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Make these double fried, crunchy, and crispy Korean fried chicken wings covered 2 sauces – sweet gochujang sauce or sticky soy garlic sauce! Read more about the different batters and sauces we used to perfect this recipe!
If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to making the best Korean fried chicken, you’re in the right place!
As a Korean American, I grew up eating this my whole life! For this recipe, I borrowed from my mom’s recipe and tried countless variations and techniques, to come up with my best version of Korean fried chicken wings!
Continue reading below to see the results of experimenting with 4 different batters and two sauces, or skip to the recipe below!
What is Korean fried chicken?
Korean fried chicken is a popular dish in South Korea that is called “KFC” or “chikin” in Korea. It was first introduced from the U.S. military during the 1960s and has gained popularity ever since. What sets it apart from other fried chicken is that it’s double fried to achieve the ultimate, crispy, crunchy crust that doesn’t get soggy once covered in sauce.
It can go by several different names in Korea:
- huraideu chikin 후라이드 치킨 or peuraideu chikin 프라이드 치킨 – which are both the phonetic spelling of “fried chicken” in English.
- dak-twigim 닭튀김 – which means “deep fried chicken” in English.
- yangnyeom chicken 양념 치킨 – Korean fried chicken that’s covered in a spicy, gochujang based sauce, called yangnyeom sauce. This translates to “seasoned or sauced chicken.”
This dish is typically served with Korean pickled radish as a side dish and consumed with alcoholic beverages such as beer or soju.
In fact, it’s so common to serve this with beer in Korea, that this pairing is referred to as “chimaek” in Korea, which is a combination of the word “chikin” (meaning fried chicken) and “maekju” (meaning beer).
Popular fried chicken restaurants in Seoul are BHC or Hanchu Chicken, which are my two favorite places. In the U.S., Gol Tong Chicken, Bonchon, and KyoChon Chicken are at the top of the list!
Why this recipe works
- Double fried – Double frying helps render out the fat from the chicken skin and gives it a crispy, crunchy exterior. It also helps the crust get golden brown and keep its crunchy texture after any sauce is applied.
- Four types of batter to choose from – We’ve tested this recipe with all purpose flour, cornstarch, potato starch, and a wet batter. Read further below to see the results of each batter and choose your favorite!
- A spicy and non-spicy sauce – Both of these sauces have the perfect, syrupy consistency to coat the fried chicken without making them soggy. Choose between a spicy gochujang sauce or a sweet and tangy soy garlic sauce!
Wet batter vs dry batter
If you’re a fan of those crunchy bits when eating fried chicken, I recommend going with a dry batter. It creates a crackly, blistered crust that has tons of crunchy texture.
The photo below shows fried chicken made with a dry flour batter. It has lots of crunchy golden brown bits attached and the surface is more irregular creating more crunch and texture.
If you’re a fan of a lighter, crispier tempera style crust, I would recommend using the wet batter. It’s a smoother, thinner crust that still has a crispy texture, though it’s more delicate than a dry flour coating.
Which flour is best?
Korean fried chicken is commonly made with cornstarch, all purpose flour, or potato starch, or any combination of the above. We decided to test out all three to see which is our favorite and compare their texture and flavor.
Our favorite ended up being cornstarch for it’s blistered crust and crackly texture! But the all purpose flour and potato starch were a close second, so I’d say it’s up to personal preference when deciding which flour to use.
Here’s a breakdown of what we found:
- All purpose flour – thickest crust with the most crunch.
- Cornstarch – crispy, crackly texture with a blistered crust.
- Potato starch – has the best flavor, thinner crust with a light, delicate crisp. While flour and cornstarch are pretty flavorless, potato starch has lots of flavor!
Korean fried chicken sauce – Spicy or Mild
Gochujang Sauce (yangnyeom sauce)
This is by far the most popular sauce for Korean fried chicken. It’s an easy sweet and spicy sauce made with gochujang that sticks to your fingers!
It takes less than 10 minutes to make and you can serve it with so many other dishes! Two ingredients in this sauce is strawberry jam and ketchup, which is commonly added to fried chicken sauce in Korea.
Soy Garlic Sauce
This soy garlic sauce is a sweet and tangy glaze made of soy sauce, honey, garlic, and rice wine vinegar. An equally delicious sauce that’s perfect for those who prefer a non-spicy or mild wing sauce. Or you can skip the sauce entirely and eat them plain!
