Korean Fried Chicken Recipe in 7 Steps

Published: 21 Apr 2026

If you have never bitten into a piece of Korean fried chicken, you are missing one of the greatest eating experiences in the world. The crunch hits first — loud, sharp, and satisfying. Then comes the sauce. Sweet, spicy, sticky, and bold. It coats every single piece and sinks right into that shatteringly crisp crust. This is not your average fried chicken. This is something else entirely.

Here is a short video explaining the process, scroll down for detailed ingredients and step by step recipe method. Thanks for coming and do not forget to follow Food Paradise on Pinterest.

Ingredients You Will Need

Good ingredients make a real difference here. None of these are hard to find — most are available at your regular supermarket, and any Asian grocery store will have everything else you need.

For the Chicken

  • 1.4 kg (3 lbs) chicken — wings, drumsticks, or boneless thighs all work well
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Batter

  • ½ cup (60g) cornstarch
  • ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • ½ cup (120ml) cold water or cold club soda

For the Yangnyeom Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey or rice syrup
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine — adds depth and a gentle sweetness)
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar

For Frying

  • 1 litre (4 cups) neutral oil — canola, sunflower, or avocado oil all work perfectly

Optional Garnishes and Sides

  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Sliced spring onions
  • Pickled radish — the classic Korean side that cuts through the richness of the chicken
  • Kimchi

Step-by-Step Korean Fried Chicken Recipe

This is the heart of everything. Read through all the steps once before you start cooking — it will help you understand how everything connects and make the process feel smooth. Each step builds on the last, so do not skip anything.

Step 1 — Marinate the Chicken

Start by patting your chicken completely dry with paper towels. This is more important than it sounds. Any surface moisture on the chicken will interfere with the batter sticking properly, and it will also cause the oil to splatter when you fry. Dry chicken is the starting point for crispy chicken — always.

Place the dried chicken pieces into a large bowl. Add the rice wine, grated ginger, salt, and black pepper. Use your hands or a spoon to toss everything together until every piece is well coated. Cover the bowl with cling film and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour. If you have time, leave it overnight. The longer the chicken sits in the marinade, the deeper the flavour goes — all the way into the meat, not just the surface. This step is what separates good Korean fried chicken from great Korean fried chicken, so do not rush it.

Step 2 — Make the Yangnyeom Sauce

While your chicken is marinating — or just before you start frying — it is the perfect time to make the sauce. This sauce comes together quickly, and making it fresh means it will be warm and ready to coat the chicken the moment it comes out of the oil.

Add all the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan — the gochujang, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, mirin, minced garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and brown sugar. Place the pan over medium-low heat. Stir everything together gently and let it come to a low simmer. Keep stirring so the garlic does not catch on the bottom. After about 4 to 5 minutes, the sugar will dissolve, the garlic will soften, and the sauce will thicken slightly and turn glossy. Remove it from the heat and set it aside. It will stay warm while you fry the chicken. If it cools down too much before you need it, just warm it gently over low heat for a minute before using.

Step 3 — Prepare the Batter

Take the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, all-purpose flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and white pepper until they are evenly combined. Now add the cold water or cold club soda gradually, stirring as you go, until you have a smooth, light batter. The consistency should be thin — it needs to coat the chicken in a light layer and drip off the excess. If your batter is too thick, it will fry into a heavy, doughy crust. Add a splash more cold water if needed.

The temperature of your liquid matters here. Cold water creates steam when it hits the hot oil, and that steam is what makes the crust light and airy rather than dense and greasy. This is a simple step, but it makes a big difference to the final texture. Do not use room temperature water, and never use warm water.

Step 4 — Set Up Your Frying Station

Before you start frying, get everything in place. Pour the oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot. You want the oil deep enough to fully submerge the chicken pieces — at least 8 to 10 cm of oil. Heat it over medium-high heat until it reaches 175°C (347°F). If you have a kitchen thermometer, use it. If you do not, drop a tiny bit of batter into the oil — if it sizzles and floats to the surface immediately, the oil is ready.

