Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Chicken)

Korean Fried Chicken

Once you try Korean fried chicken, you want it all the time. We have truly fantastic places here in the Charlotte area, and we can't get enough. I make it at home, too, because it's just so dang satisfying.

Korean fried chicken is fried chicken taken to another level, my friends. The crust is thin and crackly instead of thick and bready, and it stays crunchy even after you toss it in a sticky sauce. That's the magic of the double fry.

This is my version of yangnyeom chicken, the sweet, savory and gently spicy style you'll find at Korean chicken shops everywhere. I season the chicken with fresh ginger and garlic, coat it in potato starch, fry it twice, then toss it in a gochujang sauce with ketchup, honey and plenty of garlic. I also give you a soy garlic sauce, so you can go half and half the way I see it in many of the chicken shops.

If you want to dig deeper into Korean cooking, I love Hooni Kim's cookbook My Korea (affiliate link, my friends). His fried chicken wings with two sauces got me thinking about my own half and half version at home.

What is Korean Fried Chicken?

Korean fried chicken is chicken that is seasoned, coated in starch and fried twice for a thin, extra crispy crust. Cooks often toss it in a sauce, most famously yangnyeom, a sticky sweet and spicy glaze made with gochujang, or a savory soy garlic glaze.

Fried chicken is huge in South Korea, and chicken places there serve it by the platter, usually with ice-cold beer. Koreans even have a word for the combo, chimaek, from chikin and maekju (beer). I'm definitely down with the beer!

Compared to Southern-style fried chicken, Korean fried chicken has a much thinner coating that doesn't use a buttermilk dredge. The second fry makes it perfectly extra crispy by pulling more moisture out of the skin and crust. No soggy fried chicken here.

Korean Fried Chicken Ingredients

• Chicken. I use bone-in pieces, like wings, drumsticks and small thighs. Boneless thigh chunks work great too. See the frying chart below.
• Rice Wine, Ginger and Garlic. A quick seasoning that flavors the meat itself. Mirin works in place of rice wine.
• Potato Starch. This is the key to the crispy crust, and it's all you need for the coating. Cornstarch works too, but potato starch fries up lighter and crispier. It's the Korean way.
• Oil for Frying. Peanut oil is great. Canola or vegetable oil work too.
• Gochujang. Korean fermented chili paste and the key ingredient of the sauce. It's savory, a little sweet and only gently spicy.
• Ketchup. Yes, ketchup! It's a classic ingredient in yangnyeom sauce and gives it that tangy sweetness. You can use tomato sauce if you prefer. I've tested this and it does work nicely.
• Honey or Rice Syrup. For sweetness and a sticky glaze. Korean rice syrup is traditional, and corn syrup works too.
• Brown Sugar, Soy Sauce, Rice Vinegar and Sesame Oil. For extra flavor and a nutty finish.
• Gochugaru. Korean chili flakes, for a little extra warmth.
• For Serving. Toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

How to Make Korean Fried Chicken

Season the chicken. Add the chicken to a large bowl with the rice wine, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to coat and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. For the crispiest skin, let it air dry on a rack in the fridge (see the tip below).

Coat the chicken. Add the potato starch to a large bowl. Roll the chicken pieces in the starch, then squeeze each piece firmly to press the starch into the skin.

Heat the oil. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy pot to 350°F. It's easy with a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer. Fry in small batches. Crowding the pot drops the oil temperature fast, which will affect the crispiness.

First fry. Shake off any excess starch and fry the chicken until pale golden and nearly cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes for wings and 7 to 8 minutes for drumsticks and thighs. Move the pieces to a wire rack set over a sheet pan and let them rest 5 to 10 minutes while you fry the rest. The rest lets steam escape from the crust before the second fry.

Make the sauce. While the chicken rests, heat the oil in a small pot over low heat and cook the garlic for 30 seconds. Stir in the gochujang, ketchup, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and gochugaru. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil.

