The BEST Crispy Korean Fried Chicken
Ultimate Korean fried chicken recipe! These wings are extra crispy on the outside and wonderfully moist inside, all coated in a mouth-watering Korean fried chicken sauce made with gochujang. Perfect for game nights or as a main dish served with rice.
“I have been using your recipe for KFC for ages now, and just wanted to say that it is the BEST! My partner even thinks it is better than any KFC he has had before (in restaurants)!”
bianca
Imagine biting into crispy, golden chicken wings, perfectly fried and slathered in a sweet and spicy sauce. That’s Korean fried chicken for you—a delicious dish that’s gained popularity all around the world.
If you haven’t tried it yet, you’re definitely missing out on this flavorful experience. Often referred to as ‘the other KFC,’ it’s a must-try for Korean food enthusiast.
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What makes Korean fried chicken stand out is its double frying technique. This method creates an ultra-crispy exterior while keeping the inside tender and juicy. It’s a texture that’s hard to beat and part of what makes these wings so addictive.
People often mix up this spicy fried chicken with dakgangjeong, which is more like Korean popcorn chicken made with small, boneless pieces. While they may look similar, the main difference lies in their sauces—each with its own special recipe that sets them apart.
These wings are a staple at a Chimaek party, a Korean tradition of enjoying chicken with beer. Not a fan of spicy food? Try the trending snow onion chicken, another Korean chicken dish in a milder option. Personally, I skip the beer and just focus on the chicken—it means more for me to enjoy!
Spicy Fried Chicken Sauce
Korean-style fried chicken gets its unique flavor from yangnyeom sauce (양념소스), a tasty red, spicy sauce. This homemade sauce combines gochujang (Korean chili paste), ketchup, sugar, vinegar, and a surprising twist—apricot preserve or strawberry jam!
This gochujang sauce, similar to a glaze, perfectly balances sweet, salty, tangy, and a mild spice that even kids can enjoy. Adding fruit preserve or jam is a smart trick used in restaurants, giving the sauce a subtle, fresh flavor without being too overpowering.
Making the sauce is simple: just mix all the ingredients in a pan and heat it up. Then, brush it onto the chicken or toss the chicken in the sauce to coat it thoroughly.
Essential Ingredients
- Chicken Wings: Fresh wings are ideal, but frozen ones work as well—just make sure they’re fully thawed.
- Cornstarch: Crucial for a crispy coating; it helps the coating stick to the chicken.
- Korean Chili Paste (Gochujang): Adds flavor, heat, and thickness to the sauce.
- Apricot or Strawberry Jam: This unique addition gives the sauce a fruity twist. Don’t skip it; it makes a big difference!
- Other Ingredients: Onion, garlic, ginger, ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and rice wine are also needed to enhance the savory flavors.
How to make Korean Fried Chicken
Season the Chicken
Season the chicken wings with pureed ginger, rice wine, salt, and pepper, then let them marinate for 10 minutes.
Prepare the sauce
Blend the onion, garlic, and rice wine in a blender until smooth.
Mix the onion puree with all the other sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until well combined.
Heat the sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens like a glaze and starts to bubble, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.
Coat the chicken
In a large plastic bag, combine cornstarch and baking powder. Add the marinated chicken and shake until the chicken is evenly coated.
Double Deep-fry
Heat the oil to 330˚F on medium-low heat, checking with a meat thermometer. Shake off excess cornstarch from the chicken and gently add a few pieces to the oil at a time. Deep-fry for 3-4 minutes, then transfer the wings to a cooling rack or a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
After frying all the batches once, raise the heat to medium (around 350˚F). Fry the chicken again for 1-2 minutes until the coating is deep golden brown, being careful not to let it over-brown. Let the excess oil drain off by placing the chicken on a wire rack.
Coat with gochujang chicken sauce
Use a pastry brush to evenly apply the sauce to the hot wings. Alternatively, you can pour the sauce over the chicken and toss to coat.
Brushing is better if you want to control the amount of sauce on each wing. Finish by garnishing the chicken wings with toasted sesame seeds or chopped nuts.
