Easy Crispy Korean Fried Chicken

Juicy fried battered chicken with a golden brown crispy coating. This easy Korean fried chicken recipe is made with simple ingredients, saves you money and beats takeout! (Gluten-free adaptable).

4.95 from 19 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Korean

Servings

Calories per serving 515 kcal

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!

Notes

Can I use chicken wings or thighs for this recipe?

Yes! Please find deep frying instructions for each cut below:

Chicken wings: Heat oil to 375 degrees F and fry chicken wings for 8-10 minutes flipping over halfway. Cook until juices run clear or until an internal temperature of 165 F.

Chicken thighs with bone in skin on: Heat oil to 350 F and fry thighs for 14-15 minutes flipping over halfway. Cook until juices run clear or until an internal temperature of 165 F.

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