Korean Fried Chicken
Fried chicken has to be one of the most comforting foods on the planet (do not debate me). It’s a proven fact and one I can definitely vouch for. I love Southern fried chicken, Dominican fried chicken, and the list goes on. By list I mean one more lol and that has to be Korean fried chicken. It’s crispy, spicy, and sweet- aka amazing . If you haven’t tried Korean fried chicken yet, you do not know what you’re missing! Grab your coat/jacket and head to your nearest Bon Chon (Uber eats is a solid option too) and order their Soy Garlic wings! Thank me later!
If you’ve already been then you know my obsession. Sadly for me, the nearest Bon Chon is a 30 minute drive. Pretty recently a sudden Korean Fried Chicken craving came along and I just had to have it (by all means necessary) so I grabbed some Gochuchang from my pantry, grabbed all of the ingredients for my Southern Fried Chicken recipe and got to work!
Here’s my Korean Fried Chicken recipe. A crispy, spicy, and sweet fried chicken that’ll surely hit the spot, everytime!
Marinading the Chicken:
6 boneless chicken breasts, sliced into long strips
1 cup buttermilk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp of black pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp of Home Beis Bayou blend
Coating:
1 ½ cups (180g) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tsps of garlic powder
1 tsp of Home Beis Bayou blend
1/2 tsp of cayenne
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1.5 tsp baking powder
Oil, for frying
Spicy Gochuchang Sauce:
2 tbsp gochujang paste
1 tbsp of sriracha
3 tbsp honey
4.5 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1.5 tbsp sesame oil
8 stalks of green onion, sliced long into thin strips
1.5 tsp sesame seeds, as garnish
2 pinches of red pepper flakes (about 1.5 tsps), to top
Directions:
First we marinate the chicken. Add your strips to a large bowl. Then, add buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes. This buttermilk marinade will allow for crispy and juicy chicken once we coat and then fry later.
2. Then we coat the chicken. I used my usual coating for buttermilk fried chicken here. Add your flour , baking powder and spices to another large bowl and mix until combined. Once the chicken has marinated for at least 30 minutes, it’s time to coat. Remove the strips from the buttermilk mixture allowing for the buttermilk to drip off and then add into the flour coating mixture. Repeat until all our your strips are coated and set aside.
Now we fry! Add enough oil for frying into a pan under medium to high heat. Once hot (you can test by placing a bit of flour in the oil. If it bubbles, the oil is ready), place strips into the oil without overcrowding your pan and fry until golden and crispy. Remove and transfer to a rack. Repeat until all of your strips are cooked.
Next, we make our Sweet and Spicy Gochuchang sauce. Add all of the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and combine. After combining, add the mixture to a sauce pan under medium heat and cook until sticky and bubbling. You’ll know it’s ready when you begin to see little bubbles in the sauce.
Transfer your crispy and golden chicken strips into a large bowl. Then, pour the sauce over chicken and toss until all of the strips are coated with the Gochuchang sauce. Then, plate your chicken and top with sesame seeds, green onions and red pepper flakes. Serve & enjoy!
Notes:
Serve as an appetizer or pair with steamed white rice and veggies
To make this a bit less spicy, you can omit the sriracha in the recipe
If you prefer traditional wings, you can substitute the chicken breasts for up to 12 wings