I don't use use recipes, I just cook. Some recipes are complete and some not so much. Got a question or need more detail? Ask me. If you try a recipe please leave a comment about how you liked it, or didn't, and any variations that you did. Recipes are not scientific formulas, and it is useful to see how ingredients and amounts can be altered to get a different result.
Korean Fried Chicken (updated 9/10/2023)
(Update 9/10/2023) The most common issue is getting the chicken too dark. You need to control the temp and keep turning it to prevent burning. I now leave sugar out of the recipe
Instead of marinating chicken and then throwing the marinade out, this technique turns the marinade into a quick delicious batter! This is incredible, easy, and creates crispy flavorful chicken without going through a bunch of steps and dishes.
A deep dive into recipes shows there is no consensus on a best technique or even ingredients for Korean Fried Chicken. I am still doing some experimenting and research, but what I found is that my initial attempts turned out incredibly good. Did I mention it is super easy and fast? Other recipes use a mix of regular flour and corn starch, some use rice flour and tapioca starch. I found the tapioca is good for crunch but tends to really stick to the pan. The key here is that the exact amounts don't really matter; keep it simple, low stress, and you will cook this frequently. Once you have the technique down, just add vegetables, noodles, rice, salad, tacos, etc..
Basically, chicken thighs are put in a plastic bag with an Asian marinade. After a few hrs of marinating, rice flour is added to the bag to make a thin batter. The chicken is then fried. I have done this in an iron skillet without any sticking at all. I tried it in a Hexclad "non-stick" pan and it stuck, possibly because I used Tapioca starch in the batter.
I have been using:
4 boneless chicken thighs without skin
2 TBS Soy sauce
1 TBS Sriracha
1 tsp fish sauce
1 TBS rice vinegar
Rice Flour
I just guess at the amounts. Use whatever you have on hand. The soy provides salt that creates a brine. Everything else is kind of optional; Substitute lemon juice for the rice vinegar, skip the fish sauce. Other add-ons could include cilantro, garlic, ginger, white or black pepper.
Chicken thighs take a while to cook and it is almost impossible to overcook them. I avoid chicken breasts because they dry out very quickly. The thighs can be cut into strips to speed cooking, or cuts can be made in the meat as in the following pic.
The pic below shows the thighs after the rice flour has been added. Lately, I skip the bowl and just dump everything into a plastic Ziploc bag, let it sit a few hours, and then add the flour. No dishes!
I do all high temp, smoky dishes, and frying outside. Use any vegetable oil and start Frying at 375F. I have found that it helps to let the temp drift to about 300F so the chicken can cook longer before it gets too dark.
IR thermometer gun (Amazon link)
Use tongs to turn them to get even browning. The cooking time is quite variable.
Bayou Classic Propane burner (Amazon link)
A digital thermometer can be used to make sure the internal temp of the chicken is 175 or higher. If the oil heat gets too high, there is a risk of burning. Monitor the oil temp with an IR thermometer and if the heat gets too high you can always take the chicken out of the pan until you get the temp lower.
Chicken on Noodles with Sriracha sauce
Chicken Strips for tacos
Chicken on red Thai rice and vegetables
Chicken Thigh With roasted potatoes and green beans
Thai Fried Shrimp
Thai fried Shrimp Tacos. Hand rolled flour tortilla, garlic hummus, pickled bell pepper.