If you love some Korean Fried Chicken (KFC), you’re going to love this recipe. This fried chicken has a delicious blend of sweet, spicy, and tang. It’s crispy and juicy. When I made these, it became our house favorite. So, if you’re craving some fried chicken packed with flavor, you have to give this a try!
Main Ingredients Used in This Dish
- Chicken Wings – This recipe requires 1 pound of chicken wings. That’s about 9 pieces and serves about 2 people.
- Gochujang – Whoever created gochujang is awesome. It’s a great kitchen condiment to always have. It comes in various levels of spice. For this recipe, I use more of a mild gochujang but feel free to use the spice level that best suits your taste!
- Honey – This goes so well with gochujang in this dish. It creates a perfectly sweet taste and creates that nice stickiness to the sauce.
- Garlic – For garlic lovers, there can never be too much garlic and it’s also good for you.
What is Gochujang?
Gochujang is a fermented chili paste. It’s spicy, sweet, pungent, and savory. It’s versatile and has depth of flavor. This paste is used in many South Korean dishes. It’s been a staple since about the 16th century. It can be used in both hot and cold dishes.
Gochujang Honey Garlic Sauce
This sauce is everything. It’s so delicious that I can just eat it by itself! When I make this sauce, I make extra and save some for later. It can be used as a dip for anything you want to add flavor to. It’s not only a perfect sauce for chicken but it can be used as a dip for French Fries or veggie sticks like celery or carrots, etc. Hope you enjoy this sauce as much as I do! Be warned though, it’s addictive. 🙂
Why Add Salt and Milk to Chicken?
The salt helps chicken become tender and moist as well as add flavor. The lactic acid in milk also tenderizes chicken by breaking down the protein. Not only that, using milk helps hold the flour and seasoning.
What kind of oil is best for frying chicken?
The best oil to fry chicken wings is in neutral oil with a high smoking point. For example, many people use vegetable oil and canola oil which has a high smoking point at about 400-450 degrees. My personal favorite is avocado oil as a healthier alternative for frying (I’m all about balance). The high smoking point for this is about 500-520 degrees.
What is the ideal temperature for frying chicken?
When frying chicken, the ideal temperature is between 340 to 360 degrees (begin with a higher temperature to start but try to keep it between this temperature). When putting the chicken in the fryer, it’s ideal to avoid overcrowding and putting the chicken in too quickly because it’ll significantly decrease the temperature. This will cause the chicken to get soggy, oily, and a bit rubbery. Not only that, it’ll take off most of the season coating. Admittedly, depending on how much time I have, I sometimes overcrowd a little. As a solution to this, increasing the initial oil temperature by about 15 or so degrees helps to minimize heat reduction and keep within range.
How do you know when fried chicken is done?
There’s a few different ways to tell when the chicken is done. One way is to use a food thermometer and make sure the internal temperature is above 165 degrees. The second way is to make a slit with your knife to make sure the bone isn’t undercooked. If there’s any pink or blood, then you’ll need to cook it longer. Another method is to see if the chicken is floating to the top. This usually happens when the chicken is either done or very close to being done. So, when I see that the chicken is floating, I’ll fry it for another 30 seconds to a minute before taking it out. Still, the first 2 methods mentioned above are the most reliable.
Gochujang Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
3
servingsPerfectly spicy, sweet, gooey, and savory. If you’re a big chicken wings fan, you’ve got to give these a try!
Ingredients
- Chicken Brine (Let it marinade for 15 minutes or longer but the longer, the better)
1 Ib chicken wings (~9pcs of wings)
½ cup milk
1.5-2 tsp kosher salt
- Chicken Seasoning
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tsp garlic powder
dash of salt
sprinkle of pepper
⅛ tsp onion powder
3 cups avocado oil (for frying)
- Spicy Gochujang Sauce
2 tbsp gochujang
¼ cup ketchup
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp water
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
4 cloves minced garlic
- Garnish
Toasted sesame seeds
Minced scallions
Directions
- In a large bowl, start by brining wings. Add salt to the chicken and add milk. Place it in the refrigerator and let it sit for 30 minutes minimum. The longer the chicken is brined, the better the result, but cook it within 24 hours.
- To make the seasoning, in a large bowl, add all purpose flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and mix the ingredients together.
- For the sauce, in a small bowl, add Ketchup, gochujang, honey, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, water and stir.
- Get the brined chicken out of the refrigerator and coat each wing with the chicken seasoning making sure it’s coated really well.
- In a pot, heat the initial frying oil temperature to 375 to 380 degrees F and carefully place the wings in the hot oil while keeping the temperature between 340 to 360 degrees F. Cook for about 8-9 minutes or until fully cooked and place it on the side.
- In a medium pan, stir the prepped Gochujang Honey Garlic sauce for 3-4 minutes on medium low heat. Then, add the fried chicken and stir, making sure to coat all the wings with the sauce. Use a basting brush to help spread the sauce to the crevices.
- Plate and garnish with some toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!