Ingredients you’ll need
Dry Batter:
- Flour – choose all purpose flour, cornstarch, or potato starch based on your preference for what type of texture you prefer. See the photos above for comparison.
- Chicken wings – I used skin-on, bone-in drumettes and flats
Wet Batter:
For the wet batter, coat each wing with cornstarch and then dip it into a wet batter made of flour, water, and cornstarch.
Step by step instructions
- Season your chicken with salt and other spices if desired.
- Batter the chicken wings with either a dry flour coating or a wet batter.
- First fry: Working in batches, fry the chicken in cooking oil heated to 345 degrees F for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Let it drain on a cooling rack and add in the next batch.
- Second fry: Raise the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees F and fry in batches until the exterior becomes crunchy and golden brown.
- Let it drain on a cooling rack and work on the next batch.
- Serve immediately if you wish to eat them plain. Otherwise, add the wings to a large bowl and add your sauce and toss to evenly coat. (If desired, add sliced jalapenos and chili for added spice, like the restaurant Gol Tong Chicken.)
- Serve immediately with extra dipping sauce!
Frequently Asked Questions
What sets Korean fried chicken apart is that it’s double fried to achieve, a crispy, crunchy golden brown crust.
The first fry is at a lower temperature to render out the fat from the skin and partially cook the chicken. For this reason, the temperature of the first fry should not be too high, otherwise you’ll burn the chicken.
The second fry is at a higher temperature that completely cooks the chicken, makes the skin crispy, and makes the batter crunchy. This ensures that any sauce that’s added to the chicken doesn’t make the batter soggy. 
What to serve with this:
- Crunchy Korean Pickled Radish – Fast and Easy!
- Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim)
- Korean Potato Side Dish – Gamja Jorim
- Korean Soybean Sprout Side Dish – Kongnamul Muchim
- Asian Sesame Broccoli Salad
- Korean Shiitake Mushroom Side Dish
- Korean Perilla Leaf Kimchi
More Korean recipes:
- Easy Japchae (Korean glass noodle stir fry)
- Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam
- 15 Minute Korean Beef Bowl
- Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs
- Korean Beef Tacos with Cabbage Slaw and Pickled Cucumbers
Best Korean Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken wings, – about 30 to 36 wings
- 2 cloves garlic, – finely minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger, – grated
- 1 Tablespoon mirin
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Dry Batter (see notes below for wet batter)
- 2 cups flour or cornstarch or potato starch, – see photos above for comparison
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Soy Garlic Sauce – Sweet and Tangy
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, – minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger, – grated
- 3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Gochujang Sauce (yangnyeom sauce) – Sweet and Spicy
- ¼ cup gochujang
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons strawberry jam, – use the seedless variety
- 2 ½ Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 ½ Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon ketchup
- 6 Tablespoons water
- 2 cloves garlic , – minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger, – grated
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Season the wings with garlic, ginger, sea salt, and mirin and let it marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Mix the ingredients for the dry batter in a large bowl. Coat each wing thoroughly with the dry mix, being sure to completely cover the entire surface.
- Pour enough oil to get 1 ½ to 2 inches of depth in a large pot. Heat the oil to 345 degrees F. Add the wings and fry them for 5 to 7 minutes. Work in batches and avoid crowding the pot. Let it drain on a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining wings.
- Once done, raise the temperature of the cooking oil to 375 degrees F. Double fry the wings in batches until the exterior becomes crunchy and golden brown. Let it drain on a cooling rack. *See Notes for the benefits of double frying.
- Serve immediately if you wish to eat them plain without sauce. Otherwise, coat with soy garlic sauce or gochujang sauce and serve.
Soy Garlic Sauce or Gochujang Sauce
- Add all the ingredients in a medium pot and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce it for 2 to 3 minutes or until it's reduced to your liking. Drip a small amount onto a plate and let it cool to test the consistency. If it's too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time to thin it out. While still hot, drizzle the sauce onto the wings and toss to coat.
Notes
- Flour, cornstarch, and potato starch yield different flavors and texture. See comparison photos in the post above to choose your favorite.
- Double Frying: What sets Korean fried chicken apart from other recipes is the double frying technique. The first fry renders out fat from the chicken skin which is why it’s done at a lower temperature. The second fry crisps up the exterior while fully cooking the chicken which is why we raise the temperature.
- Leftovers – store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating – reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through. If the sauce starts to burn, lower the heat and cover the top with foil.
