Korean fried chicken
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- + resting
- Easy
- Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 30g cornflour
- 2½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp crushed black pepper
- 8 - 12 chicken pieces (mixture of bone-in and skin-on thighs, drumsticks and wings)
- for frying oil
BATTER
- 70g cornflour
- 35g fine matzo meal
- 35g plain flour
- (gochugaru) 2 tbsp regular or Korean chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 2½ tsp garlic granules
- 2½ tsp (optional) onion granules
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 70ml vodka
- (gochujang) 2 tbsp Korean chilli paste
KOREAN BBQ SAUCE
- (gochujang) 3 tbsp Korean chilli paste
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 2 heaped tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- grated to make 2 tsp ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Method
- STEP 1
Whisk the cornflour, salt, baking powder and pepper. Add the chicken and toss well until evenly coated. Transfer the chicken to a rack, shaking it well to get rid of any excess coating. Let it rest uncovered for one hour.
- STEP 2
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Pour enough oil into a large heavy-based pan to reach a depth of 5cm.
- STEP 3
Make the batter by whisking the dry ingredients together. In a smaller bowl, whisk the vodka and chilli paste with 250ml water. Just before frying, whisk the wet mixture into the dry mixture – the consistency should be quite thin and runny.
- STEP 4
Heat the oil over a medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer reads 175C or a cube of bread browns in 4 seconds.
- STEP 5
Working in batches, and starting with the thighs and drumsticks, dip each piece of chicken into the batter, letting any excess batter drip off. Then, using kitchen tongs, suspend the chicken in the oil for a couple of seconds for it to set before letting it submerge completely into the oil (otherwise the chicken will fall and stick to the bottom of the pot). Fry the chicken until golden brown and cooked through – 20 minutes for the larger pieces and 10 minutes for the smaller wings. Transfer to a wire rack to drain when done, then to the oven to keep warm while you repeat the frying process.
- STEP 6
To make the BBQ sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over a medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Loosen the BBQ sauce with a little water if you want to drizzle the sauce or glaze the chicken. Serve the chicken with the BBQ sauce, pickled radish and beer.
