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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.
Print Recipe

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 oil 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 oil 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°, 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° and 165° to the best of your abilities. 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, remove any bits of dough 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. Enjoy!