Yangnyeom Chicken (Korean Fried Chicken)

If there's one dish that defines Korean drinking food culture, it's yangnyeom chicken. Crackling, double-fried chicken pieces get tossed through a glossy red sauce that hits sweet, spicy, garlicky and sticky all at once, the kind of thing you eat with your fingers and no regrets.

The secret to proper Korean fried chicken is the double fry. The first fry cooks the chicken through, and the second, hotter fry is what gives it that famous shatteringly crisp coating that somehow stays crunchy even once it's coated in sauce.

This one's brilliant for a Friday night at home with a cold drink in hand. Make a big batch, pile it high on a platter, and don't bother with cutlery.

Servings
4
Prep Time
20
mins
Cook Time
35
mins
Ingredients
17
Total Time
55
mins

Pantry bits

  • Large heavy-based pot or deep fryer
  • Kitchen thermometer
  • Wire rack
  • Tongs
  • Mixing bowls
  • Small saucepan for sauce

Ingredients

  • 1kg chicken wings and drumettes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp rice wine (or mirin)
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1 cup cornflour (potato starch)
  • 1/2 cup plain flour
  • Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • 4 tbsp gochujang
  • 3 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 spring onions, sliced, to garnish

Instructions

  1. Pat the chicken pieces dry and place in a bowl with the salt, pepper, rice wine and ginger. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes.
  2. Combine the cornflour and plain flour in a large bowl. Toss the marinated chicken through the flour mixture until well coated, shaking off any excess.
  3. Heat oil in a large pot or deep fryer to 160°C. Fry the chicken in batches for 8-10 minutes until cooked through but pale golden. Remove and drain on a wire rack.
  4. Increase the oil temperature to 180°C. Fry the chicken again in batches for 3-4 minutes until deep golden and very crisp. Drain well.
  5. While the chicken fries, make the sauce: combine the gochujang, tomato sauce, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil in a saucepan over low heat.
  6. Simmer the sauce for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until glossy and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.
  7. Toss the hot fried chicken through the warm sauce until every piece is well coated.
  8. Pile onto a serving platter, scatter with sesame seeds and sliced spring onion, and serve immediately.

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