Korean Fried Chicken

Korean Fried Chicken - made November 7, 2019, modified from Nicky's Kitchen Sanctuary

When I lived in the Bay Area, I loved going to Bon Chon Chicken for their KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). There was something about the light crispy coating on the outside and the soy-garlic flavor that was addicting.

There's no Bon Chon in Reno but I decided to take my own stab at Korean Fried Chicken. Granted, this is nothing like Bon Chon but actual "real" Korean Fried Chicken with gochujang sauce which is a spicy chili paste. I know, me, spicy? Not normally. But I really wanted to try making KFC so what the heck. YOLO. Of course, finding Gochujang in Reno turned out to be both easy and difficult. Difficult because I thought I'd try the Asian grocery store first. But for the life of me, I couldn't find it there. It's almost inconceivable to me that they wouldn't carry it but seriously, I couldn't find it anywhere. Ironically, I ended up finding gochujang in the Asian aisle at Smiths grocery store. Go figure.

I really liked how this recipe turned out. Yes, it was a little spicy but not overly so. But what made this the best chicken recipe I've made was the light crispy coating on the chicken. I don't make deep fried food that often because I would eat it - hello, deep fried goodness - plus it's messy AF. But the coating on this was amazing and worth every calorie. It isn't greasy and heavy; it's light and crispy.

The sauce was pretty good too. I skipped garnishing with the red pepper flakes as it was spicy enough for me. I'd make this again in a heartbeat.

Chicken and marinade
4 chicken breasts, sliced into long, thick strips
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Crispy Coating
1 1/2 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
at least 4 cups vegetable oi for deep frying

Sauce
2 tablespoons guchujang paste (I could only find sauce)
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
The tops of 3 green onions, sliced into thin strips
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to a low heat to keep cooked chicken warm. Heat a large pan of vegetable oil or preheat a deep fryer until hot.
3. Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl. Remove chicken from refrigerator. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture, covering fully. Place on a tray and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
4. Once oil is hot enough, fry chicken in a single layer until golden brown on both sides. Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest of the chicken.
5. Make the sauce: in a saucepan, mix together the gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and sesame oil. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
6. Pour over the crispy chicken and toss together. Top with green onions, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes as desired.