Best Pairings for Korean Fried Chicken
Koreans often enjoy fried chicken with a cold beverage like beer or soda. A classic side dish is pickled radish, known as chicken mu. Its bright, tangy flavor perfectly balances the rich taste of deep-fried chicken.
Tips for Perfectly Crispy Fried Chicken
Here are a few tips to help you make the crispiest, most delicious Korean chicken you’ve ever had:
- Cornstarch in the Coating: Use cornstarch in your chicken coating for a crunch that lasts longer. This technique will help you make mouth-watering fried chicken with just the right texture.
- Baking Powder in the Coating: Mix baking powder into the cornstarch coating. When heated, baking powder releases carbon dioxide gas, creating tiny air pockets in the batter. This leads to a puffier and even crispier coating.
- Oil Temperature: Keep the oil at a moderate heat so the chicken fries gently. If the oil bubbles too much, lower the heat. Fry in small batches to avoid crowding the pan, which can lower the oil’s temperature and cause uneven cooking.
- After each batch, use a strainer to remove any debris from the oil.
- Gluten-Free Option: This recipe is great for those on a gluten-free diet as it uses cornstarch without any wheat flour. Just remember to use gluten-free gochujang for the sauce.
- Reheating instruction: To reheat chicken while preserving its taste and texture, use the oven. Preheat to 400˚F, place the chicken inside uncovered, and heat for 10-15 minutes, turning halfway through.
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The BEST Crispy Korean Fried Chicken
Ingredients
For chicken
- 2 1/2 lb (1.3 kg) chicken party wings
- 1 tbsp sweet rice wine (mirim)
- 1/2 tsp pureed ginger
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- oil , for deep-frying
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, or finely chopped nuts
Korean fried chicken sauce
- 1/4 large onion , diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp sweet rice wine (mirim)
- 1 tsp pureed ginger
- 3 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang), see note for a gluten-free gochujang
- 2 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium if possible
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp apricot preserve or strawberry jam
- 2 tsp rice vinegar, or white vinegar
- 2 tbsp corn syrup
Instructions
For the chicken seasoning
- Combine chicken wings, pureed ginger, rice wine, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl; toss well together and set aside for 10 minutes.
For the sauce
- Put diced onion, garlic, and rice wine in a mini blender and process until smooth.
- In a small saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients and pour in the onion garlic puree; mix well. Bring the sauce to boil over medium heat until it bubbles up and thickens slightly, about 2-3 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
For the deep-frying
- Mix cornstarch and baking powder in a large plastic bag. Add the chicken wings and shake them well to coat. Shake off extra coating from the chicken wings.
- For the first fry: Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium-low heat, to reach about 330˚F. Drop the chicken wings, shaking off the extra cornstarch coating, into the oil, and deep-fry for 3-4 minutes. The oil temperature shouldn’t be too hot and the chicken will fry slowly. If the oil bubbles vigorously, reduce the temperature.
- For the second fry: When all the batches of the first deep fry are finished, raise the heat to medium, about 350˚F. Drop the chicken again into the hot oil and deep-fry until the coating turns a deep golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Adjust the heat if it browns too quickly. Shake off the excess oil from the chicken and place them on a wire rack to allow the remaining oil to drip off the chicken.
- Brush or coat with sauce: Using a pastry brush, apply sauce on the hot chicken wings. Alternately, you can pour the sauce over the chicken and toss them to coat. Garnish chicken wings with toasted sesame seeds or finely chopped nuts. Serve these wings with your favorite cold beverage.
Notes
Holly, this recipe and these wings were out of this world fantastic. Even though I am sure I probably didn’t make them exactly like you would have. I have to admit I was a little confused with all of the necessary procedures and pureeing this and that. Sorry they were all gone before I could take a pic of them. Could you please give me the ingredients and the amounts to season the chicken?
I’m glad to hear they were well-received. For seasoning the chicken, all you need is salt, pepper, rice wine, and ginger paste. The recipe card specifies the amount of each ingredient. I used a couple of pinches of salt and pepper for mine, but the amount of salt can vary depending on personal preference and the type of salt used.
