"KFC"
korean fried chicken

I was introduced to the phenomena of Korean fried chicken not too long ago, and it really blew my mind, how crispy it was. I decided to write it on the menu this week and it was a surprising hit. We tried recipes off the internet, but they just weren’t cutting it, so we attempted our own. It was pretty good from the get go, but we tweaked the recipe bit by bit each day, trying different flours and ratios until we got one that was very close to one of my favorite joints nearby, 99 Chicken.

Here’s the recipe:

batter

2/3 c   rice flour
1 tbl    cornstarch
1 c      soda water
1 tsp   baking powder

Whisk together in a bowl. Don’t worry about the lumps.


sauce

5 tbl soy sauce
5 tbl gochujang
3 tbl rice vinegar
1 tbl sesame oil
1 tbl honey
2 tbl sugar
2 knobs of ginger
1 head of garlic
1/2 onion, chopped

Sautee onions, garlic, and ginger in a pan on medium high with oil. When onions are translucent, add remaining ingredients. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Pick out ginger and discard. Dump the whole thing in a blender and puree until smooth.

brine

2/3 c sugar
1/4 c salt
1 gal water

I use only dark meat, but use whatever you prefer. Whisk the sugar, salt, and water until it is completely dissolved and then slip the chicken in and let brine for at least a day, and as long as 4 days. Drain and wipe dry before cooking.

Once you have the chicken, sauce, and batter ready to go. Set your fryer at 325 F. Coat the chicken in cornstarch, dust off any excess, then dunk it in the batter, and then into the fryer immediately. Fry for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and let sit for 10 minutes. Return the chicken to the fryer for another 10 minutes.

This is where it gets a little weird. After frying, let the chicken drain on a rack and then blow-dry with a hair-dryer on the cool setting for about a minute. I’m not sure what this does exactly, but I’ve seen them doing it at the authentic Korean joints so I’m going to follow suit. Finally, brush (don’t toss!) the sauce onto the chicken and then garnish with finely crushed peanuts. I like to brush the sauce on, rather than tossing it because I think a light coating works best. Also, tossing it can break the crispy skin, although, if you’ve done it right, the skin should pretty resilient and should retain a fire-cracker crisp even after 15 to 20 minutes of being sauced.