sake or even White Wine. Rice Vinegar could be substituted with Apple Cider Vinegar safely. There is no substitute for Gochujang!
Korean Fried Chicken is a relatively new dish that came into existences in the late 1940s and is solidly fusion in nature. There are new and varied sauces being created daily so anything goes, you don’t have to worry about offending anyone’s ancestors!
I will be posting recipes for a couple other standard varieties notably Dakgangjeong and Padak! Also coming soon is Taiwanese Fried Chicken! Stay tuned and Happy Cooking!