Set a wire rack over a baking tray next to the stove. This is where your chicken will rest after frying. Do not use a plate lined with paper towels for this step — paper towels trap steam underneath the chicken and make the crust soft. A wire rack lets air circulate all around each piece, keeping the crust crisp while the inside finishes cooking.

Step 5 — First Fry

Dip each piece of chicken into the batter, letting the excess drip off before lowering it into the oil. Carefully place the chicken into the hot oil, one piece at a time. Work in small batches — three or four pieces at a time depending on the size of your pot. Do not be tempted to add more pieces to speed things up. Overcrowding the pot drops the oil temperature, and lower oil temperature means the chicken absorbs oil instead of frying properly. The result is soggy, greasy chicken rather than crispy chicken.

Fry each batch for 3 to 5 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally with tongs so they colour evenly on all sides. The chicken should turn a light golden colour — not deep brown at this stage. Remove the pieces with tongs and place them on the wire rack. Continue frying the remaining batches, letting the oil return to temperature between each batch before adding the next. Once all the chicken has been through the first fry, let it rest on the rack for 5 full minutes. This rest period is important — it allows the inside to finish cooking gently before the second fry starts.

Step 6 — Second Fry (The Real Secret)

This is the step that makes Korean fried chicken what it is. The second fry is not optional — it is the whole secret behind that legendary crunch. The first fry cooks the chicken through. The second fry, at a slightly higher temperature, removes the remaining moisture from the crust and transforms it into something truly spectacular.

Raise your oil temperature to about 190°C (375°F). Once it is hot, add the rested chicken back into the oil in batches, the same way you did before. Fry for another 2 to 3 minutes. You will notice the sizzling becomes more intense at first, then quiets down as the moisture evaporates from the crust. Watch the colour — you are looking for a deep, rich golden brown. The crust should look visibly crispier and feel harder when you tap it with your tongs. Remove each piece and return it to the wire rack. Let the oil come back to temperature before frying the next batch.

Step 7 — Rest, Sauce, and Serve

Once all your chicken has been through the second fry, let it rest on the rack for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not skip this short rest — coating the chicken with sauce the second it comes out of the oil creates steam, which softens the crust you have worked so hard to build. A quick rest of just a couple of minutes makes a real difference.

Transfer the rested chicken into a large mixing bowl. Pour the warm Yangnyeom sauce over the top and toss gently using tongs or a silicone spatula until every piece is evenly coated. The sauce will cling to the crispy crust and sink into every crevice. Arrange the chicken on a serving plate, scatter toasted sesame seeds over the top, and add sliced spring onions for a fresh finish. Serve immediately alongside pickled radish and your choice of sides. This is best eaten hot, right away — so have everyone at the table ready to go before you start the final toss.

Variations to Try

Once you have the base recipe mastered, it is worth trying some of the other popular styles. Korean fried chicken is incredibly versatile, and each variation brings something exciting and different to the table.

Soy Garlic Korean Fried Chicken

This is the other most popular style alongside Yangnyeom. Skip the gochujang entirely and make a sauce using soy sauce, minced garlic, honey, a little butter, and a splash of mirin. The result is deeply savoury, rich, and slightly sweet with none of the heat. It is the perfect option if you are cooking for children or anyone who prefers milder flavours. The double-fried chicken recipe stays exactly the same — only the sauce changes.

Honey Butter Korean Fried Chicken

This one became a sensation in South Korea a few years ago and quickly spread everywhere. After the second fry, toss the chicken in a honey butter glaze with a pinch of sea salt and a dusting of fine sugar. It is indulgent, buttery, sweet, and just a little salty. Every bite is pure comfort. This variation works especially well with boneless chicken thigh pieces rather than wings or drumsticks.

Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich

Take a boneless thigh that has been through both fries and nestle it into a soft bun or a pillowy bao bun. Add a scoop of kimchi slaw — shredded cabbage tossed with kimchi, a little mayo, and rice vinegar — and drizzle the Yangnyeom sauce over the chicken before closing the bun. It is one of the best sandwiches you will ever eat, and it is a brilliant way to use leftovers the next day.

Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken

If you prefer to use less oil, the air fryer delivers a very good result. After battering the chicken, spray each piece generously with oil and arrange them in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook at 200°C (390°F) for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. The crust will not be quite as dramatic as the deep-fried version, but it is still satisfyingly crispy. Toss in the warm Yangnyeom sauce before serving exactly as you would the original.

