Super crunchy Korean-style fried chicken wings are a delicious appetizer, snack or side dish. Learn how to make this popular style of fried chicken at home. The twice-fried chicken comes out incredibly crispy but also very light.
This Korean fried chicken recipe is my favorite way to make fried chicken. And even though there have been many restaurants that have popped up specializing in Korean fried chicken, I still enjoy making my own.
Korean fried chicken wings with soy garlic sauce are a staple for our game day menu and we definitely plan on making some this weekend. The chicken comes out incredibly crunchy and can be eaten plain or with sauce.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- Chicken drummettes
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Oil for frying
For the sauce:
- Minced garlic
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Mirin
- Brown sugar
- Gochujang
- Cornstarch
What is different about Korean fried chicken?
Korean fried chicken is different than classic American fried chicken in a number of ways.
The reason it is so crispy is that Korean fried chicken is fried twice. The first fry creates a crunchy crust around the chicken. The second fry renders the fat off of the chicken skin, so that the chicken skin is also crispy as well.
Korean fried chicken also uses a wet slurry that is a combination of flour and cornstarch, creating a thick crusty batter that is also incredibly light and crispy.
Finally, Korean fried chicken is usually glazed in sauce rather than served plain. There are a variety of sauce flavors, but there is typically a spicy sweet version and a savory garlic and soy sauce version.
Double Fried Chicken Wings
Frying the wings twice does take a little more time, but if you don’t like the fatty skin-on chicken, I do think it’s worth the extra effort.
To make double-fried wings, the chicken wings are coated in a wet slurry and then placed into the hot oil. They are fried for about 8 minutes. When they are done, the exterior should be a light golden brown and the batter should already be crunchy.
The wings are briefly removed from the hot oil, draining any excess oil. The wings are then placed back into the hot oil to cook for a second time. This extra cooking time provides enough time for the fat to be rendered off of the skin of the chicken.
Soy Garlic Sauce
My favorite way to serve these wings is with soy garlic sauce. It’s savory, slightly spicy, and very flavorful with just a few ingredients.
Garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, cornstarch, gochujang, and water are needed for the sauce. Everything is simmered in a saucepan on the stove for a few minutes and then it’s ready to go.
Once you’ve coated the wings in the sauce, sprinkle sesame seeds and sliced scallions over the top for garnish.
More Fried Chicken Recipes
I also have a Korean Fried Cauliflower recipe that I think you might enjoy!
Korean Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 20 chicken drummettes
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/3 cup water
- oil for frying
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seed (optional, for garnish)
- 2 green scallions thinly sliced (optional, for garnish)
SOY GARLIC SAUCE
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp Gochujang
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Pour enough oil into the pot being used for frying so that it is about 2 inches deep. Heat until oil reaches 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, and water until a smooth slurry forms. Pat chicken wings dry with paper towel. Dip chicken in slurry until evenly coated. Add a few chicken wings at a time to the hot oil. Make sure to not overcrowd your pot. I usually fry 6-8 at a time, but how many you can fit will depend on the size of your pot.
- Fry chicken for 8 minutes. Remove chicken from the hot oil. The wings should be a light golden brown. Drain excess oil from wings. Repeat the cooking process with the rest of your chicken until all your wings have been fried once for 8 minutes. Then place the chicken wings back into the hot oil (no need to coat them again in the slurry) and fry chicken a second time for 8 minutes. (The second fry time may vary slightly depending on the size of your wings. If you find the chicken is getting dry you can reduce the time on the second fry by 1-2 minutes). Chicken should have a deeper golden brown color after the second fry. Repeat process until all your wings are fried twice.
- To make the soy garlic sauce, add all sauce ingredients except cornstarch and water to a small saucepan. Stir to evenly mix and bring sauce to a simmer for about 1 minute. Taste and adjust as needed.
- In a small bowl, stir cornstarch and water until cornstarch is fully dissolved. Add to the sauce and immediately stir it in so the cornstarch does not clump. Stir until cornstarch is fully mixed into the sauce. Allow sauce to simmer until thickened (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.
- Coat fried chicken with sauce. You can either toss the wings in the sauce, spoon the sauce over the wings, or I like to use a basting brush and brush the sauce onto the wings to ensure that every crevice is covered in sauce. Garnish chicken with sesame seeds and scallions before serving.
Video
Notes
- The cornstarch is necessary in the slurry to keep the batter very light.
- You can leave the Gochujang out of the sauce if you do not want any spice.
- You can fry these wings in most frying oils. I usually use canola oil or vegetable oil.
- No nutrition information is being provided for this recipe because it is very difficult to calculate. Not all of the slurry will be used and it is hard to determine how much oil is absorbed by the wings.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
