Yangnyeom chicken, the sweet and spicy Korean fried chicken, is the one that has you reaching for another piece before you’ve finished the last. Crunchy on the outside, juicy inside and coated in a sticky glaze that’s sweet, spicy and hard to stop eating. It’s one of my top three dishes on the site, and it really hits the spot.
Ingredients
- Chicken
- 400 g Boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces
- 5 g Fine sea salt
- 0.5 tsp White pepper
- 0.5 tbsp (7.5g) Shaoxing wine
- 2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
- 5 g Fresh ginger, finely grated
- 70 g Potato starch
- 20 g Cornflour
- 0.5 tsp (2.5g) Baking powder
- 1.5 L Neutral deep frying oil
- Sauce
- 5 g Neutral oil, for softening
- 1 Garlic cloves, finely minced
- 0.5 tbsp (9g) Gochujang
- 0.5 tbsp (3g) Gochugaru
- 1.5 tbsp (32g) Honey
- 1 tbsp (15g) Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp (17g) Tomato ketchup
- 0.5 tbsp (7.5g) Rice vinegar
- 0.5 tbsp (7g) Dark brown sugar
- 25 g Water
- Garnish
- 2 tsp (6g) Sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 Spring onions, finely sliced
- For the rice
- 200 g Thai jasmine rice
- 280 g Water
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed casserole or deep fryer
- Wire rack
- Oil thermometer
Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs and cut into roughly 3-4cm pieces. Combine with the fine sea salt, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, garlic, and ginger, mix thoroughly until every piece is coated, and leave to marinate for 30–60 minutes.
While the chicken marinates, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the neutral oil and garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the gochujang, gochugaru, honey, light soy sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, dark brown sugar, and water and stir to combine. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until glossy and just coating a spoon. Set aside and reheat briefly before tossing with the chicken.
Wash the Thai jasmine rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Transfer to a saucepan and add the measured water.
Place over a medium-high heat uncovered. As soon as it starts to simmer, reduce to the lowest possible heat, cover with the lid, and steam for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat, keeping the lid on, and rest for 10–15 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Combine the potato starch, cornflour, and baking powder in a bowl. Toss the chicken in the starch thoroughly until every piece is well coated. The coating should look uneven and slightly rough rather than smooth. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before frying.
Heat the oil to 165°C (330°F) in a large heavy-bottomed casserole or deep fryer. Fry the chicken in batches for 4–5 minutes until cooked through and pale golden. The crust should be set but not deeply coloured. Remove to a wire rack and rest for 10 minutes.
Raise the oil temperature to 190°C (375°F). Fry the rested chicken in batches for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until deeply golden and audibly crisp. Drain thoroughly on a wire rack.
Transfer the hot chicken to a large bowl. Reheat the sauce briefly if needed and pour over the chicken. Toss rapidly until every piece is lightly and evenly lacquered.
Spoon the jasmine rice into warmed bowls and pile the sauced chicken alongside. Scatter over the toasted sesame seeds and spring onion and serve immediately.
Notes & Substitutions
Gochujang and gochugaru: Both available in Asian supermarkets and increasingly in large supermarkets. Gochujang is a fermented chilli paste — deep, slightly sweet, and complex. Gochugaru is dried Korean chilli flakes — brighter and more straightforwardly spicy. Both are worth having in the fridge or cupboard if you cook Korean food regularly.
Oil depth: The oil should come at least 8–10cm up the sides of the pan before the chicken goes in. Too shallow and the chicken sits in the oil rather than submerging, which means uneven cooking and poor crust development.
Chicken thighs: Boneless skinless thighs are the right choice here. They stay juicy through the double fry in a way that breast meat doesn’t. See how to cook chicken to temperature for more on why thighs are more forgiving than breast.
Serving suggestion: The Korean cucumber salad works particularly well alongside, the sharpness and crunch cuts through the richness of the gochujang sauce.
