Plain Korean Fried Chicken (Double-Fried, No Sauce)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The original, unsauced Korean fried chicken — wings and drumettes seasoned with ginger, garlic and black pepper, dredged in nothing but potato starch, then fried twice: a gentle first fry to cook the meat through, and a blistering second fry that drives out moisture and sets a glassy, shatter-thin crust. No glaze, no gochujang, nothing to hide behind. Just crackle, juice and a bowl of sweet-sour pickled radish cubes on the side to reset your palate between bites.

Ingredients

• 1 lb daikon radish, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 3 lb chicken wings, split into drumettes and flats (tips removed)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 2 tbsp soju, dry sherry, or mirin
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 1/4 cups potato starch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3 tbsp cold water
• 8 cups neutral oil for frying (canola, peanut, or vegetable)

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt
• Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the pickled radish first so it has time to cure: put the daikon cubes in a clean 1-quart jar or heatproof container. In a small saucepan, combine the water, rice vinegar, sugar and 1 1/2 tsp salt and warm over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes — do not boil. Pour the brine over the radish, press the cubes down so they are submerged, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 2 hours (overnight is better). It will turn from opaque to slightly translucent.
2. Pat the wing pieces very dry with paper towels — surface moisture is the enemy of crust. Toss them in a large bowl with 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, the black pepper, ginger, garlic, soju and onion powder until evenly coated. Let sit 20 minutes at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours.
3. Set up the coating: in a wide bowl, whisk together the potato starch, baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Scoop out 3 tablespoons of that mixture into a small bowl and stir in the 3 tablespoons cold water to make a loose, cream-like slurry.
4. Scrape the slurry into the bowl of marinated chicken and toss with your hands until every piece is lightly and evenly filmed — this thin wet layer is what makes the dry starch grip in craggy patches.
5. Working a few pieces at a time, drop the chicken into the dry potato starch and press firmly, turning to coat all sides. Squeeze each piece gently in your fist so the starch adheres, then set on a wire rack. Let the coated chicken rest 10 to 15 minutes; the starch will hydrate and look slightly damp and pasty, which is exactly right.
6. Pour the oil into a heavy 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 1/2 inches (leave at least 3 inches of clear space above the oil). Heat over medium to 325°F on a clip-on deep-fry or instant-read thermometer. Set a clean wire rack over a sheet pan next to the stove.
7. FIRST FRY: lower 8 to 10 pieces into the oil one at a time, keeping the oil between 300°F and 325°F. Fry 7 to 8 minutes, nudging the pieces apart after the first minute, until the coating is set and pale blond — not browned. Lift onto the rack. Let the oil return to 325°F and repeat with the remaining chicken.
8. Rest the chicken on the rack for a full 10 minutes. Steam escapes and the interior finishes cooking through carryover heat; skipping this rest is why home versions go soggy.
9. SECOND FRY: raise the heat and bring the oil to 375°F. Return the chicken to the pot in two or three batches and fry 2 to 3 minutes per batch, until deep golden and audibly crisp — the bubbling will quieten noticeably. The thickest drumette should register 175°F to 185°F internally. Drain on the rack, never on paper towels.
10. Sprinkle the hot chicken with flaky sea salt and sesame seeds if using. Pile it on a platter and serve immediately with a bowl of the cold pickled radish and a few spoonfuls of its brine alongside — plain, sauceless, one bite of chicken to one cube of radish.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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