Recipe Drop

Extra-Crispy Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Chicken)

Buttermilk-brined chicken thighs in a vodka-and-wheat-fiber batter with a craggy dredge, double-fried and brushed with a sweet-spicy gochujang yangnyeom sauce. The crust is designed to stay crunchy for up to an hour after saucing.

  • 85 min (40 prep · 30 cook)
  • 4 servings
  • $$
  • involved
  • Korean
lunchdinnersnack mains chicken spicycomfort-food
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Ingredients

Brine

Batter

Dredge

Yangnyeom Sauce

For Frying

Equipment: deep pot or Dutch oven, deep-fry thermometer, wire rack and sheet pan

Method

  1. Brine
  2. 1

    Cut the chicken thighs into strips, combine with buttermilk and salt, and refrigerate overnight.Cut the 2 lb (900 g) chicken thighs into strips, combine with 2 cups buttermilk and 1 tbsp salt, and refrigerate overnight.

  3. Make the batter and dredge
  4. 2

    Whisk reserved brine with flour, potato starch, vodka, EverCrisp, baking powder, baking soda and bouillon into a smooth batter.Whisk 1/2 cup reserved brine with 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup potato starch, 2 tbsp vodka, 2 tbsp EverCrisp, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp bouillon into a smooth batter.

  5. 3

    In a wide pan, mix the flour, potato starch, EverCrisp, baking powder, bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and black pepper for the dredge.In a wide pan, mix the 1 1/4 cups flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup EverCrisp, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp bouillon, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp black pepper for the dredge.

  6. 4

    Dip your fingers in the batter and flick drops over the dredge, tossing to form little clumps for extra craggy edges.

  7. Coat
  8. 5

    Dip each chicken piece in the batter, then press firmly into the dredge to coat; set on a wire rack and refrigerate 15 minutes.

  9. Make the sauce
  10. 6

    Combine gochujang, ketchup, honey, soy sauce, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil and gochugaru in a skillet and warm over medium-low heat, stirring, until smooth and glossy, 2–3 minutes.Combine 1/4 cup gochujang, 3 tbsp ketchup, 3 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp gochugaru in a skillet and warm over medium-low heat, stirring, until smooth and glossy, 2–3 minutes.

  11. Double fry
  12. 7

    Heat oil to 325°F (163°C) and fry the chicken in batches until cooked through and pale golden, about 5–6 minutes; drain on a rack.Heat 2 qt oil to 325°F (163°C) and fry the chicken in batches until cooked through and pale golden, about 5–6 minutes; drain on a rack.

  13. 8

    Raise the oil to 375°F (190°C) and fry again until deep golden and very crunchy, 1–2 minutes; drain on the rack.

  14. 9

    Brush the warm sauce over the chicken and serve.

Tips

  • Brine the chicken overnight; brining time is not included in the total time.
  • EverCrisp is a wheat fiber that forms a film in the crust so it stays crunchy even after saucing; a commenter notes it's available on Amazon.
  • The vodka helps the batter fry up lighter and crisper since alcohol evaporates faster than water.
  • Only the dredge and first three sauce quantities were shown on screen; batter, brine and remaining sauce amounts are standard estimates.
  • The coating contains no egg, which makes it suitable for those with egg allergies.
  • Chilling the coated chicken for 15 minutes helps the coating set so it doesn't fall off in the oil.

Source video