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Korean Fried Chicken

The best Korean Fried Chicken - Crispy buttermilk fried chicken smothered in a spicy, sticky Korean Gochujang sauce. INSANELY good!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Marinading Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Party food
Cuisine: Asian, korea
Keyword: Korean Fried Chicken
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 814kcal

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade:

  • 4 chicken breasts sliced into long thick strips
  • 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ¼  tsp white pepper
  • ¼ tsp garlic salt

Crispy Coating:

  • cups (180g) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp garlic salt
  • ½ tsp celery salt
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • vegetable oil for deep frying   (at least 1 litre/four cups)

Sauce:

  • 2 tbsp gochujang paste
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 4 tbsp brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
  • 2 tsp minced ginger
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 spring onions sliced into thin strips
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)

Instructions

  • Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour (up to over night)
    Korean Fried Chicken
  • Preheat the oven to a low heat (to keep cooked chicken warm). Heat a large pan of vegetable oil (or preheat your deep fat fryer) until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough). You’ll need at least 1 litre (4 cup) of oil.
  • Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Take the chicken out of the fridge. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
  • Once the oil is hot enough, add in 5 or 6 of the chicken tenders. You can add more or less depending on the size of your pan, just be sure not to overcrowd the chicken.
  • Cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the middle. You can check this by cutting open a piece of chicken, if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s cooked.
    Korean Fried Chicken
  • Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the chicken. **If you want to ensure the chicken stays extra crispy whilst in the oven, see my 'Top Tips for Success' section in the post.
  • Meanwhile make the sauce. Place the gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and sesame oil in a saucepan and stir together.
  • Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
    Korean Fried Chicken
  • Pour over the crispy chicken and carefully toss together, then top with the spring onions, chilli flakes and sesame seeds before serving.
    Korean Fried Chicken

Notes

Cаn I ѕсаlе uр or ѕсаlе dоwn thе recipe?

Yеѕ уоu саn hаlvе or dоublе thе rесіре uѕіng thе ѕаmе іngrеdіеnt rаtіоѕ.If dоublіng thе recipe, рlеаѕе nоtе іt will tаkе lоngеr tо fry thе chicken аѕ уоu'll hаvе mоrе bаtсhеѕ tо frу.

How do уоu reheat Korean frіеd chicken?

I рrеfеr thіѕ Korean fried chicken served right аwау, аѕ that's whеn thе chicken wіll bе аt it's сrіѕріеѕt. However, уоu can сооl, соvеr and refrigerate thе Kоrеаn fried сhісkеn (fоr uр tо a dау), then reheat іn thе оvеn (соvеrеd) for 10-15 mіnutеѕ аt 190C/380F, untіl piping hot throughout.
If уоu wаnt to keep thе сhісkеn сrіѕру, then fullу cook bоth thе crispy chicken and sauce, then сооl and соvеr (keep the sauce ѕераrаtе frоm thе сhісkеn) аnd rеfrіgеrаtе fоr uр to a dау. Then reheat thе сhісkеn іn thе oven, unсоvеrеd, fоr 10-15 mіnutеѕ аt 190C/380F, untіl ріріng hоt thrоughоut. Reheat thе ѕаuсе іn a pan until ріріng hоt.