South Korea • Regional Dish • Main Course

Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Chicken)

Yangnyeom chicken is Korean fried chicken at its most addictive: crackly, juicy, and coated in a glossy sweet-spicy sauce.

Servings4

Prep Time25 min

Cook Time20 min

DifficultyModerate

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Ingredients

US Metric

2 lb chicken wings or boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

1/2 cup potato starch or corn starch

1/4 cup plain flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 cups neutral oil, for frying

For the sauce

1 tbsp neutral oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tbsp ketchup

1 1/2 tbsp gochujang

2 tbsp rice syrup, honey, or corn syrup

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1 green onion, thinly sliced, optional

900 g chicken wings or boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

120 g potato starch or corn starch

60 g plain flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

750 ml neutral oil, for frying

For the sauce

1 tablespoon neutral oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 1/2 tablespoons gochujang

2 tablespoons rice syrup, honey, or corn syrup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

1 green onion, thinly sliced, optional

Instructions

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. In a bowl, season it with the salt, black pepper, ginger, and garlic. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Put the potato starch, flour, and egg into the bowl and toss until the chicken is lightly but thoroughly coated. The coating should look shaggy and uneven rather than thick and batter-like.
Pour the oil into a deep pot or heavy pan and heat it to 175°C.
Fry the chicken in batches for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on size, until pale golden and mostly cooked through. Do not crowd the pan. Transfer to a rack or paper towels.
Raise the oil temperature to 190°C. Fry the chicken again for 2 to 3 minutes until deeply golden and crisp. Transfer back to the rack.
While the chicken rests, make the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 20 to 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
Stir in the ketchup, gochujang, rice syrup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened.
Add the fried chicken to a large bowl. Spoon over enough sauce to coat lightly and toss quickly. You want the chicken lacquered, not drowned.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion if using. Serve hot.

Cultural Context

Yangnyeom chicken is one of the most recognizable styles of Korean fried chicken: crisp fried chicken coated in a glossy red sauce that balances sweetness, heat, and tang. Traditional and widely used versions of the sauce often include gochujang, a syrup or sweetener, vinegar, and, frequently, ketchup, while the chicken is prized for its especially crisp exterior from a starch-based coating and double-frying.

Fun Fact

A lot of Korean fried chicken's cult status comes down to texture. The double-fry method is not kitchen showing off. It is the reason the crust stays crisp enough to survive a trip through sticky sauce without collapsing into sad, wet defeat.

Cook’s Tip

Potato starch gives the lightest, crispiest coating, but corn starch works well too. Korean fried chicken is widely known for its crisp exterior, and many home cooks and recipe writers rely on starch-heavy coatings and double-frying to achieve it. Wings are classic, but boneless thigh pieces are easier for weeknight cooking and stay juicy. Rice syrup is traditional in many sauce versions, though honey or corn syrup works fine in a home kitchen. Sweet-spicy yangnyeom sauces commonly combine gochujang with a sweetener and acidity, and often include ketchup for balance and shine. Sauce only the chicken you plan to serve right away if you want the crust to stay as crisp as possible. Do not skip the second fry. That is where the crunch goes from decent to properly annoying in the best possible way.

Trivia

The "yangnyeom" in yangnyeom chicken refers to seasoned sauce, which is why plain fried Korean chicken and sauced Korean fried chicken are related, but not the same thing. One crunches. The other crunches and picks a fight.

About This Recipe

A fresh serving of global recipes, food stories, quizzes and delicious discoveries.

Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Chicken)

Instructions

Cultural Context

Fun Fact

Cook’s Tip

Trivia

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