Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Chicken)

Recipe by Eric Shin, Seoul Spice

The battered and fried variety of fried chicken borrows the technique of double frying with starch from Chinese food. Chinese-Korean cuisine is extremely popular in Korea, and the crispy secrets of twice-fried dishes like Chinese-Korean-style sweet/sour pork found their way to an American favorite: fried chicken.  

Marinated chicken:
3 pounds chicken (wings, drumsticks)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 knob ginger, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon salt
¼ cup milk

Batter:
1 cup tempura batter powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar

Sauce:
¼ cup gochujang
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil
2 minced garlic cloves

In a large zip-top bag or bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinated chicken. Mix and massage the marinade into the chicken for 3 minutes. After the marination process, the marinade should have a thick, almost pasty consistency. Cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate for another hour in the refrigerator. 

While the chicken is marinating, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well. 

Heat a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, ⅓ full of vegetable oil, to 375°F. 

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk all of the batter ingredients. Add the marinated chicken and mix until the chicken is well coated. Add ¼ cup of cold water and mix everything together again. The battered chicken should have a thick, sticky consistency. 

First Fry: Fry the chicken in hot oil for 6–7 minutes, until it just begins to brown. Fry the chicken in 3 batches to prevent crowding the chicken in the oil. Remove the chicken from oil, and put on a cooling rack to drain. 

Second Fry: Once all the chicken has been fried, increase the temperature of the oil to 400°. Fry all of the chicken again in 3 batches for 3–4 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Remove from the oil and allow the chicken to drain on the cooling rack. 

Serve immediately with the prepared sauce and make sure to enjoy with a nice cold beer!