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Korean-Inspired Fried Chicken

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean, North American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 610kcal
Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen
My version of a Korean-Style Fried Chicken promises three things - more crunch, more flavour, and more sauce! The crispy batter is light and flaky, while the sauce is sweet, spicy, tangy, and savoury. With such a robust flavour, this recipe warranted drumsticks rather than wings!
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Ingredients

For the Chicken:

  • 12 whole chicken drumsticks
  • 4 cups buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Coating/Batter:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teapoon ground black pepper
  • oil for frying (Use vegetable or canola oil.)
  • 1 cup Korean Gochujang Sauce

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, add the chicken legs, buttermilk, and salt and pepper. Move the chicken about so that it’s well coated and fully submerged. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.
  • Next, add the oil to a deep Dutch oven. Pre-heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
  • While the oil is heating, add the flour, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
  • Set up a work station. You will need two large baking sheets with a cooling rack sitting onto each one.
  • Working with one piece of chicken at a time, remove it from the buttermilk, and gently shake off the excess. Coat the chicken well in the flour mixture and set it onto one of the prepared baking sheet/cooling racks. Do this with all of the chicken, again, working with one piece at a time.
  • Once all of the chicken has been coated, again, working with one piece at a time, dip it once more into the buttermilk until fully submerged. Remove and gently shake off the excess liquid. Coat once again in the flour mixture and place it back onto the cooling rack.
  • Now that all of the chicken has been dipped and coated twice, it’s time to fry. First, preheat your oven to 200 degrees F.
  • Fry the chicken in batches – about 4 or 5 pieces at a time. It will take about 8-10 minutes for the chicken to be fully cooked through. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F. Once fully cooked and browned, remove from the oil and place on the clean baking sheet/cooling rack. Set in oven. Do not cover!
  • Continue with frying the next batch until all of the chicken is done. Keep chicken warm in the oven.
  • If you have prepared the Korean Gochujang Sauce ahead of time, transfer about a cup or so of it to a large skillet and add two tablespoons of water. Over high heat, bring the sauce to bubble.
  • If you have not prepared the sauce ahead of time, you can do it now. If you are just preparing the sauce now, do not add the extra two tablespoons of water like I mentioned in the previous step. The purpose of that is to loosen up previously prepared and chilled sauce.
  • Add a tablespoon of sesame seeds to the sauce and stir to combine.
  • Fetch the prepared chicken from the oven and add it to the sauce. Toss well to coat each piece in the sauce.
  • Plate and garnish with more sesame seeds and some sliced green onions.

Nutrition

Calories: 610kcal | Carbohydrates: 110g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 761mg | Potassium: 486mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 1261IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 295mg | Iron: 4mg