Hi Holly, I’m an old retired soldier and spent a lot of time stationed in korea. My last station was Tong Du Chon(Camp Casey) up near the DMZ. While I was there I was tremendously lucky to find a small restaurant which I believe may have been this recipe. I’ve recently been craving the delicious chicken from this small restaurant for the last several years. I am definitely going to go to the store today for the necessary ingredients. Hopefully it will be what I remember. My last military tour in Korea has been nearly 30 years ago, but I can still remember the flavor and goodness of the chicken from that little restaurant.
Hi Terry
First of all, thank you for your service. I’m pleased to hear that you enjoyed the authentic Korean chicken while stationed in Dongducheon. Despite most U.S. troops moving to the new base at Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Dongducheon and Osan base remain in their original locations. I hope this recipe comes close to the taste you remember. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding the recipe. Thank you very much!
Fabulous, just the right touch of spice. Fantastic wing!
Today, I made this recipe (well without the jam, sugar, corn syrup, but with a little honey since the sauce sounded too sweet on paper). It was my first time making fried chicken.
It was not good…
It was the best! So yummy, I loved the crispy gingery coating of the chicken (I added a bit more to the coating) and the sticky sauce, so good.
At first, I was worried at your first response but soon, I was relieved to learn that you think this is the best. Thanks for trying my recipe and leaving a comment. Hope this helps other readers, too.
It was a small joke the way I wrote it down. I really enjoyed the recipe I made, and I also think it will also be great with the corn syrup, jam and extra sugar (which I did not test).
I really liked the thick sauce and I am thinking of using this one for grilled cheese sandwiches and other delicious foodies (maybe hamburgers?) which benefit from such a thick sweet, sour, spicy, umami sauce.
Looks delicious especially the photos, will have to try th recipe later! I find yangnyeom chicken quite a staple in Korean food, what else is your favourites among Korean chicken that you like to cook?
I just wanted to say KAMSAHAMNIDA because this has been a big success with my husband and his friend. I’m French and I live in Japan and my husband is Korean. Apart from pulgogi my sister-in-law gave me the recipe for, I didn’t have many recipes in my “Korean” bag. I can’t eat spicy or maybe just kimchee but I wanted to find a recipe that my husband would like and spicier than what I usually do. This was excellent according to him 😉 I had to buy some more chicken wings for the next day as there was some left over sauce and he wanted to have it again. That’s how I know he’s not lying lol
By the way I also tried the tofu and egg pudding + the pan fried Korean tofu and those too were a hit. Thank you so much!! Now off to pick a new recipe to try tonight for my friends!
I just found your blog tonight, looking for Korean wings! I am in the US so am wondering if the frying temp is Farenheit or Centigrade? I SOOO want to make these but don’t want to screw up your recipe without having some clarification. Please advise, ASAP!
The temperature is Celsius. Farenheit would be 350 degree.
Hi Holly! I was on the hunt for a Korean wings recipe because I’ve never tried it before and I came here to find one. This looks perfect! Can’t wait to make it!! 🙂
I just started following your blog and I think it’s absolutely wonderful! Your chicken recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it out. I just posted a video on my version of Korean Chicken Wings with sesame seeds and Thai chili peppers! It’s a really inexpensive, easy, recipe to make too 🙂
Can’t wait to see your other recipes + try them out.
I have been using your recipe for KFC for ages now, and just wanted to say that it is the BEST! My partner even thinks it is better than any KFC he has had before (in restaurants)!
We are travelling to KL in July and were wondering (albeit a very strange request) if you knew of any good places that have KFC over there?
Hi Bianca, I’ve seen one restaurant near Ampang point called kokodak (꼬꼬닭) but haven’t tried. Thanks for the comment. I am so glad that you and your partner loved my recipe.
This is the very nice recipe I try it… yum
Hello there! I absolutely love your recipes! Tried a few and they tasted awesome. May I know if there is any substitute for corn syrup? Thank you ^^
You can skip the corn syrup. It is used to add a little lust.
Tried the sauce with shrimp today – really good! Love the idea of adding strawberry jam! Genius!
This sounds good and would like to make it! Is there another ingredient that I can use to substitute the Korean chili paste? I have Asian grocery stores in my town but none carry the Korean chili paste.
