Korean Fried Chicken Recipe — Double-Fried, Crispy & Glazed

About This Recipe

Korean fried chicken (yangnyeom chikin) is a revelation in fried chicken — the double-frying technique produces an almost glass-like crust that stays crispy for hours, unlike American fried chicken which softens quickly. The sweet-spicy gochujang glaze clings to every crevice. This is the dish that conquered the world of chicken, now a global street food phenomenon.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 kgchicken wings(split into flats and drums)
• 100 gpotato starch or cornstarch
• 60 gplain flour
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 1 tspgarlic powder
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 litrevegetable oil(for frying)
• 3 tbspgochujang(Korean chilli paste, for glaze)
• 2 tbspsoy sauce
• 2 tbsphoney
• 1 tbsprice vinegar
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced, for glaze)
• 1 tbspsesame seeds(to garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Coat the chicken

   Pat wings completely dry. Mix potato starch, flour, baking powder, garlic powder and salt. Toss wings in the coating until fully covered. Rest 10 minutes on a rack.

   Potato starch (not cornstarch) gives the finest, most glass-like crust — use it if available.

2. 2

   First fry (cook through)

   Heat oil to 160°C / 325°F. Fry wings in batches for 10–12 minutes until cooked through but pale. Drain on a rack. Rest 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Second fry (crisp up)

   Increase oil to 190°C / 375°F. Fry wings again for 3–4 minutes until the crust is golden and shatteringly crispy. The difference from first to second fry is dramatic.

4. 4

   Make the glaze and toss

   Simmer gochujang, soy, honey, vinegar and garlic in a pan for 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened. Toss hot wings immediately in the glaze. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Variations

• •

  Soy garlic chicken: replace gochujang glaze with a sauce of soy, garlic, butter and sugar.

• •

  Non-spicy: use just the soy-garlic glaze without gochujang for a milder but equally delicious version.

Storage

Best eaten immediately — Korean fried chicken's crunch holds for 1–2 hours but softens further. Reheat in a 220°C oven for 8 minutes to restore crunch.

Frequently Asked Questions