Sweet & Spicy Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Double-fried chicken with a shatteringly crisp potato-starch crust, tossed at the very last second in a glossy gochujang-ketchup-honey-garlic sauce. One sauce, three heat levels — mild enough for kids or hot enough to make you sweat — and a frying method that keeps the crunch audible right through dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes (or boneless thighs cut into 2-inch pieces)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp mirin or dry sherry

• 3/4 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 5 tbsp cold water
• 2 qt neutral frying oil (peanut, canola or vegetable)

• 3 tbsp gochujang (see heat dial in tips)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp brown rice syrup or light corn syrup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 6 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chile flakes), optional for extra heat
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Pickled daikon cubes (chicken-mu), for serving
• Steamed short-grain rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, toss it with the soy sauce, ginger, mirin, 1 tsp kosher salt and the black pepper. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes (or refrigerate up to 4 hours). Drain off any liquid that pools and blot the pieces dry again — surface moisture is the enemy of crunch.
2. Make the sauce first so it is ready before the chicken comes out of the oil. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm 1 tbsp neutral oil and cook the minced garlic for 60–90 seconds, stirring constantly, just until fragrant and barely golden — do not let it brown.
3. Add the gochujang, ketchup, honey, rice syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, gochugaru (if using) and 2 tbsp water. Whisk smooth and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and looks glossy. Stir in the sesame oil, then turn off the heat and leave it in the pan. Taste and adjust: more honey to soften, more vinegar to brighten, a splash of water if it tightens too much.
4. Whisk the potato starch, flour, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt in a wide bowl. Drizzle in 5 tbsp cold water and rub the mixture with your fingertips until it looks like coarse, shaggy wet sand — those clumps become the craggy crust.
5. Add the chicken and press the coating firmly onto every piece, turning until each one is thickly and evenly covered. Set the coated pieces on a wire rack and let them stand 10 minutes so the starch hydrates and grips.
6. Pour the oil into a heavy Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 1/2 inches and heat over medium to 325°F on a clip-on thermometer. Line a second rack or a sheet pan with paper towels.
7. Fry in 3 batches so the temperature never drops below about 300°F: lower in the pieces, fry 8–9 minutes, turning once or twice, until pale gold and cooked through (165°F at the bone). Drain on the rack. Let all the chicken rest at least 5 minutes — up to 30 minutes is fine.
8. Raise the oil to 375°F. Fry each batch a second time for 2–3 minutes, until deep amber, blistered and loud when tapped. Drain on the rack, never in a bowl.
9. Rewarm the sauce over low heat for 30 seconds. Working with half the chicken at a time and moving fast, tip the hot chicken into a large bowl, spoon over just enough sauce to lacquer it (about 3 tbsp per batch), and toss 5–6 times with a rubber spatula — that's it. Over-tossing or over-saucing steams the crust.
10. Pile onto a platter, shower with sesame seeds and scallions, and serve immediately with pickled daikon, rice and any extra sauce on the side for dipping.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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