the ULTIMATE Gochujang Fried Chicken (GFC) recipe!!!
sticky, tangy, sweet. this one stays crispy for long & keeps you wanting more!
now, we’ve had our fair share of making Korean Fried Chicken in the nOm kitchen throughout these couple of years & I think we’ve FINALLY hit the golden jackpot with this one (YES, we’re THAT convinvced). our Korean Fried Chicken this time round turned out to be a MASTERPIECE - the double-frying created a crispy coating which still stayed crispy for long, even after being coated with a sweet, citrusy & slightly spicy Gochujang glaze.
in achieving our best Korean Chicken success yet, we made sure we followed certain key preparation points for the best results;
marination
the added time taken to marinade the chicken not only gives flavour to the chicken wings itself, as opposed to the flavour just coming form the glaze/sauce, but it marination also acts almost like a brine, adding moisture and tenderising the chicken meat. this prevents the the chicken to turn tough and dry despite frying it twice during the later stage. as a result, the meat becomes juicy & tasty.
pre-coating
one thing we’ve realised (the hard way, unforch) is that when we deep-fried meat or veg in batter, without pre-coating a dredging of flour, there is a tendency for the crispy coating to break away easily post-frying.
when making this, it makes a big difference to dredge the wings in dry potato starch first before it gets coated in batter - the flour coating in the middle acts as a binder for the batter to cling onto the chicken a lot more steadily.
double-frying
this was a pro-tip I personally have taken from a uni part-time job stationed at the fryer, frying Southern-style fried chicken.there is no doubt that double frying your chicken not only gives a crispier coat, it also helps to keep it crispy for a longer time after, especially after the wings get coated in a moisture-heavy glaze. now, the temperatures in the recipe might confuse you but take it like this - the first fry in lower temperature is to properly cook the meat inside & the second fry is essentially lock in the crisp on the exterior.
additionally, the glaze represents a simple preparation of a sweet & spicy Korean Fried Chicken. however, we added a level of citrus, using orange zest & juice, taking inspiration from the humble Orange Chicken in American-Chinese takeaway menus. dare we say, this could possibly a few steps up from the ones in Korean fried chicken fast food chains…
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nOm’s ULTIMATE Gochujang Fried Chicken (GFC)
(serves 3-4)
1.5 kg chicken wings, cleaned well & separate the drummettes from the wing
3 cloves garlic, grated
15g ginger, grated
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp water
dash of black pepper
1/2 cup potato starch (for dry coating)
oil, for deep-frying
batter:
100g potato starch
80g plain flour
1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
cold water, as needed
gochujang glaze:
100g gochujang paste
2 tsp korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)
5 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, grated
10g ginger, grated
2 tbsp white vinegar
juice & zest from 1 orange
3 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp sesame seeds
3 sprigs spring onion (for garnish)
pickled daikon & cucumber, for garnish (check our Telegram page for the recipe)
directions:
making the wings
firstly, combine the chicken wings with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce and pepper & toss well. marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
bring out the chicken wings and let it come to room temperature. to prepare the batter, whisk all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. gradually add the cold water & whisk until it becomes a thick consistency, of having the batter being able to coat the back of a spoon.
in a pot, heat oil to 160 degrees Celsius. one by one, dredge the marinated wings in a plate of potato starch until fully coated, dip into the batter and fry until just slightly golden. transfer the par-cooked chicken wings onto a rack to drain out the oil.
once the whole batch is fried, turn the heat up a bit for the oil to reach about 180 degrees Celsius. fry the chicken wings for a second time until they turn golden brown and crispy. drain on paper towels. and then transfer to a bowl.
preparing the glaze
combine ALL the ingredients (except for sesame oil & seeds) in a saucepan and whisk well. put it onto the stove and let it come up to a simmer. let it bubble for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
turn off heat and whisk in sesame oil.
pour over the glaze onto the chicken wings, sprinkle in toasted sesame seeds and toss well to coat.
serve alongside pickles, and garnish with spring onion.
if you OBSESS over fried chicken as much as we do, check out these other recipes!:
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