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Home » Appetizers » Korean Fried Chicken

February 24, 2019 By Sara 36 Comments

Korean Fried Chicken

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This Korean fried chicken is chicken thighs in a crispy coating that are tossed in a sweet, spicy and savory sauce. A unique meal or snack that’s totally delicious!

If you’ve never had Korean fried chicken before, you’re missing out! Once you try it, you’ll be hooked. Looking for more Asian fried chicken recipes? Be sure to check out my sesame chicken and Chinese lemon chicken.

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Korean fried chicken on a serving plate topped with curly green onions.

I first tried Korean fried chicken at a local restaurant, and ever since then I’ve been trying to recreate the flavors at home! Korean fried chicken is unique in that the sauce is the perfect blend of savory, sweet and spicy for a truly addictive end result. I can say with confidence that my homemade version of this dish is just as good as what you’ll get in a restaurant.

How do you make Korean fried chicken?

The first step is to cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. I use chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breast if you prefer. The chicken is dipped in egg, then coated in a mixture of cornstarch and flour before it gets fried to perfection. The final step is to make the sauce, which is a blend of sugar, ketchup and gochujang paste.

Chicken thigh pieces coated in egg, flour and cornstarch.

Tips for Korean fried chicken

  • I recommend using a thermometer to monitor the temperature of your oil as you fry the chicken. You want the temperature of the oil to be in the 350-375 degrees F range. If the oil is too cold, the chicken will be overly greasy. If the oil is too hot, the outside of the chicken will burn before the inside is cooked through.
  • The sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.
  • This dish is best served immediately, as the chicken coating will soften as it soaks up the sauce.
  • Want a fun curly green onion garnish like I have here? Cut some green onions into very thin slices, then soak them in ice water and they’ll curl up!

Fried chicken thigh pieces on a sheet pan.

What is gochujang?

The main flavoring agent in the sauce is a sauce made with Korean red chili paste called gochujang. This condiment is sweet, savory and spicy all at once, and it’s the primary flavoring for this chicken. You can find gochujang sauce in many grocery stores in the ethnic foods aisle, or check your local Asian market.

Fried chicken thigh pieces in a pan of sweet and savory Korean sauce.

How to serve Korean fried chicken

Korean fried chicken is most often served as a finger food style appetizer. You can also offer it as a main course and offer a side of rice and pickled vegetables. I’ve served it both ways and it’s always a hit no matter what!

A pan of Korean fried chicken coated in a sweet and spicy sauce then garnished with sesame seeds.

This Korean fried chicken is a bit on the spicy side, so it’s not the best bet for young kids or people that are sensitive to heat. If you’d prefer to remove most of the spice factor, you can cut the amount of gochujang in half. The flavor won’t be quite as authentic, but you’ll still have an amazingly delicious dish!

More Asian food recipes

  • Sweet and Sour Chicken
  • Veggie Fried Rice
  • Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  • Korean Beef Bowls
  • Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
Korean fried chicken on a serving plate topped with curly green onions.
Print Pin
5 from 21 votes

Korean Fried Chicken

This Korean fried chicken is chicken thighs in a crispy coating that are tossed in a sweet, spicy and savory sauce. A unique meal or snack that's totally delicious!
Course Main
Cuisine Asian
Keyword korean fried chicken
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 323kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • oil for frying
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • green onions for garnish optional

For the sauce

  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons gochujang sauce
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil

Instructions

  • Place the eggs in a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Mix the flour and cornstarch together and place in a shallow bowl or on a plate.
  • Heat 3 inches of oil in a deep pot to 350 degrees F.
  • Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, then roll into the flour mixture. Repeat with all of the chicken.
  • Fry 7-8 pieces of chicken at a time for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat the process with all of the chicken.
  • While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the ketchup, gochujang paste, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil until smooth.
  • Pour the sauce ingredients into a small pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 1-2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve, garnished with green onions if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 551mg | Potassium: 367mg | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2.2mg

Filed Under: Appetizers, Asian Food, Dinner Tagged With: Chicken

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Comments

  1. Chelsea says

    February 17, 2021 at 10:35 am

    5 stars
    This came out amazing. It was easy to prepare and cook. Everyone loved it. I will definitely use again. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Chichi says

    February 10, 2021 at 9:26 pm

    5 stars
    This Korean chicken looks soo good. We love this recipe in my house. Yummy.

    Reply
  3. Jess says

    February 10, 2021 at 12:14 pm

    5 stars
    These are literally finger-licking good!

    Reply
  4. Genevieve says

    February 10, 2021 at 12:00 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my does this Korean fried chicken look good or what! Super easy to make too!

    Reply
  5. CLARA says

    February 10, 2021 at 11:46 am

    5 stars
    Simply delicious and I love me some good Korean food with crispy Korean chicken being one of my favorites. Gochujang is like ketchup in our home, a staple ingredient we use almost weekly. So happy I gave it a try!

    Reply
  6. Jenn says

    February 10, 2021 at 11:35 am

    5 stars
    Whenever I’m in the mood for serious flavor, this is the recipe I turn to! So perfectly balanced, I just love everything about this , especially the finger licking sauce!

    Reply
  7. katie says

    January 29, 2021 at 9:34 am

    5 stars
    can anyone tell me why mine wasnt browning? it was done? just whiteish

    Reply
    • Renan says

      February 10, 2021 at 1:10 pm

      5 stars
      Did you allow the chicken to sit out a bit before frying? It is recommended that chicken not be fried straight from the fridge. Instead allow the chicken to sit out for several minutes before frying it. This will allow for more even cooking.
      Also be sure to use an oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Make sure your oil is at the appropriate temperature before frying. If it is not hot enough then it will be more difficult and/or take longer to brown it.

      Reply
  8. Colleen says

    November 13, 2020 at 7:28 am

    5 stars
    We love Korean Food. This is absolutely the best recipe! I usually don’t post comments either but this was so good we want to thank you.

    Reply
  9. shankar das says

    November 9, 2020 at 9:54 am

    5 stars
    I followed the recipe precisely. I used chicken wings. My whole family agreed they were the best wings we’ve ever eaten.

    Reply
  10. Sandra says

    July 19, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    5 stars
    Im 14 and I made this for my siblings and parents, they absolutly LOVED IT. They said I should make it agian and so next time ill consider doubling the recipe.

    Reply
  11. Mhairi says

    July 12, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    5 stars
    Where has this recipe been all my life? It’s just swooped in and taken place as my favourite dish I’ve ever made! Thankyou so much for this recipe as someone else had wrote not a single adaption made and it’s perfection. Flavourful, kills the takeaway cravings and so so moreish. I made some fried rice to have with it which just finished it off nicely as a meal

    Reply
  12. Violet says

    June 7, 2020 at 4:10 am

    5 stars
    Well. I hardly ever leave comments because I often don’t get around to it or to be honest, most recipes for some reason always need a bit of adaption to make it really work for me. So it has been such a long time since I last didn’t feel the need to change things and I just got to make a recipe and enjoy all of it heheh … thanks for sharing! 😀

    PS … I pinned this recipe, it’s the third I used to make this sauce and it’s the first that gave me the same flavour as at my go to restaurant. No longer need to search for a better one 😀

    Reply
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