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Korean Fried Chicken is made of flavorful fried chicken that is super crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The chicken is seasoned in a soy marinade and a hint of curry then battered and fried in oil.
In the 1940's during the Korean war, the idea of fried chicken was brought to South Korea from the United States by African-American troops.
This Korean dish is popularly served at many Korean restaurants and best enjoyed with pickled daikon radish with a cold beer.
There are many variations of Korean fried chicken like "Yangnyeom-chikin", which is fried chicken coated in a spicy gochujang sauce. Another type of Korean fried chicken is "Ganjang chicken", which is a soy garlic chicken.
But today I'm sharing the original kind without any sauces and it's my favorite because it's super crispy and flavorful on its own!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Chicken drumsticks: or substitute with bone-in skin on chicken thighs or chicken wings but please refer to recipe card for instructions.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or heavy scented oils.
Chicken marinade
- Rice Vinegar, Dry Sherry or White Wine: or substitute with apple cider vinegar
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
- Garlic
- Black Pepper & Salt
Wet batter
- Tapioca flour: or substitute with potato starch or cornstarch. Avoid using all purpose flour or it won't be crispy.
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Curry powder: Use Japanese curry powder or Indian curry powder for a stronger curry flavor.
- Salt & Black Pepper
- Baking powder: don't skip as it makes the chicken extra crispy.
- Cold water: this makes the coating light and flaky!
Note: Your grocery store or Asian market should carry most of these ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Marinate the chicken for longer if possible for best flavors!
- Opt for bone-in, skin-on chicken for a juicier cut!
- Batter will be runny and will solidify – that’s totally normal! Just mix it again when you batter the chicken.
- Fry chicken in small batches to maintain oil temperature.
- The batter may slightly run off the chicken in some areas, but don't worry that's normal.
- Rest chicken on a wire rack or paper towel lined baking tray to soak up excess oil which can cause chicken to go soggy.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Korean fried chicken:
First in a large bowl or Ziplock bag, combine Marinade ingredients as listed. Add chicken to marinade and mix well. Cover the bowl or seal the bag. Let this sit for 10 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
Then in another large bowl, combine Wet batter ingredients as listed until you have a thick but runny batter. The batter will settle and almost "solidify" but that is normal. You will just need to mix it again when you're ready to batter the chicken.
Next add marinated chicken to the batter and mix. You'll need some arm strength here to evenly coat the chicken.
Then in a heavy bottomed pan, heat cooking oil on medium heat or 350 degrees F with a digital cooking thermometer. Fry coated chicken in small batches. Fry for 20 minutes, flipping halfway and turning occasionally until golden crispy brown and juices run clear. The internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165 F with a digital cooking thermometer.
Lastly, transfer fried chicken to a wire rack or a paper-towel lined baking sheet to remove excess oil. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, bake in the oven or air fry at 350 degrees F for 5-7 minutes until hot throughout. Or microwave for 2-3 minutes.
- Freezer friendly? Korean fried chicken can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 3 months. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave, oven or air fryer at 350 F until hot through out.
Pairing Suggestions
Korean fried chicken can be served with:
- Spicy Tteokbokki or Instant Noodles
- pickled daikon radish, kimchi, coleslaw, or Korean Cucumber salad
- onion rings, french fries, fried dumplings, deep fried cheese sticks
- Korean scallion pancake, kimchi pancake, or braised potatoes
FAQ
Korean fried chicken can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, bake in the oven or air fryer at 350 degrees F or deep frying again in oil until hot throughout.
Yes, you can air fry the chicken and I share a dedicated recipe post for this version, click here.
Other recipes you may like
📖 Recipe
Easy Crispy Korean Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 4 cups vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Chicken Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry or sub with white wine or rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoon regular soy sauce or sub with a gluten-free soy sauce, tamari sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
Batter (for 8 drumsticks):
- 1.25 cups tapioca starch aka tapioca flour or sub with potato starch or cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp water cold
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine marinade ingredients as listed. Marinate your chicken for 10 minutes or overnight for best results.
- In another large mixing bowl, combine batter ingredients until you have a thick but runny batter. The batter will settle and almost "solidify" but that is normal. You will just need to mix it again when you're ready to batter the chicken.
- Add marinated chicken it to your batter and mix. You'll need some arm strength here to evenly coat the chicken.
