korean fried chicken
Korean Fried Chicken is a real guilty pleasure of mine. I could eat a whole batch, on its own, in one go, but absolutely love stuffing it into a brioche bun with a little pickled carrot and spring onion. You can also pile it on top of rice, or have it any other way you see fit. The secret to success is a double fry method that keeps the chicken moist, but adds a delicious crunch to the outside. Smother it in sauce and you can’t go wrong.
The recipe below is for a super easy homemade version that is just as good as anything you can get from a restaurant. I’ve added the ingredients for two different sauces, a soy-based ganjang sauce and a gochujang-based yangnyeom sauce, but feel free to experiment on your own. Any combination of sweet, salt and spice should work well.
Hope you love it as much as I do.
for the chicken
8 boneless chicken thighs
50g fresh ginger
150g cornflour
vegetable oil
salt & pepper
for the yangnyeom sauce
6 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp gochujang
2 tbsp light soy sauce
3 garlic cloves
20g fresh ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
black pepper
for the pickled carrot
2 large carrots
150ml white rice vinegar
100ml water
100g white sugar
1 tsp salt
for the ganjang sauce
6 tbsp dark brown sugar
6 tbsp light soy sauce
4 garlic cloves
50g fresh ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
black pepper
method
If you are going to be making the pickled carrots to add to your burger, start with that as they’ll need to sit for a few hours before being ready.
Mix all the ingredients, except the carrot, together in saucepan and gently heat. You want to warm it just enough for the sugar and salt to dissolve. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Grate or slice your carrot, then place in a bowl and pour the cooled brine over the top. Stir it up and let it sit for 3-4 hours. You can judge how pickled you want them by having a little taste.
Once you are ready to start cooking, begin by chopping up the chicken into whatever size you fancy. I tend to like bitesize chunks, but you can do much bigger pieces if that’s your style.
Peel and crush/grate the ginger, and add it to the chicken along with the salt & pepper. Rub it all around so that it starts to marinate nicely.
Get your chosen sauce on the go by peeling and crushing/grating both the garlic and the ginger, and cooking them on a medium heat with all the other ingredients. Cook until they begin to thicken, we’re looking for a loose syrup here.
Remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly and thicken.
Next, heat up your oil. You want to add enough for it to be about 4cm deep in your chosen pan.
Whilst the oil is heating up, add the cornflour to your chicken and mix until every surface is covered.
Test your oil by dropping a little piece of chicken, or a bit of cornflour covered ginger, into it. If it starts to bubble and sizzle, you’re good to go.
Add your chicken, being careful as you go as it could splutter and spit. You want to get as much in as possible, but try not to crowd. You want every surface of chicken to be exposed to the oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes until they are nicely browned.
Remove the chicken and let it cool on paper towels for at least 2 minutes. This is also a good time to do a second batch, if you couldn’t fit it all in one go.
Once all your chicken is cooked, turn the oil up to make it a little hotter, and add the chicken for a second fry. It’ll only need a couple of minutes, but this is the stage that gives it that amazing crunchy shell.
Remove the chicken after 2 minutes, let it drain on paper towels, then toss in your sauce.
Now, eat it however you fancy. You could put it in a brioche bun with some of your pickled carrot and some sliced spring onion, you could put it on rice, or you could eat it straight out of the bowl. You do you.
