Korean Fried Chicken recipe
The pandemic has tested everyones cooking patience. The relentless meal preparation has been, well, relentless. Last summer when I had time on my hands it was all homemade rolls and banana bread, but now I’m working my arse off again, meals are back to the bottom of the list. That said, some things are worth making an effort for, especially at the weekends, and this Korean Fried Chicken is top of the making-more-of-an-effort list.
If a dish involves fried chicken, my family want to eat it, and this Korean Fried Chicken is no exception. This recipe took a while to perfect; we have eaten a lot of KFC in the name of research. Until a lovely friend cooked us this version from a Gousto recipe card, and I have to say, it was the best yet. Not too sweet, not too spicy with crisp juicy chicken. The sauce involves a bit of light stirring, so no effort there. The chicken is tossed in flour and soy, then given a coating of cornflour before being fried until crisp and golden. The two are then combined for the ultimate spicy chicken dream. The main element of the sauce is gochujang: a Korean chilli paste which adds a savoury heat, alongside honey, garlic, a touch of rice vinegar and not very traditional ketchup. I’m not saying this is an authentic recipe, but I am saying it’s bloody delicious.
This is the recipe to wake up your cooking spirit, as well as your miserable tastebuds.
This doesn’t scream traditional Korean food apart from the Gochujang, which is readily available in most super markets or from Amazon. You don’t need a lot, it’s quite fierce, but it adds a savoury heat which is addictive. I always use boneless chicken thighs but you could use chicken breasts for this too, I’m sure.
Make a start with the chicken. Cut into bite sized pieces and add to a large bowl. Mix the chicken with 2 tablespoons of plain flour and soy sauce until well coated.
Pop this to the side for a moment whilst you heat a good inch of oil in the bottom of a high sided frying pan until it’s just shimmering.
Tip the cornflour onto a large plate, then, using tongs, lightly coat your chicken pieces then add, in batches, to the hot oil.
Cook for a couple of minutes on each side until the chicken is crisp and golden and cooked through.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the pan and leave to drain on kitchen paper while you coat the rest of the chicken and cook in another couple of batches.
While the chicken cooks, whip up the sauce. Using a jug or bowl, measure in the Gochujang, honey, rice vinegar, tomato ketchup and 3 tablespoons of water. Stir well to combine.
Keep the sauce to hand, while you finish off cooking the chicken. Once the whole batch has been cooked, pour away most of the oil and wipe your pan to remove any crispy bits. Turn the heat down and add the garlic to the pan and cook for a minute or two until just turning golden. Then pour in your sauce.
Simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken slightly then tip in your fried chicken. Stir well to coat.
Let it cook for a further minute or two to ensure the chicken is piping hot then you’re ready to serve over some rice. Sushi rice is brilliant with this. Garnish with some sesame seeds or a sprinkle of furikake if you have it. Spring onions add a tang too if you have them *I didn’t*.
At last, a recipe to lull me out of my supper based stupor. I may end up just making this every night of the week and I, for one, would be happy with that.
Lucy x
Korean Fried Chicken recipe
Serves 4 to 6
You will just need pans and bowls for this recipe
Chicken
1kg boneless chicken thighs, breast would be ok too
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons soy sauce
120g cornflour
Generous slug of vegetable oil, to cover the bottom of your pan by an inch
Korean Sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped, or a heaped teaspoon garlic from a jar
3 tablespoons gochujang paste
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
3 tablespoons water
Sesame seeds or furikake and some chopped spring onions, to garnish and rice to serve
Start with the fried chicken element of the dish. Cut the thighs into big bite sized pieces and add to a large bowl with two tablespoons of plain flour and two tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir well to coat the chicken.
Take a large high sided frying pan and heat the oil until just shimmering.
Place the cornflour on a plate, then using tongs, coat the chicken pieces in the cornflour a few at a time. Add them to the hot oil and fry for a couple of minutes on each side, until cooked through and golden. Drain the cooked chicken on kitchen paper then repeat the coating in cornflour and the frying until you have cooked the whole lot.
While you’re frying off the chicken, make the sauce. Take a jug and measure in the gochujang paste, honey, rice vinegar, ketchup and water and mix to blend.
When you’ve finished frying off the chicken, wipe the pan out with kitchen paper to remove most of the oil and any crispy bits of batter. Turn the heat down to low, then add the garlic and fry for a minute or two until just golden, then pour in your sauce. Cook for a minute to thicken then add your chicken back to the pan and stir well to ensure a good coating. Let it cook for another minute or two to ensure it’s piping hot.
Serve over rice with a good sprinkling of sesame seeds or furikake and some chopped spring onions if you like. Devour while piping hot.
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