Learn how to make Korean Fried Chicken that is golden brown and extra crispy on the outside, with tender and juicy meat on the inside. Glazed with a Gochujan based sauce, this Korean Yangnyeom chicken recipe is sticky, sweet and spicy all at once!
This recipe can be made on the stove top or air fryer with boneless chicken thighs, breasts or bone-in chicken wings. Instructions for each are provided.
✔️ The Best Korean Fried Chicken
Korean fried chicken, Yangnyeom or KFC as some people call it has become increasingly popular, so I to set out to cook the perfect homemade Korean fried chicken recipe that would be easy for home-cooks to make and finger-licking good.
Obviously I had multiple choices to make. We all know that on the bone dark meat makes for the juiciest, most succulent fried chicken; however, it takes longer to cook than boneless. Then, I thought about the always popular, craved-worthy, kid-friendly, adult-approved, boneless chicken tenders or nuggets.
Who could resist bite size pieces of Asian-inspired, seasoned to perfection boneless chicken breasts or thighs encased in a thin layer of super crispy coating, and smothered with the tastiest savory, sweet and spicy Gochujan based sauce? After much thinking, I made both.
⭐️ Why Should You Make This Recipe?
- Crispiest and Juiciest Chicken: A very thin layer of coating and the Korean double-frying method produces the absolute best fried chicken. You may think double frying takes a long time, but it actually doesn’t. The cooking time is the same except the chicken rests and cools between oil dips. This prevents the chicken from overcooking and adds extra crispiness.
- Easy to Find Ingredients: All the ingredients used in this recipe including the sweet and spicy sauce can be found in most supermarkets.
- Family Friendly/Kid Friendly: Not everyone may go for wings but most everyone can agree on fried chicken tenders, nuggets or popcorn chicken. Besides, I’m always looking for ways to cook chicken breast (I think they multiply in my freezer).
✔️ Korean Fried Chicken Recipe Ingredients
Make sure to check the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
- The Chicken: In Korea, fried chicken is made with larger pieces of bone-in chicken as well as bite sized pieces of boneless chicken. Chicken breast and chicken thigh meat can both be used as well as chicken wings.
- The Marinade: Onion powder, fresh grated ginger or ground ginger, baking powder, salt and pepper.
- The Crispy Coating: All purpose flour, baking powder and cornstarch.
✔️ Sweet and Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Sauce
This Korean sauce (Yangnyeom) is a bit sour, sweet and spicy (called swicy! in some Korean restaurants). The sauce is easy to make and delivers lots of flavor. Here are some of the ingredient highlights. For exact quantities, check the recipe card below
- Aromatics: Fresh garlic and fresh ginger
- Gochujan Red Chili Paste: This mildly sweet, savory and spicy Korean ingredient can be found in the Asian aisle of any supermarket.
- Ketchup: Yes, tomato ketchup. Check your fridge. I am sure you have a bottle in there!
- Sweetener: I use a combination of brown sugar and honey. Brown sugar adds that distinct taste of molasses while honey brings a burst of caramel taste.
- Acid: You can use lemon juice or rice wine vinegar.
- Oil: The sauce uses two different oils. A mild oil like sesame oil, canola, avocado or vegetable oil and Asian roasted sesame oil. Roasted sesame oil is very aromatic with a dark honey color. This is definitely not a mild oil. There are different brands sold in supermarkets and most likely any of them will work.
✔️ How To Make Korean Fried Chicken
Find detailed instructions on how to make this dish at home in the recipe card below.
- Marinate The Chicken: Pat dry the chicken with paper towels. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, onion powder and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the grated fresh ginger. Add the baking powder mixture and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight.
- Make the Sauce: In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for about 30 seconds to a minute or until aromatic. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and cook over low heat until bubbly. Remove from the heat. Keep warm.
- Mix the Coating: In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch and season it with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge the chicken with the coating mixture.
- First Fry: Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, gently drop each piece of chicken into the hot oil. Cook the chicken until lightly golden, turning occasionally with a metal spider or kitchen tongs. Remove chicken from the oil and place it on a wire rack set over a sheet pan to drain.
- Second Fry: Bring the oil temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully, return all the chicken pieces to the oil and cook, stirring the chicken as it cooks until deep golden brown and very crispy. Remove from the oil and and set on the rack to drain.
- Sauce it Up: Transfer the chicken to the reserved sauce and toss until evenly coated. Serve, garnished with sesame seeds.
✔️ The Secret To Extra Crispy Korean Fried Chicken
Have You Ever Wondered What Makes Korean Chicken So Crispy?
Koreans have cracked the code for ultra crispy, extraordinarily crunchy fried chicken. Besides the addition of baking powder to the marinade and cornstarch in the coating, their double-frying method is the key to success.
Without getting too technical, let me explain the process.
We all know that moisture makes fried foods soggy. During the first fry, the moisture evaporates and the chicken starts to get golden brown.
For the chicken to get extra crispy, you would have to keep frying it and that would mean overcooked dried meat.
By letting the chicken rest and cool, you allow moisture to evaporate. The second fry seals the deal allowing for more evaporation resulting in super crunchy, crispy golden brown fried chicken. This works whether you are frying chicken with skin or without.
