Korean Fried Chicken (Crispy Yangnyeom Chicken)
Crispy Korean fried chicken made with a light double-fry and coated in a sweet-spicy yangnyeom glaze. This easy recipe uses simple pantry ingredients and comes together in about 40 minutes. Perfect for a weekend treat or a chimaek-style dinner at home.
Ingredients
For chicken
- 2 ½ lb (1.3 kg) chicken party wings
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) sweet rice wine (mirim)
- ½ tsp (2 g) pureed ginger
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅔ cup (80 g) cornstarch
- ½ tsp (2 g) baking powder
- oil for deep-frying
- 1 tbsp (9 g) toasted sesame seeds or finely chopped nuts
Korean fried chicken sauce
- ¼ (about 60 g) large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) sweet rice wine (mirim)
- 1 tsp (5 g) pureed ginger
- 3 tbsp (45 g) Korean chili paste (gochujang) see note for a gluten-free gochujang
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce low sodium preferred
- 3 tbsp (45 g) ketchup
- 3 tbsp (38 g) sugar
- 2 tbsp (40 g) apricot preserve or strawberry jam
- 2 tsp (10 ml) rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 tbsp (40 ml) 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
Gluten-free conversion:
Most gochujang sold in the market include wheat flour in the paste. Check this gluten-free gochujang if you want to avoid it.
Deep-frying tip:
Do the deep-frying in small batches so that you don’t crowd the pan. Too much meat in one batch can drop the temperature of the oil and won’t cook the meat evenly. After each batch is finished, skim off any floating debris with a mini fat strainer to keep the oil clean for the next batch.
How to reheat Korean fried chicken:
Reheating in the oven is the best way to maintain taste and texture. Place the chicken in the preheated 400˚F oven, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes until piping hot throughout, flipping halfway through.
Nutrition
Calories: 578kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 884mg | Potassium: 368mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 328IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg