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–+ servings
A futuristic Cyberpunk-style food photo. A pile of deep-fried Korean Fried Chicken is surrounded by Banchan and toppings. A rack holding silicone brushes with different sauces underneath can be seen in the background.
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5 from 1 vote

Korean Fried Chicken

The best chicken in the world, and it's not even close.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Dry brining (at least 2 hours)1 day
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Servings: 4 people

Equipment

  • 1 mid-sized pot, pan, or wok for deep-frying ideally bottom-heavy, e.g. cast iron
  • 1 Thermometer for the oil
  • 1 spider skimmer or metal tongs for handling the chicken
  • 1 fine-mesh metal skimmer for cleaning the oil
  • 1 food brush for each sauce optional
  • 1 large wire rack with drip pan optional

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • 2 kg mixed chicken parts with skin drumsticks, wings, boneless thighs
  • 2 tsp ginger
  • 1.5 tsp table salt for the dry-rub
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper for the dry-rub
  • 1 block firm vegetable fat or any oil suited for deep-frying

For the batter

  • 120 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder or onion powder
  • 100 g potato starch or corn starch
  • 350 ml water

Garnish & sides (optional)

  • some white sesame
  • 1 stalk scallion
  • 1-3 sauces of your choice see separate recipes!
  • any banchan of your choice e.g. pickled radish, cucumber kimchi

Instructions

Dry brine the chicken

  • Gather all your chicken pieces in a large bowl. If using boneless chicken thighs, cut them in half first.
  • Peel and finely mince or grate the piece of ginger.
  • Thoroughly mix the ginger, table salt, and pepper into the chicken.
  • Store in the fridge for 2 to (ideally) 24 hours.

Prepare sides & garnish

  • In the meantime, make the desired sauce(s) according to the recipe(s) below.
  • Prepare any banchan you like. I recommend something fresh and/or acidic like pickled radish or cucumber kimchi. Classic cabbage kimchi always works, of course.
  • Thinly slice the scallion for serving.

Prepare deep-frying

  • Mix the batter ingredients in a mid-sized bowl until there are no more lumps.
  • Heat up the vegetable fat in a heavy mid-sized pot (e.g. cast-iron) over high heat. Start measuring the temperature regularly.
  • Take the chicken out of the fridge.
  • Get out one plate as well as a wire rack or other surface were your oily chicken can dry later.

Fry in batches

  • Once the oil reaches 160° C, begin frying your first batch as follows.
  • Dip each chicken piece in the batter and then briefly let excess batter drip off.
  • Carefully lower the pieces into the oil individually. Do this in quick succession so they're fried for roughly the same amount of time.
  • Keep the batch small enough to ensure the pieces don't touch each other or the sides of the pot. My pot (see pictures) fits about 3 pieces.
  • Don't touch the chicken for the first minute to avoid breaking the batter. It's usually enough to flip each piece once half-way through. This ensures even browning, as the heat is higher underneath.
  • Measure the temperature often and keep it between 160° C and 165° C to the best of your ability. The oil cools down when chicken is added, but if you keep the heat high at all times, it may overshoot the desired temperature.
  • After 6 minutes, your chicken should be lightly golden and fairly crispy.
  • Take out each piece and carefully shake off excess oil for a few seconds.
  • Store the pieces on a wire rack and/or on paper towels. Flip them once before the second fry to get the oil out from all sides.
  • Using a fine mesh strainer, remove any bits of batter left behind in the oil.
  • Bring the oil to 160° C again and repeat with the remaining batches of chicken.

Double-fry!

  • If you want to keep the finished batches warm as you fry up the rest, heat up your oven to 100° C and place a baking sheet on a wire rack inside.
  • Clean the oil once more and bring it up to 175° C.
  • Add the fried chicken back into the oil batch by batch. You can now make larger batches, as it's okay for the pieces to touch each other and the pan.
  • Deep-fry each batch for 5 minutes, keeping the temperature between 175° and 180°.
  • Thoroughly shake off excess oil and again place your chicken on a wire rack or paper towels for drying. Then transfer to the oven if desired.
    To maximize crunchiness, make sure to store the chicken in a single layer, and do not cover it with anything.

Serve!

  • You can toss the chicken in the sauce(s) or brush them with it.
  • Afterwards, sprinkle with sesame and sliced scallion.
  • Serve with banchan. Enjoy!