Second fry. Raise the oil to 375°F and fry the chicken again in batches for 3 to 5 minutes, until deep golden and crispy-crackly. Bone-in pieces should reach 175°F inside, with 165°F as the minimum. Drain on the wire rack.

NOTE: I like to use my Thermapen meat thermometer from ThermoWorks (I’m an affiliate) to get the perfect temperature every time. Works great! 

Toss and serve. Toss the hot chicken in the warm sauce right before serving. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions or chopped fresh herbs and dig in while it's crunchy.

BOOM! That's it, my friends! Crunchy, sticky Korean fried chicken, right in your own kitchen. Every bite is crispy and amazing.

Soy Garlic Sauce (Half and Half)

I see soy garlic chicken served as much as yangnyeom, and you can even order half and half. The soy garlic sauce is savory-sweet and loaded with garlic, with no gochujang at all. This makes enough for the full batch of chicken. It's easy to cut in half.

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 to 4 dried red chilies, snipped into pieces (optional)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup honey (or rice syrup)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

To make it, heat the oil in a small pot over low heat and cook the garlic, ginger and dried chilies for 30 seconds. Stir in the soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, water and rice vinegar and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil.

Korean Fried Chicken Frying Times

This recipe works with any cut of chicken. Frying times depend on the size of your pieces, as well as bone-in vs boneless, so use these as a guide and trust your thermometer.

• Wings: First fry at 350°F for 3 to 4 minutes. Second fry at 375°F for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Drumsticks and bone-in thighs: First fry at 350°F for 7 to 8 minutes. Second fry at 375°F for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Boneless chunks (1½ to 2 inches): First fry at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes. Second fry at 375°F for 2 to 3 minutes.

Bone-in dark meat is safe at 165°F but turns more tender at 175°F and up, so don’t be afraid to give it an extra minute. Note that cooking times can vary based on many variables, like the size of your chicken, so it's best to trust your thermometer.

What to Serve with Korean Fried Chicken

Korean fried chicken traditionally comes with chicken mu, cubes of pickled radish that balance the richness of the dish. Here's my quick version.

Quick Chicken Mu (Pickled Radish)

Cut 1 pound of daikon radish into ½-inch cubes. Stir together 1 cup water, ½ cup rice or white vinegar, ⅓ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon kosher salt until dissolved. Pour it over the radish and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Overnight is even better.

I also love it with steamed rice, a crisp Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim), a bowl of homemade Kimchi, and of course a cold beer or Korean soju.

More Korean Recipes

If you love Korean flavors as much as I do, try my Buldak (Korean Fire Chicken), Gochujang Chicken, Chicken Bulgogi, Beef Bulgogi, Tteokbokki and Gochujang Sauce.

See all of my Korean Recipes.

Korean Fried Chicken FAQs

Is Korean fried chicken spicy?

Yangnyeom chicken is sweet, savory and gently spicy, more flavorful than hot. The heat comes from gochujang, which ranges from mild to hot, so you control it with the brand you buy. Soy garlic chicken has little to no heat at all.

What is yangnyeom chicken?

Yangnyeom chicken is Korean fried chicken tossed in a sticky sweet and spicy sauce made with gochujang, garlic, sugar or syrup and often ketchup. Yangnyeom means "seasoning" in Korean.

Why is Korean fried chicken so crispy?

A thin potato starch coating and the double fry. The first fry cooks the chicken, and the second, hotter fry drives out moisture so the crust turns thin, glassy and crunchy.

Can I make Korean fried chicken with boneless chicken?

Yes. Cut boneless thighs or breasts into 1½ to 2-inch chunks. First fry at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes, then do the second fry at 375°F for 2 to 3 minutes. Thighs stay juicier, and breast meat is best pulled right at 165°F.

Should I use potato starch or cornstarch?

Potato starch gives the lightest, crispiest crust and is my first choice. Cornstarch works fine and makes a slightly harder crunch.

What is chicken mu?

Chicken mu is sweet and tangy pickled radish, cut into cubes and served with Korean fried chicken to cut through the richness. My quick version is in the serving section above.