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The only KFC you should be eating

I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t love fried chicken… besides my mom. She claims to have a chicken allergy that makes her nauseous from it – even the smell. Such a sad story for such a great cook. And because of that, I never really ate chicken growing up (besides the sad little chicken tenders in the school cafeteria).

As an adult, I feel like I appreciate chicken so much more than the average person because of my lack of chicken experience. I enjoyed my occasional Popeyes and KFC runs until boom – Korean Fried Chicken became all the craze. Bonchon, BBQ Chicken, Choongman, ChiMc, literally every Korean fried chicken chain boomed across the country. And it makes sense – fried chicken tastes great with an ice cold beer, an American staple.

My aunt makes killer Korean fried chicken wings (seriously better than any fried chicken shop) and this is my attempt at her recipe. The sweet soy garlic sauce paired a bit of spice and that extra crispy crunch will have you lickin’ your fingies.

Some tips from the kitchen:

Many KFC recipes call for potato or cornstarch. It’s the secret to the extra crunch.
The double-frying process creates a crispier, crunchier exterior. Optional, but highly recommended.
If you don’t want wings/drumsticks, this recipe works for any cut of chicken! Try it with tenders, chicken thighs, chicken breast, etc.
I’ve seen some recipes add a couple tablespoons of panko breadcrumbs to their potato/cornstarch – which will make your chicken even crispier. For a gluten-free option, omit the flour entirely and use potato starch or cornstarch only.
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point for frying. I am using canola oil, but peanut oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, etc. are good substitutes.

Ingredients

2-2.5 lbs. Chicken Wings/Drums
3 tbsp. Rice Wine (Soju, mirin, etc.)
1 tsp. Ginger, grated
2 tsp. Garlic, grated
1 Egg

1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Potato or Corn starch
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Neutral oil, for frying

Soy Garlic Sauce

2 tbsp. Butter

1/4 cup Soy Sauce
4-5 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 tbsp. Honey
1 tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp. Sesame Oil
1-2 Red/Green Peppers, sliced

Toasted Sesame Seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Marinate chicken with rice wine, grated ginger, grated garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Dredge marinated chicken in egg, flour, cornstarch.

3. Heat neutral oil to 350 degrees F. Fry chicken for 7-8 minutes. Drain on a wire rack or paper towel lined tray. Rest for 10 minutes.

4. To make the glaze, melt butter into a pan. Add in the rest of the glaze ingredients and simmer until nappé (coats the back of a spoon).

5. Heat the oil up to 375 degrees F. Fry your chicken again for about 2-3 minutes or until fully cooked through. Rest again on a rack.

6. Toss the fried chicken in the soy garlic glaze, garnish with toasted sesame seeds, and enjoy immediately.

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