Who doesn’t love fried chicken? This recipe is to die for! I paired it with some Korean corn, which I’ll share that recipe on Wednesday for. I’m a firm believer in marinating chicken in butter milk. It comes out so tender and moist.
Korean Fried Chicken
(Adapted from Kitchen Sanctuary)
Chicken and marinade:
4 chicken breasts sliced into long thick strips
240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp garlic salt
Crispy Coating:
180 g (1 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
vegetable oil for deep frying (at least 1 litre/four cups)
Sauce:
2 tbsp gochujang paste
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 spring onions sliced into thin strips
1 tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour (up to overnight)
Preheat the oven to a low heat (to keep the cooked chicken warm). Heat a large pan of vegetable oil (or preheat your deep fat fryer) until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough).
Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl.
Take the chicken out of the fridge. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
Once the oil is hot enough, add in 5 or 6 of the chicken tenders. You can add more or less depending on the size of your pan, just be sure not to overcrowd the chicken.
Cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the middle. You can check this by cutting open a piece of chicken, if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s cooked.
Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the chicken. **If you want to ensure the chicken stays extra crispy whilst in the oven, see my ‘Top Tips for Success’ section in the post.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Place the gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, and sesame oil in a saucepan and stir together.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
Pour over the crispy chicken and carefully toss together, then top with the spring onions, chili flakes, and sesame seeds before serving.