Gluten-Free Korean Fried Chicken

Replace the all-purpose flour in the batter with an equal amount of cornstarch or potato starch. Both work beautifully and produce a light, crispy crust that is completely gluten-free. Every other part of the recipe stays the same. Just double-check your gochujang and soy sauce labels — some brands contain wheat, so look for versions that are certified gluten-free.

Mistakes to Avoid When Making Korean Fried Chicken

Most problems with Korean fried chicken come down to a handful of avoidable mistakes. I have made most of these myself at some point, so learn from the experience rather than repeating it.

Skipping the Marinade

This is the most common mistake, and it shows immediately in the final dish. Without marinating the chicken first, the meat tastes bland no matter how good your sauce is. The marinade seasons the chicken all the way through and helps it stay juicy during frying. Even one hour makes a significant difference. Overnight is better. Never skip this step — it takes almost no effort and pays back every minute.

Using Warm Batter Liquid

Warm or room temperature water in the batter makes the crust dense and heavy. Cold liquid — cold water or cold club soda — creates the steam during frying that makes the crust light and airy. Some cooks even chill their mixing bowl before making the batter. The colder the better.

Overcrowding the Pan

This single mistake ruins more batches of fried chicken than anything else. When you add too many pieces at once, the oil temperature drops sharply. Instead of frying the chicken quickly and crisply, the oil soaks into the batter and the chicken turns out soft and greasy. Always fry in small batches and allow the oil to come back to the correct temperature between each batch. It takes a little longer, but the result is worth every extra minute.

Skipping the Second Fry

The second fry is not a bonus step — it is the core technique that makes Korean fried chicken what it is. One fry produces decent chicken. Two fries produce the kind of crunch that makes people stop talking mid-conversation to focus on what they are eating. Never skip it, even when you are in a hurry.

Using the Wrong Oil

Oil with a low smoke point will break down at frying temperatures and add an unpleasant flavour to the chicken. Always use a neutral oil with a high smoke point — canola, sunflower, avocado, or peanut oil are all excellent choices. Avoid olive oil entirely for deep frying.

Saucing the Chicken Too Early

The moment your fried chicken comes out of the oil, it is releasing steam. If you add the sauce immediately, that steam softens the crust you have spent time building. Give it 1 to 2 minutes on the wire rack first. It might not seem like much, but it keeps the crust significantly crispier once the sauce goes on.

Not Monitoring Oil Temperature

Oil that is too cool makes the chicken absorb fat and turn out greasy. Oil that is too hot burns the outside while the inside stays raw. Use a kitchen thermometer to keep the oil between 160°C and 190°C (320°F to 375°F) throughout the frying process. If you do not own a thermometer, pick one up — it is one of the most useful tools you can have in your kitchen.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

If you have leftovers — which is rare because this chicken disappears fast — store them properly to keep the quality as good as possible. The most important rule is to store the chicken and the sauce separately. If you coat the chicken before storing it, the sauce softens the crust overnight and you lose all that wonderful texture. Keep the fried chicken in a paper towel-lined airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. The paper towel absorbs any excess moisture and keeps the crust from going soggy. Store the sauce in a separate small container.

To reheat, use your oven or air fryer. Preheat to 190°C (375°F), place the chicken on a wire rack, and heat for 8 to 10 minutes until hot and crispy again. Once it is hot, warm your sauce briefly over low heat and toss the chicken just before serving. Never reheat Korean fried chicken in the microwave — it makes the crust soft and ruins the texture completely. If you want to freeze it, do so before adding the sauce. Freeze the chicken in a single layer on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. It keeps well for up to 3 months.

What to Serve with Korean Fried Chicken

Korean fried chicken is a full experience, and the right sides make it even better. Pickled radish is the most traditional accompaniment — mild, cool, crunchy, and refreshing. It cuts right through the richness of the fried chicken and cleanses the palate between bites. You can buy it ready-made at Asian grocery stores, or make a quick version at home by slicing radish into cubes and soaking in a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and water for 30 minutes.