- 2.5 cups water
- 1.25 cup cornstarch
- 1.25 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups cornstarch – for coating the wings before dredging into the wet batter
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I’m not familiar with Korean food, but being fried chicken I think I can well get used to it lol, it looks amazing! The pictures are beautiful and the flavors sound so tempting! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I lived in Korea for 6 years. They have the best fried chicken I’ve eaten. I miss it very much. Along with pickled white radish, A must have when eating Korean fried chicken. I’m so glad I just happen to see your recipe. I definitely will try it. I ate Korean fried chicken at least 3x a week. I always wondered how the chicken was always crunchy and delicious! I wish I could just order it here where I live. Thank you for sharing this recipe^^
Thanks Julie! The secret to getting crunchy Korean fried chicken is to double fry it! Do give it a try, I hope you like it! 🙂
This was my first time making and trying Korean fried chicken and I’m so happy I gave this a try. Delicious! Loved all of the flavors and my husband loved it too!
This was so good! We used the corn starch batter and my family loved this! We left out the sauce because we couldn’t wait to eat it.
It turned out so perfectly crunchy, golden and juicy!! And I love the spicy sauce. I’m going to try the dry batter method asap.
WOW!! Everything Korean fried chicken is known for: Super moist, juicy and delicious. Recipe is so easy to make too!
Yum! It reminds me of the chicken wings we get at Korean restaurants!
I have lost count of the number of times I have made this recipe!!
It is SO good! I keep forgetting to leave a comment – I think I get all caught up in the eating of these delicious crispy chicken drumsticks!
Your tip to double fry makes ALL the difference!
Crispy, golden perfection!
I really appreciate you adding the flour guide to this recipe! That is such a helpful tip! Now to decide which batter I’ll use for my fried chicken.
Truly, without doubt, the best KFC I have ever eaten. It was actually my first time making it (I usually go out for it or get it take away!) but all of your useful tips made it SO easy to have success.
Thanks so much Alex! That’s great to hear it’s the best Korean fried chicken you’ve had. So happy you enjoyed it!
I tried this Korean fried chicken recipe last week and made it again tonight! My family just loves it with the soy garlic sauce so I made extra this time. So delicious!
Thank you so much Kushigalu! I’m so glad your family loves it so much! 🙂
One of my favorite things to eat is Korean chicken wings. I have always relied on friends making them or getting them at restaurants but your beautiful recipe gave me hope and I made it this weekend! I really appreciate your detailed instructions and advice. It was so easy and straight forward to make. I made them for game day Sunday, it was such a treat! Thanks so much for posting your fabulous recipe! Can’t wait to try more of them!
So happy you enjoyed them Jenny! It’s definitely easier than you think and so worth making them at home. Great idea serving them for game day! 🙂
We love Korean fried chicken so we had our kids over yesterday and decided to try out your recipe with the gochujang sauce. It was a huge success! It came out super crunchy and moist on the inside. Next time, I’ll double the amount of chicken – they couldn’t stop grabbing pieces and dunking in the sauce. We’ve already set up another date to make it again.
Thank you so much Marisa!! So happy you and your family enjoyed it! 🙂
Oh YUM! just looking at these photos makes my mouth water! The chicken looks so delicious and that glaze just looks finger licking good!
We are huge fans of Korean food, especially Korean fried chicken so this made us happy tonight! We actually did a combination of flour and cornstarch and I served it with a bulgogi fried rice! AMAZING!! It’s hands down the best fried chicken we’ve made from any recipe!!
Thank you so much Marta! So happy to hear!
This is the BEST Korean Fried Chicken recipe I have ever tried! I used cornstarch for the batter and it came out so crunchy and delicious! The double frying really does make a difference for that perfect texture. Thank you so much for the great recipe!
Thank you so much Jessica! I can’t agree with you more about the double frying. So happy you loved it!
The double frying is genius! I cannot wait to get my hands on these perfectly crispy wings.
Yum! I can’t wait to make these soon!
Oooh, you had me at double fried. Such a crunchy coating that didn’t get soggy at all! The soy garlic sauce is a new favorite of mine! So delicious!
Thanks Tara! So happy to hear!
What a wonderful post! Not just because of the amazing recipe, but also all the history, backstory and recipe testing that went into perfecting it! Super interesting (and I absolutely love that Koreans created the word chimaek to refer to the idea of enjoying Korean fried chicken with its favorite partner lol)!
Thank you Shelley! I hope you enjoy this!