Korean Fried Chicken: the easy and flavorful Korean chicken recipe

If you love fried chicken, you’ll love this recipe for Korean Fried Chicken. So what makes it’s different? Well Korean Fried Chicken (also known as Dakgangjeong) is sweeter, crispier, and more flavorful than your normal fried chicken. It’s a traditional Korean recipe, where chicken is dredged and fried twice before its glazed in a sticky soy sauce. This recipe might look like it’s complicated, but it’s not difficult at all! This is the best Korean Fried Chicken recipe, you have to try it!

What is Korean Fried Chicken?

Fried chicken comes in all shapes and sizes. Like typical fried chicken you’d find all around restaurants, it’s moist and crispy. But there are two things that make Korean Fried Chicken different. First, it’s fried twice instead of only once. This makes the coating extra crispy. Secondly, after frying, it’s coated in a sweet and spicy sticky sauce. Dakgangjeong is a soy garlic fried chicken, and you love Asian flavors, you’ll love this.

How to make Korean Fried Chicken

Start by making the marinade. In a large bowl, add the marinade ingredients and mix well. Cover the chicken wings with the marinade and allow to sit in the fridge for at least one hour. Now make the dredge. Whisk ingredients for the dredge, and use ½ cup of this mixture mixed with cold water to form a batter.  Add the chicken wings to the dredge mixture, making sure to coat each properly. Shake off the excess batter, and cover with flour mixture. Fry at 350°F for 5 minutes. Remove and fry again for another 5 minutes. Leave to rest on kitchen towels. Make the garlic soy sauce in the meanwhile. Fry the garlic in vegetable for about 30 minutes. Add the soy and honey and whisk while cooking until the sauce thickens. Brush over the cooked chicken.

Tips for the Best Korean Fried Chicken

You can use other cuts for this recipe. Chicken wings are of course our favorite, and you can use a mixture of flats and drumettes. If you prefer white meat, you chicken tenders sliced from breast meat. If you like dark meat, you can also use thigh fillets. Drumsticks are also an economical option. Try to stick to one type of cut, as this will ensure even cooking.

You can make the Chicken Fried Chicken Drumsticks in an air fryer too. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for about 5 minutes. Place the breaded chicken drumsticks in the basket (don’t overcrowd the basket) and cook for about 10 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook another 10 minutes. If the internal temperature is not yet at 165°F, you can continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

If you don’t like frying, you can also bake the Korean Fried Chicken. Simply brush the chicken with oil and place on a baking sheet line with foil. Bake at 475°F for about 35 minutes. Just make sure to flip halfway through.

How to store Korean Fried Chicken

Store leftover Korean Fried chicken in an airtight container (in the fridge) for up to 4 days. Simply reheat them in the microwave or bake in the oven if you want to keep them crispy. The sauce can also be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Instructions

Combine ingredients for the marinade with chicken wings cover and set aside for 1 hour.

Whisk ingredients for the dredge, measure ½ cup into a separate bowl and add cold water in it.

Place chicken wings, one by one, into a bowl of batter.

Shake off the excess and dredge in flour and spice mixture.

Fry at 180°C/350°F twice for 5 minutes each time, leaving wings on the paper towels in-between.

To make sauce fry garlic in vegetable oil for around 30 seconds, then add soy and honey. Whisk and let cook until thickens.

Brush the glaze over chicken wings and serve right away.

Notes

If you’re serious about your fried chicken, it’s best to invest in a thermometer. This will ensure that you don’t make the oil too hot which will burn the chicken before it’s cooked through. A oil temperature of about 350°F will work great.