How To Make Korean Fried Chicken

How to make The best Korean Fried Chicken - crispy coated buttermilk fried chicken smothered in a spicy Korean-inspired gochujang sauce.

The sauce is so rich, flavourful and complex and it comes together very easily - just throw all the ingredients in a pan and bubble it up. We love to eat this with rice, noodles, or my personal favourite - stuffed into bao buns!

Ingredients:

Chicken and marinade:

1. 4 chicken breasts - sliced into long thick strips4 chicken breasts - sliced into long thick strips
2. 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
3. 1/2 tsp salt1/2 tsp salt
4. 1/4 tsp white pepper1/4 tsp white pepper
5. 1/4 tsp garlic salt1/4 tsp garlic salt

Crispy Coating:

1. 1 1/2 cups (180g) plain (all-purpose) flour1 1/2 cups (180g) plain (all-purpose) flour
2. 1 tsp salt1 tsp salt
3. 1 tsp ground black pepper1 tsp ground black pepper
4. 1/2 tsp garlic salt1/2 tsp garlic salt
5. ½ tsp celery salt½ tsp celery salt
6. 1 tsp dried thyme1 tsp dried thyme
7. 1 tsp paprika1 tsp paprika
8. 1 tsp baking powder1 tsp baking powder
9. 1 tsp chilli flakes1 tsp chilli flakes
10. vegetable oil for deep frying - (at least 1 litre/four cups)vegetable oil for deep frying - (at least 1 litre/four cups)

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp gochujang paste2 tbsp gochujang paste
• 2 tbsp honey2 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp brown sugar4 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp soy sauce4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic - peeled and minced2 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
• 2 tsp minced ginger2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 spring onions - sliced into thin strips3 spring onions - sliced into thin strips
• 1 tsp sesame seeds1 tsp sesame seeds
• ½ tsp chilli flakes - (red pepper flakes)½ tsp chilli flakes - (red pepper flakes)

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour (up to over night)
2. Preheat the oven to a low heat (to keep cooked chicken warm). Heat a large pan of vegetable oil (or preheat your deep fat fryer) until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough). You’ll need at least 1 litre (4 cup) of oil.
3. Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl.
4. Take the chicken out of the fridge. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
5. Once the oil is hot enough, add in 5 or 6 of the chicken tenders. You can add more or less depending on the size of your pan, just be sure not to overcrowd the chicken.
6. Cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the middle. You can check this by cutting open a piece of chicken, if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s cooked.
7. Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the chicken. **If you want to ensure the chicken stays extra crispy whilst in the oven, see my 'Top Tips for Success' section in the post.
8. Meanwhile make the sauce. Place the gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and sesame oil in a saucepan and stir together.
9. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
10. Pour over the crispy chicken and carefully toss together, then top with the spring onions, chilli flakes and sesame seeds before serving.