Double-Fried Korean Chicken Drumsticks, Two Ways

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Potato-starch-coated drumsticks fried twice for a shatter-thin, stays-crisp shell, then split between two glazes: a glossy soy-garlic and a sticky sweet-heat gochujang. Both sauces are cooked ahead and tossed on at the very last second so the crust never has time to soften. This is the Korean fried chicken you get at a good chimaek spot, scaled to one pot on a home stove.

Ingredients

• 12 chicken drumsticks (about 3 lb)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin or dry sherry

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

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water

• 1/4 cup gochujang
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp rice syrup or light corn syrup
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp water

• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)
• Pickled daikon radish cubes, for serving

Instructions

1. Pat the drumsticks very dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, toss them with 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, the black pepper, grated ginger, grated garlic, soy sauce, and mirin until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours for deeper flavor.
2. Make the soy-garlic sauce: combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, honey, minced garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until the garlic loses its raw bite. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer 30-60 seconds until the sauce coats a spoon. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and sesame oil. Set aside.
3. Make the gochujang sauce: in a clean small saucepan, whisk together the gochujang, ketchup, honey, rice syrup, rice vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, and 1 tbsp water. Simmer over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly so it does not scorch, until glossy and just thick enough to cling. Stir in the sesame oil and set aside. Both sauces can be made up to 3 days ahead.
4. Set up the coating: in a wide bowl, whisk the potato starch, flour, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Transfer 1/2 cup of this mixture to a second bowl and whisk in 6 tbsp cold water to make a thin, pancake-batter-like slurry. Lift each drumstick out of the marinade, letting excess drip off, dip it in the wet slurry, then press it firmly into the dry starch mixture, packing the coating on. Set on a wire rack and let stand 10 minutes so the coating hydrates and grips.
5. Pour the oil into a large Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 1/2 inches (leave at least 3 inches of headroom). Heat over medium-high to 325°F on a clip-on thermometer. Line a sheet pan with a wire rack.
6. First fry: add 4 drumsticks at a time, keeping the oil between 300°F and 325°F. Fry 8-9 minutes, turning occasionally, until the coating is set and pale blond, not browned. Transfer to the rack. Repeat with the remaining batches, letting the oil return to 325°F between them. Rest the chicken at least 10 minutes (up to 1 hour at room temperature).
7. Second fry: raise the oil to 375°F. Return 4 drumsticks at a time and fry 4-5 minutes, until deep golden, crackly, and blistered. The thickest part next to the bone should read 175-180°F on an instant-read thermometer; dark meat is best fully cooked. Drain on the rack and season with a light pinch of salt.
8. Just before serving, gently rewarm each sauce over low heat. Divide the hot chicken between two large bowls. Pour the soy-garlic sauce over one batch and the gochujang sauce over the other, then toss quickly with tongs — 10 to 15 seconds each — just until glazed.
9. Pile onto a platter, keeping the two sauces in separate zones. Shower the soy-garlic chicken with sesame seeds and scallions and the gochujang chicken with chopped peanuts and scallions. Serve immediately with pickled radish and cold beer.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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