Best Korean Fried Chicken Recipe

What if I told you that you would no longer need to order takeout or search for the best Korean fried chicken in town? With my foolproof recipe and expert tips, you can get that signature crunch and flavor home for way less money and minimum effort in just 30 minutes! Authentic and perfect, now you can make it anytime you crave it!

Unlike the restaurants, I can make it as mild or spicy as I like it. Even though the sticky sauce can be messy, that’s the whole point, you will lick you fingers clean, its that good. I often serve this dish with my spicy cucumber salad, and some kimchi on the side.

One reason I love this recipe so much is because I can have it ready to eat in just about 30 minutes from start to finish. I am also sharing my phenomenal homemade spicy BBQ sauce. The sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy flavor is perfect for this crispy chicken.

Why you will love this recipe

• It is done in less than 30 minutes: These tasty little chicken pieces only take about 20 minutes to finish so this is a fast meal to make. Even with the sauce and rice, I can have dinner done in less than a half hour. 
• There are just a few ingredients: The chicken only needs a few ingredients, and the sauce is just a bunch of basic flavorings. I usually do not even have to go shopping for anything to make this recipe.
• My homemade sauce is incredible: Sweet, spicy, tangy, and sticky, this is a sauce I can use on more than just this chicken! I love it for dipping, marinating, and basting too.
• The bite-sized pieces are perfect for kids: If the kids need to pick it up with their fingers and eat, that is fine with me. Picky eaters can make it finger food as long as they are eating.

What you’ll need to make homemade Korean fried chicken

Ingredients

• Chicken breast – I use boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into one-inch pieces. This makes it easier to handle and faster to prepare.
• Cornstarch – I use more cornstarch than flour because it makes chicken especially crispy by absorbing moisture and forming a light airier coating. It is also more resistant to becoming soggy when I add it to the sauce.
• All-purpose flour – The flour provides the structure needed and the ability to brown the chicken while the cornstarch absorbs the moisture.
• Eggs – The eggs act as binders to help the cornstarch and flour stick to the chicken and create a light, crispy coating.

For the sauce:

• Ketchup – I add ketchup to my sauce for a sweet and tangy element that balances out the spiciness. It also helps give it a more familiar taste to those who are not used to Asian dishes.
• Sesame oil – The slightly neutral flavor adds a bit of mild toasty nuttiness that doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the sauce.
• Soy sauce – The deep umami flavor is the highlight of the sauce, but it is important to get low-sodium to prevent it from being too salty.
• Chili sauce or gochujang – Although many recipes use gochujang, which is a Korean chili paste that is used to make the original sauce, if you don’t have it on hand, you can use chili sauce.
• Brown sugar and honey – Gives the chicken a sweet and sticky glossy glaze.
• Garlic – Fresh minced garlic is essential to this recipe to add depth and an added layer of savory flavor.
• Red pepper flakes – Add as much or as little as you like. I sometimes leave it out when serving the kids. 
• Cornstarch – For thickening purposes, cornstarch does not cause clumps and can be used without heating it up.

How to make

Now, let me show you how to make the best chicken of your life at home. While creating this recipe, I wanted to ensure the chicken was crispy and the sauce was sticky and spicy. Gather your ingredients, in just about 30 minutes, you will have your homemade Korean chicken ready to enjoy.

• Mix the sauce: First, I combine all the sauce ingredients in a deep bowl. Then, I whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a large, shallow bowl. The beaten eggs go into another bowl.

• Prepare the oil: Now, I pour two inches of canola oil into a deep frying pan and heat it to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat.
• Dip: While I wait for the oil to heat up, I dip the chicken pieces in the beaten eggs, letting the excess drip off.

• Coat: Then, they go into the cornstarch mixture to get well coated. To make the breading extra crispy, I repeat this process and dip the pieces again in beaten eggs and toss in the cornstach mixture, before being I place them on a plate to rest to 10 minutes.

• Fry: Next, I fry them in the hot oil. As they finish cooking, I put them on a wire rack with paper towels underneath to drain.

• Add sauce and serve: After they drain a bit, I discard the oil, wipe out the pan, and toss the chicken with the sauce until it is coated before serving.

Expert tips

Avoiding soggy chicken

My most important tip for this recipe is to get the oil temperature right. I keep a candy thermometer attached to the side of the pan to watch the temperature while I am cooking because it can drop between batches. It has to be at least 340 degrees F, but I usually do not put my chicken in until it is 350 degrees F for crispy chicken.

More tips to consider:

• Be careful not to overcook the chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is lean and can dry out fast if cooked too long.
• To make sure the coating stays on the chicken where it belongs, follow the easy steps and make sure the oil is hot enough.
• Overcrowding the chicken can also cause the temperature to drop and make the chicken soggy.
• Do not move the chicken after putting it in the oil or the breading may fall off.
• Place the finished chicken pieces on a wire rack to drain with a paper towel underneath. Putting them directly on a paper towel can make them greasy.
• Use low-sodium soy sauce to prevent extra salty chicken.
• Make sure the oil stays between 340- and 370-degrees F.

Recipe variations and add-ins:

• Use wings: These turn out great as chicken wings. They are the perfect size and there is no worry about cutting the breasts into pieces. Just cook them the same way as the breast pieces.
• Add vegetables: One thing I like to do with this meal is to add some stir-fried vegetables like sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini to mix into the sauce with the chicken before serving it.
• Add some garnish: Another way to make this dish different is to chop up some green onions and toss in some sesame seeds and chow mein.
• Different sauce: For something completely different, leave out the sauce and top it with a different sauce like barbecue, hot sauce, or teriyaki.
• Make it crunchy: Another way I enjoy this chicken is with some crunchy chopped cashews or peanuts. They add a nutty flavor and some awesome texture.

Serving suggestions:

• One of the traditional Korean side dishes to go with this fried chicken is pickled radishes, so I like to serve my homemade pickled radishes with this crunchy dish. This recipe is easy to do in less than 30 minutes but remember that it takes at least eight hours to let them pickle. I usually let mine soak overnight for the best flavor.
• Instead of serving this delicious KFC over traditional rice, try it on top of my coconut rice or brown rice. The rich flavor is a nice upgrade from the regular plain version.
• I also love to serve it on top of a bed of noodles.
• Any kind of veggies go great with this entrée but I like to serve it with my rainbow roasted vegetables with bell peppers, zucchini, and carrots.
• Looking for the perfect bottle of wine? I recommend German Riesling, Lambrusco, or California Zinfandel.

How to store leftovers:

• Refrigerate: Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days in an airtight container. 
• Freezing: Place leftovers in a freezer bag and they can be frozen for up to three months. I like to separate mine into single-serving bags. 
• Defrost: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator for the best taste and texture.
• Reheating: Reheat in the oven for 15 minutes at 375 degrees F. 

Frequently asked questions

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