Korean Fried Chicken Recipe – The best Spicy, Sweet, Crispy Chicken

You are having a few people over for a few cold beers, and you are contemplating what to serve. It shouldn’t be too complicated. It should be delicious, a bit spicy, and somewhat sweet. What can you make that ticks all the boxes? Foodgeek to the rescue. Korean Fried Chicken is easy to make at home and is ridiculously delicious. This is my recipe for Korean Fried Chicken.

Korean Fried Chicken is all the rage. Not only in Korea but all over the world. In later years we’ve gotten more and more places that serve Korean food. I just love good bibimbap, but Korean Fried Chicken is an awesome snack, both on the go, but also at home, where you’ll be surprised how easy it is to make.

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The history of Korean Fried Chicken

Prior to the Korean War, the common way to prepare chicken in Korea was to steam the chicken and serve it in a soup or broth.

The American troops that were stationed there couldn’t do without their crispy fried chicken, so naturally, street vendors would be placed by the Americas in major Korean cities, which introduced fried chicken to the Koreans.

In the 70s the fried chicken industry was shaken up when Yu Seok-ho came up with selling smaller bite-sized pieces of fried chicken, making it easier to eat on the go.

The yangnyeom variety of Korean fried chicken came about in the early ’80s when Yun Jonggye who was running a chicken place in Daejeon noticed that some of his customers had a hard time with the hard and crispy crust.

To combat this problem he came up with a sweet and spicy sauce that the chicken was coated in. Not enough to make the chicken soggy, but making the crust easier to eat.

A phenomenon was invented. Which has, over the years since its invention, become a worldwide phenomenon.

The type of Korean fried chicken that I am going to show you how to make is the yangnyeom style.

The choice of starch for the coating in this Korean fried chicken recipe

For coating the chicken you have a few options for starches, which perform differently when fried.

They are:

• Cornstarch
• Potato starch
• All-purpose flour

I tested them all, and they give you different results.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch gives you a uniform layer and yields a very nice consistent browning. The exterior is very thin and super crispy. This is my favorite.

Potato starch

Potato starch gives you a cool look where small clusters of crispness clump together. It also yields a very crispy chicken, but the crust is a little bit thicker so it feels less crispy than cornstarch. Those clusters are awesome though.

All-purpose flour

All-purpose flour browns more than the other two. If you are into the deeply caramelized taste, this might be for you. The crispness is on par with the potato starch, and it also gives a thicker coat.

A few specialty ingredients needed in this Korean fried chicken recipe

Most of the ingredients in this Korean fried chicken should be readily available in your local supermarket, but some of them are specifically Asian and can be harder to find. We have some great Asian supermarkets in Copenhagen where we can get all this stuff.

If you can’t find them, I’ve collected some links for you:

• Mirin
• Rice vinegar
• Gochujang
• Toasted sesame oil

The conclusion of this Korean fried chicken recipe

So what makes the perfect Korean Fried Chicken for me?

• Super crispy and juicy chicken pieces
• A sweet and spicy sticky glaze
• Wonderful toppings like toasted sesame seeds and chopped salted peanuts

If those things are what you are looking for in your Korean fried chicken, you just found the perfect recipe.

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