Bite-Size Spicy Korean Fried Chicken (That Actually REMAINS CRUNCHY!)
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Warning: Once you try this Korean fried chicken, you’ll be hooked for life! The double deep-frying process gives it an ultra-crunchy texture, while the sweet and spicy glaze is unlike anything you’ve ever tasted before. This is a MUST-TRY if you haven’t experienced Korean fried chicken yet!
Fried chicken is a popular snack in Korea, the traditional fried chicken, the gochujang-based sauce fried chicken, or the soy sauce fried chicken, you’ll find all those in fast food such as KFC or in many bars to enjoy along with a good beer! My all-time favorite is definitely dakgangjeong (닭강정) particularly the spicy one with gochujang glaze. The crunchy batter coupled with this sweet and spicy sauce makes this chicken particularly ADDICTING. Believe me, you need to try this!
Korean fried chicken is double deep fried for an even more crispy outside. The first fry will cook your chicken to 90%, and the second fry with increased oil temperature will cook it fully and allow the batter to become extra crispy.
The second trick to give the batter extra crunchiness is to make it thick, the batter coating your chicken will as a consequence be thicker and mixed with the fried chicken powder coating, both of them will combine to make this super crunchy outside once deep fried. The ratio of fried chicken powder/water I like using is 1 ½:1.
My favorite place to have this snack is when I go to bars for a drink. It goes well with a nice beer and good company! In Korea, most bars will only serve you drinks if you order some food along. Never drink on an empty stomach 🙂
If you wish, you could also have this dish as dinner with some rice and banchan (side dishes). Especially if you’re planning to cook something quick, you can achieve this spicy Korean fried chicken in just a bit over 30 min. And trust me when I say THIS FRIED CHICKEN IS CRAZY GOOD!
How to prepare some Spicy Korean Fried Chicken?
- Chop the chicken into smaller bite sizes (depending on how big you want them)
- Season the chicken pieces with minced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Combine and mix all the sauce ingredients. You can adjust the spiciness by decreasing the amount of gochujang and gochugaru. The gochugaru makes the sauce spicier but it is not necessary if you prefer a softer spicy taste. On the other hand, gochujang should not be omitted, reduce it to max 1 tbsp.
- In a bowl, mix the Korean fried chicken powder with water.
- Add the chicken bites to the batter and coat the pieces well. Then drop the chicken in a plate/bowl filled with fried chicken powder and coat properly. This will make your fried chicken extra crunchy. (If you have a large container, you can also place 2/3 of the dry chicken mix in it, drop the chicken on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 chicken mix. Close the lid and shake a few times so all chicken is well coated with the chicken powder mix).
- Heat up some cooking oil in a pan, pot or fryer. Fry the chicken at 160°C / 320°F for about 6 min or until ¾ cooked. Do this per batch as all the chicken will not fit in your cooking pot, plus your chicken bites may stick to each other if overcrowding your pot. Remove chicken from frying oil and place it on a rack lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Increase the heat to medium-high heat. Use the double frying method: fry the chicken a second time for 1 min. Increase the heat to 180°C / 360°F. Use the double frying method: fry the chicken a second time for 1 min. Do this per batch also. The chicken should be golden brown. Since everyone has a different stove, and chicken may fry at a different speed according to your stove, cut one piece to check if the chicken is cooked inside. If not, fry it again a little longer.
- In a separate pan, pour the sauce and cook it on medium heat for about 4 min or until the sauce has thickened a little.
- Add the fried chicken to the sauce, and mix well.
- Sprinkle some unsalted crushed peanuts.
HOMEMADE KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN MIX
Can’t find premade Korean fried chicken mix? Here is how to make your own mix with basic ingredients that you can find in any supermarket (or already have at home). Simply mix together:
- 300g / 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 70g / ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ tbsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
- ½ tbsp black pepper powder
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp nutmeg powder
For more details on this recipe, you can check out my Korean Fried Chicken mix post.
In the mood for Asian fried food? Check these!
- Dubu Gangjeong – Korean Sweet and Crunchy Tofu
- Nems – Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls
- Korean Corn Dogs
- Fried Coconut Shrimps
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Spicy Korean Fried Chicken (BITE-SIZE)
Ingredients
- 500 g boneless chicken thighs
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- salt and pepper
- 150 g Korean fried chicken mix | for coating
- 1 bottle of cooking oil
- 20 g unsalted peanuts, crushed (optional)
For the batter:
- 220 g Korean fried chicken mix (Note 1)
- 250 ml cold water
For the sauce:
- 160 g oligo syrup
- 80 g mulyeot | Korean corn syrup
- 70 g ketchup
- 1.5 tbsp gochujang | Korean red pepper paste
- 2 tsp gochugaru | Korean red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- Chop the chicken into bite-size (depending on how big you want them)
- Season the chicken pieces with minced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Combine and mix all the sauce ingredients. You can adjust the spiciness by decreasing the amount of gochugaru. The gochugaru makes the sauce spicier but it is not necessary if you prefer a less spicy taste.
- In a bowl, mix the Korean fried chicken powder with water.
- Add the chicken bites to the batter and coat the pieces well. Then drop the chicken in a plate/bowl filled with fried chicken powder and coat properly. This will make your fried chicken extra crunchy. (If you have a large container, you can also place 2/3 of the dry chicken mix in it, drop the chicken on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 chicken mix. Close the lid and shake a few times so all chicken is well coated with the chicken powder mix)
- Heat up some cooking oil in a pan, pot or fryer. Fry the chicken at 160°C / 320°F for about 6 min or until ¾ cooked. Do this per batch as all the chicken will not fit in your cooking pot, plus your chicken bites may stick to each other if overcrowding your pot. Remove chicken from frying oil and place it on a rack lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Increase the heat to 180°C / 360°F. Use the double frying method: fry the chicken a second time for 1 min. Do this per batch also. The chicken should be golden brown. Since everyone has a different stove, and chicken may fry at a different speed according to your stove, cut one piece to check if the chicken is cooked inside. If not, fry it again a little longer.
- In a separate pan, pour the sauce and cook it on medium heat for about 3-4 min or until the sauce has thickened a little.
- Add the fried chicken to the sauce, and mix well.
- Sprinkle some crushed unsalted peanuts.
Notes
- 300g / 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 70g / ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ tbsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
- ½ tbsp black pepper powder
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp nutmeg powder
This was delicious! I substituted syrups with corn syrup and it worked fine. This reminded me of the chicken I had in Korea. Easy to follow instructions. Thanks!
Thanks a lot Miwa! I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe! ☺️
Could I sub tofu for chicken ?
Hi Eli, you definitely can. But I would fry the first time for 2-3 minutes instead of 6 minutes since tofu doesn’t need to be cooked while chicken does. You can also use my tofu recipe here: https://www.thatcutedish.com/korean-sweet-and-crunchy-tofu/