- In a large wok, deep pan or heavy bottomed pot, heat oil or neutral oil in a pot over medium heat (around 350 degrees F). Place a wooden chopstick in the oil to check if the oil is hot enough by looking for bubbles. Once you see bubbles form at the tip of the chopstick, your oil is hot enough.
- In small batches, carefully lower battered chicken into hot oil away from you. The batter will run off the chicken a bit but that's normal. Do not overcrowd the pan (about 4 pieces per batch).
- Fry drumsticks for 10 minutes on each side for a total of 20 minutes. Flipping around every now and then until golden crispy brown. The internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165 degrees F with an digital cooking thermometer.
- Transfer fried chicken to a wire rack or a paper-towel lined baking sheet to remove excess oil. Enjoy!
Lisa
I absolutely LOVE Korean cooking. I think that people in the US know so very little about Korean recipes. If they did more people would try it and love it! While I have not yet tried this recipe it is definitely on my list for next week! So looking forward to trying it! Thank You for posting! 🙂
christieathome
Thanks Lisa, I hope you enjoy my recipes!
Sandra
Great instructions and great recipe. My wings came out superbly.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe! I am really happy to hear that they turned out superbly!
Katy
Yum! We made this tonight, never had Korean fried chicken before. This was delicious!
christieathome
So happy you enjoyed it Katy! I appreciate you making my recipe and for sharing these kind words 🙂
Kim
Hi just wanted to clarify before I try this recipe. In the beginning of the post you mentioned “tapioca flour” but in the recipe it says to you “tapioca starch” which one is correct? I can’t wait to try this.
christieathome
Hi Kim, tapioca starch and tapioca flour are essentially the same thing depending on the manufacturer. Thanks!
Sheryll
I don’t usually comment on recipes, but this chicken recipe is like chicken on crack! It’s so crispy and delicious. The curry powder definitely elevates the flavor. Your recipe for the batter goes a long way. I was able to coat about 4 dozen chicken wings with some to spare. Thanks for sharing this - it’s a big hit with my family and I’ll definitely be making it again many times!
christieathome
Thank you Sheryll for the kind review! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and happy the batter went event further! I hope you continue to like it as much as the first time 🙂
ain
hai.. is there any non alcoholic substitute for sherry or white wine??
christieathome
Please use rice vinegar.
Carol
My daughter and I are making this, but with chicken breasts cut into strips. I wonder if the cooking time is different?
christieathome
Hi Carol, yes the cooking time would be reduced since there is no bone. I would suggest cooking for 5-6 minutes and then checking the middle of one piece to see if it's cooked through and if not, cook it for another few more minutes until it is. Good luck!
Pam
Could these be cooked in the air fryer? If so, how would you adjust?
christieathome
Hi Pam, unfortunately not since it's a wet batter, it will slide off into the air fryer. I will be developing an air fryer recipe for these in the near future so stay tuned. - Christie
Olivia
Yum, this fried chicken recipe came out so well!! I was looking for a good Asian-style fried chicken recipe, but a lot of the results I found called for potato starch and I only had tapioca starch on hand, which is how I found this one. I'm glad I did! I love the addition of curry powder into the batter - the resulting chicken doesnt taste strongly of curry, but the crispy shell is super nicely seasoned and crispy. I actually made double the amount of drumsticks and still had plenty of batter left over, so keep that in mind if you plan to scale up this recipe!
christieathome
So glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for making my recipe! I love using potato starch for that crispy texture!
Corgionfleek
This is on fleek
Jonathan
Tried this recipe and it's like being back in Korea eating BBQ Chicken with a beer.
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
Your fried chicken looks so CRISPY!! I love the addition of curry to the batter and I bet it's so flavorful! Perfect with a cold beer!
Katerina | Once a Foodie
Gosh this fried chicken looks absolutely amazing, Christie! I can just imagine the crunch! And pairing it with some beer sounds like a fab idea - I loved the tidbits about the Korean names for the meal - so interesting! Hope you've been well x
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Your fried chicken batter is absolutely wonderful... talk about the perfect base to a totally tempting fried chicken dinner. Yum!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
We love fried chicken and I love this Korean spin! It sounds so flavorful!
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
I love Korean fried chicken! This looks so crispy and delicious!