Kimchi is another classic pairing. Its tangy, spicy, fermented flavour contrasts beautifully with the sweet glaze on the chicken. Steamed white rice is simple and satisfying alongside it. For something a little different, serve it with cold noodles tossed in sesame oil and a little soy sauce. The most iconic pairing of all, of course, is cold beer — or ginger beer if you prefer something non-alcoholic. It is a combination that Koreans have been enjoying for decades, and once you try it, you will understand exactly why.

For more delicious side dish ideas and recipes that pair perfectly with meals like this, visit our homepage — there is plenty there to keep you inspired in the kitchen.

Conclusion

Korean fried chicken is one of those dishes that feels like a genuine treat every single time you make it. It takes a little more effort than a basic weeknight meal, but none of the steps are difficult — and the payoff is extraordinary. That crunch, that sauce, that bold and addictive flavour — it is the kind of food that makes people smile the moment they take the first bite.

The two things to hold onto from everything you have read today are these: trust the double fry, and do not rush the marinade. Get those two things right and everything else falls into place naturally. The first time you make this, you will already be thinking about when you are going to make it again.

Give it a go this weekend. Share it with people you care about. And when you are looking for your next recipe to try, come back to the homepage — there are plenty more dishes waiting for you there, each one worth making.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Korean fried chicken different from regular fried chicken?

Korean fried chicken uses a thinner, lighter batter and is fried twice instead of once. This double-frying technique creates a crust that is far crispier and more delicate than standard fried chicken. The gochujang-based sauce adds a bold, sweet, and spicy flavour that you simply do not find in Western-style fried chicken. The overall result is lighter, crunchier, and more complex in flavour.

What is gochujang and where can I find it?

Gochujang is a traditional Korean fermented red chili paste. It is thick, deeply savoury, mildly sweet, and carries a heat that builds gradually. It is available at any Asian grocery store and increasingly in the international aisle of larger supermarkets. Look for the paste in a tub rather than the bottled sauce version — the paste has a stronger, more concentrated flavour and works better in this recipe.

Can I make this without deep frying?

Yes. An air fryer works well as an alternative. Coat the chicken in batter, spray generously with oil, and cook at 200°C (390°F) for 20 to 25 minutes, turning halfway through. The crust will be slightly less dramatic than the deep-fried version, but it is still very crispy and delicious. Toss in the same sauce before serving.

Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs or wings?

You can, but boneless chicken thighs are the best choice for this recipe. They stay moist and juicy inside while the outside crisps up beautifully. Chicken breast cooks faster and can dry out if left in the oil even slightly too long. If you do use breast, cut it into smaller pieces and watch the frying time carefully.

How do I make this less spicy for children or sensitive palates?

Use less gochujang — start with one tablespoon instead of three — and add an extra spoonful of honey or ketchup to balance the heat. Many Asian grocery stores also carry mild gochujang, which is clearly labelled on the packaging. The sauce will still be deeply flavourful without the heat.

Why does my Korean fried chicken lose its crunch after adding the sauce?

This usually happens for one of two reasons. Either the sauce was added too soon after frying, before the steam had a chance to release from the crust, or the chicken was not drained properly on a wire rack after frying. Always rest the chicken on a wire rack for 1 to 2 minutes after the second fry before tossing in the sauce. Never rest it on paper towels — they trap steam underneath.

Can I prepare any part of this recipe ahead of time?

Absolutely. The sauce can be made up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge — just warm it gently before using. The chicken can be marinated overnight, which actually improves the flavour. You can also do the first fry ahead of time, then do the second fry just before serving for fresh, hot, crispy chicken without doing everything at the last minute.

Sophia Pervaiz Avatar
Sophia Pervaiz

Passionate about creating delicious, approachable recipes and sharing insights on our furry companions, Sophia Pervaiz blends their love for food and cats into every post. When not experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, they enjoy spending time with their cats, learning more about feline health, and creating content that caters to both food lovers and pet enthusiasts. With a knack for making everything feel personal and relatable, Sophia Pervaiz brings a warm, friendly voice to both the culinary and animal worlds. Whether you're here for a tasty new dish or some helpful cat tips, there's always something for everyone!

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