Hi Xue
Unfortunately the Korean chili paste is the most important ingredient in this recipe, therefore I can’t recommend any substitute. Sorry!
Hi! I tried this recipe today and must I say, it was fantastic! I love the way the spiciness is well complimented with the sweetness and my friends were left wondering where that awesome taste came from!
Thanks!
this being the first Korean recipe I tried, I wanted it to be good and it went beyond my expectations 😀
I tried the recipe last night, and it was finger licking good! It’s spicy and sweet, and I just love it. But I don’t used the rice wine, and I don’t think there’s a problem.
Thanks to you my dinner overwhelmed with joy 🙂
Oh, one thing, If I want it to be more spicy, what should I add?
after checking few of your recipes i realize koreans frequently used rice wine. i have a bit of problem about that since i’m a muslim. so is there anything that i can used to replace rice wine?
The alcohol in the rice wine is subtle and will be evaporated during cooking, but you can leave it out if it not accepted to your diet. It won’t change the flavor that much.
I tripled this recipe for dinner tonight. As we sat down to eat, by picky 12-year old daughter said, with disgust, "I don't like chicken wings." I insisted that she take at least one bite, and then she proceeded to eat more than 10 wings, sucking all of the sauce from the bones and asking if there was any extra sauce. "These are the BEST chicken wings I've ever had!!" she said. Between the 7 of us, we finished all but a few of the 6 lbs of wings. I just have enough for my lunch tomorrow. Now I can't wait to try your other KFC recipe!
Thanks Mandy. I glad that you tried with baked chicken. It will be healthier option and still delicious.
I made the sauce tonight with baked chicken and it was so delicious!! Thank you so much for this recipe, it will be great to keep this up my sleeve for parties and entertaining!
Thanks Faye. I like KL and I am happy to know there are some people in KL who like my blog.
I like the maple syrup idea. Thanks for suggesting the dark soy sauce with maple syrup combination. That will make quite nice glaze.
This particular recipe is for chicken so you shouldn't have a problem.
You can omit the rice wine in most Korean dishes.
For the pork dishes, if the pork is the main ingredient, there is nothing you can do about it except I often suggest with other types of meat for those who can't have pork.
You can find rice cakes in most Korean grocery stores these days either fresh or frozen.
Seems to be delicious
I do not eat pork because it is forbidden religious (I am a Muslim)
Is it possible to find a way to have rice
cakes?
I want to learn Korean cooking but I want to
substitute alcohol and pork?
Alcohol and pork is forbidden.
Make mine extra spicy, please. Nice recipe – I love the strawberry preserves. It does sound a little strange at first, but mentally tasting it, it seems like a perfect fit. An interesting version might be to substitute some maple syrup for the preserves, and substitute dark soy sauce for the lighter (maple syrup and dark soy sauce are a great combo, I've recently learned). Anyway, thanks for this.
That looks amazing ! I've been following your blog since my studies in US – I just returned to KL for a job and its so funny that I found out you have moved to KL 🙂
Your recipes are great.
Luckily I live in Malaysia now that I can access kampong chicken here. I remember chicken was not that flavorful nor tender in HK. Look for organic chicken in Oliver's or Great at pacific place.
Looks delicious! Great idea to skin the chicken…I'm going to try that next time. This is making me even more hungry! haha. Thanks for sharing =)
That photo of the cow is gorgeous. I loveeee photos of cattle for some reason. BUT your chicken looks great!!! I'm going to give your recipe a go! Thanks for sharing.
this looks excellent. will have to try it, but where on earth did you find chicken that looks so tender and rich in Hong Kong? the supermarkets we go to (taste, and one i can't remember the name of in Tai Koo's Cityplaza) have horrible stiff chicken!
Thanks Joanne. They are indeed good.
Thanks for the compliment, Lindsey. They are on the sticky side but the sauce is so finger licking good.
Thanks ReNee. They are good and hope you can give it a try.
These look so sticky and good! Can't wait to give them a try!
OH my goodness….it is 8 am…and I want to go make these little lovelies…RIGHT NOW!!! I can't wait to try them!!! Thank you for sharing!
The KFC certainly looks like a piece of art! Wonderful directions and photos. I can imagine how finger-licking good they are! :d