What Is Gochugan
Gochujan is a red chili paste traditionally used in Korean cuisine. This crimson red ingredient and condiment contains red chiles, glutinous rice (sticky rice) and fermented soybeans. Gochugan paste has bold flavors that are spicy, sweet, savory and full of umami.
🔎 How to Reheat Fried Chicken
Although I prefer eating fried chicken the moment it is made, warming up leftover fried chicken can result in crispy chicken.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet. Place the leftover fried chicken on the rack and bake until heated through (about 10-15 minutes).
🔎 Can I Make Korean Fried Chicken In An Air Fryer?
Yes, you can make Air Fryer Korean Chicken. Here are the instructions:
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Lightly spray the base of air-fryer basket with vegetable oil spray.
Bone-in wings: Arrange chicken wings in prepared basket spaced evenly apart. Place basket in air fryer and cook for 10 minutes. After the timer goes off, open and carefully flip over the chicken wings. Cook for 10-12 more minutes or until cooked through and crispy.
For boneless chicken breast, make sure the chicken is not too thick. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Lightly spray the base of air-fryer basket with vegetable oil spray. Arrange chicken pieces in prepared basket, spaced evenly apart. Place basket in air fryer and cook for 6 minutes. After the timer goes off, open and carefully flip over the chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through and crispy.
🔎 What To Serve With Crispy Fried Chicken
This fried chicken recipe can be served as an appetizer (especially if you choose chicken wings), or as a main dish. It can be served with any of your favorite side dishes. It pairs well with potatoes, salads or veggies. Here are a few side dish ideas:
🔪 Crispy Korean Fried Chicken Recipe Tips
- If you don’t have a deep fry or candy thermometer, you can test the oil temperature by lowering a piece of chicken into the oil. If it bubbles, it’s ready
- If using dried ginger for the marinade, whisk all the marinade ingredient together in a small bowl, then toss this mixture with the chicken to coat.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge right before you start making the sauce so the chicken has time to come to room temperature.
- If you want your chicken to stay as crispy and crunch out loud like the chicken served in restaurants like Bonchon or Nene Chicken, brush the sauce on the chicken as if it was a glaze.
- To ensure fully cooked meat, the chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take A Look At These Other Chicken Recipes
Korean Fried Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces or chicken wings flats and drummettes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger or 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
Sweet and Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Sauce:
- 1 teaspoon mild oil, vegetable, sesame or canola oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 4 tablespoons Gochujang, Korean red chili pepper paste 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Juice of 1/2 lemon or 2 teaspoons of rice wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Coating:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cornstarch
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste.
- Oil for deep frying, (About 1.5 quarts or 6 cups)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds , (optional garnish)
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken:
- Pat dry the chicken with paper towels.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, onion powder and baking powder. Set aside. (see notes)
- In a large bowl or resealable plastic bag, toss the chicken with the grated fresh ginger. Add the baking powder mixture and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight.
- While the chicken is marinating, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and a second rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Set a wire rack over the second baking sheet.
Make the Sauce:
- In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for about 30 seconds to a minute or until aromatic. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and cook over low heat until bubbly. Remove from the heat. Keep warm.
Mix Coating:
- In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
Coat Chicken
- Dredge the chicken with the coating mixture. Place the chicken on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
First Fry: Times for each chicken cut can be found on the Chef’s notes.
- Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, gently drop each piece of chicken into the hot oil. The temperature of the oil will drop sharply after adding the chicken so try to maintain the temperature between 325 – 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook the chicken until lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes for boneless chicken breast, turning occasionally with a metal spider or kitchen tongs. Remove chicken from the oil and place it on the wire rack set over the paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
Second Fry:
- Bring the oil temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully, return all the chicken pieces to the oil and cook, stirring the chicken as it cooks for about 2-4 minutes for boneless chicken breast, or until deep golden brown and very crispy (time will vary depending on size and thickness of the chicken). Remove from the oil and and set on the rack to drain.
- Transfer the chicken to the reserved sauce and toss until evenly coated. Serve garnished with sesame seeds.
Notes
- If using dried ginger for the marinade, whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl, then toss this mixture with the chicken to coat.
- If you don’t have a frying thermometer, you can test the oil temperature by lowering a piece of chicken into the oil. If it bubbles, it’s ready.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge right before you start making the sauce so the chicken has time to come to room temperature.
- Boneless chicken breast: Cook until lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes.
- Boneless chicken thighs: Cook until lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes.
- Bone-in wings: Cook until lightly golden, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Boneless chicken breast: Cook for about 2-4 minutes or until deep golden brown.
- Boneless chicken thighs: Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until deep golden brown.
- Bone-in wings: Cook for about 7 minutes or until deep golden brown and crispy.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Lightly spray the base of air-fryer basket with vegetable oil spray.
Bone-in wings: Arrange chicken wings in prepared basket spaced evenly apart. Place basket in air fryer and cook for 10 minutes. After the timer goes off, open and carefully flip over the chicken wings. Cook for 10-12 more minutes or until cooked through and crispy.
For boneless chicken breast, make sure the chicken is not too thick. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Lightly spray the base of air-fryer basket with vegetable oil spray. Arrange chicken pieces in prepared basket spaced evenly apart. Place basket in air fryer and cook for 6 minutes. After the timer goes off, open and carefully flip over the chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through and crispy.
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