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Korean Fried Chicken
COOKED
PROPERLY
Ingredients
- 400 g Boneless skinless chicken thighs (trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces)
- 5 g Fine sea salt
- 0.5 tsp White pepper
- 0.5 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 Garlic cloves (finely minced)
- 5 g Fresh ginger (finely grated)
- 70 g Potato starch
- 20 g Cornflour
- 0.5 tsp Baking powder
- 1.5 L Neutral deep frying oil
- 5 g Neutral oil (for softening)
- 1 Garlic cloves (finely minced)
- 0.5 tbsp Gochujang
- 0.5 tbsp Gochugaru
- 1.5 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- 0.5 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 0.5 tbsp Dark brown sugar
- 25 g Water
- 2 tsp Sesame seeds (toasted)
- 1 Spring onions (finely sliced)
- 200 g Thai jasmine rice
- 280 g Water
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed casserole or deep fryer
- Wire rack
- Oil thermometer
Method
Marinate the chicken
400 g Boneless skinless chicken thighs · 5 g Fine sea salt · 0.5 tsp White pepper · 0.5 tbsp Shaoxing wine · 2 Garlic cloves · 5 g Fresh ginger
Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs and cut into roughly 3-4cm pieces. Combine with the fine sea salt, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, garlic, and ginger, mix thoroughly until every piece is coated, and leave to marinate for 30–60 minutes.
Make the sauce
5 g Neutral oil · 1 Garlic cloves · 0.5 tbsp Gochujang · 0.5 tbsp Gochugaru · 1.5 tbsp Honey · 1 tbsp Light soy sauce · 1 tbsp Tomato ketchup · 0.5 tbsp Rice vinegar · 0.5 tbsp Dark brown sugar · 25 g Water
While the chicken marinates, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the neutral oil and garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the gochujang, gochugaru, honey, light soy sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, dark brown sugar, and water and stir to combine. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until glossy and just coating a spoon. Set aside and reheat briefly before tossing with the chicken.
The sauce should be thinner than you think. A sauce that’s too thick will sit heavily on the coating and soften it. Aim for something that coats a spoon lightly and runs off slowly.
Cook the rice
200 g Thai jasmine rice · 280 g Water
Wash the Thai jasmine rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Transfer to a saucepan and add the measured water.
Place over a medium-high heat uncovered. As soon as it starts to simmer, reduce to the lowest possible heat, cover with the lid, and steam for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat, keeping the lid on, and rest for 10–15 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Coat the chicken
70 g Potato starch · 20 g Cornflour · 0.5 tsp Baking powder
Combine the potato starch, cornflour, and baking powder in a bowl. Toss the chicken in the starch thoroughly until every piece is well coated. The coating should look uneven and slightly rough rather than smooth. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before frying.
First fry
1.5 L Neutral deep frying oil
Heat the oil to 165°C (330°F) in a large heavy-bottomed casserole or deep fryer. Fry the chicken in batches for 4–5 minutes until cooked through and pale golden. The crust should be set but not deeply coloured. Remove to a wire rack and rest for 10 minutes.
Fry in small batches. Adding too much chicken at once drops the oil temperature sharply and the coating absorbs oil rather than crisping. If you let the oil hit a temp 15°C higher than your target before adding anything, it compensates for the temperature drop when you add the chicken.
Second fry
Raise the oil temperature to 190°C (375°F). Fry the rested chicken in batches for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until deeply golden and audibly crisp. Drain thoroughly on a wire rack.
Sauce and serve
Transfer the hot chicken to a large bowl. Reheat the sauce briefly if needed and pour over the chicken. Toss rapidly until every piece is lightly and evenly lacquered.
Serve immediately. The crust is at its best the moment it leaves the bowl. Every minute it sits, the sauce softens it slightly.
Serve
2 tsp Sesame seeds · 1 Spring onions
Spoon the jasmine rice into warmed bowls and pile the sauced chicken alongside. Scatter over the toasted sesame seeds and spring onion and serve immediately.
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The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
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One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
The wok costs £25. The heat underneath it is what you're really paying for.
£10-£25
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
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