Sweet Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Recipe delivers shatteringly crisp bites coated in a sticky gochujang glaze that balances heat, garlic, and caramelized sweetness. It suits spice lovers, party platters, and weeknight cravings, and the whole process takes about 60 to 75 minutes. I fell for these wings at a tiny pub in Queens and have chased that crunch in my home kitchen ever since.
Why You Should Try This Sweet Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Recipe
Sweet Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Recipe rewards you with a crackly crust that stays crisp after saucing, thanks to potato starch and a quick double fry. The glaze hits sweet, spicy, tangy, and garlicky notes that play well with cold drinks and crunchy pickles. You can adjust heat with gochujang and gochugaru, and you can use wings or boneless thigh pieces.
Mega crunchy, sticky, and spicy with a hint of smoke from gochujang, this beat my takeout by a mile ★★★★★
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken wings or boneless skin-on thighs cut into 1.5 inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- Quick marinade
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirim or mirin
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon jarred minced garlic
- Crispy coating
- 3/4 cup potato starch or Korean frying mix; Bob’s Red Mill or Sempio work well
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup ice-cold club soda or water, add more by the tablespoon as needed
- 1 tablespoon vodka or soju, optional for extra light crunch
- Sweet spicy sauce
- 3 tablespoons gochujang; O’Food or Chung Jung One both hit the mark
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons Korean rice syrup ssalyeot or light corn syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru, optional for extra heat
- Oil and garnish
- Neutral frying oil such as canola, peanut, or rice bran
- Toasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallions
Pantry shortcuts and swaps:
- Use jarred minced garlic and ginger to save time.
- Swap tamari for soy sauce to keep it gluten-free.
- Use store-bought yangnyeom chicken sauce if you need a shortcut on the glaze.
Equipment:
- Heavy pot or Dutch oven and a deep-fry thermometer
- Wire rack set over a sheet pan
- Tongs, large bowl, whisk, and a small saucepan
How to Make Sweet Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Recipe
Prep and Marinate 15 Minutes
- Pat the chicken dry. Toss it with salt, white pepper, soy sauce, mirim, ginger, and garlic. Let it stand 10 to 15 minutes while you set up the coating and sauce.
Cook the Sauce 5 Minutes
- Whisk gochujang, ketchup, rice syrup, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and gochugaru in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat until it thickens and turns glossy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep it warm.
Heat the Oil 10 Minutes
- Pour 2 to 3 inches of oil into your pot and clip on a thermometer. Heat to 340 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Coat the Chicken 5 Minutes
- In a bowl, mix potato starch, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Stir in ice-cold club soda and vodka until the batter looks like thin pancake batter that clings to the chicken. Dip each piece to coat, letting extra batter drip off.
Initial Fry 6 to 7 Minutes
- Fry chicken in small batches at 340 to 350 degrees until pale golden and the thickest pieces reach 165 degrees, 6 to 7 minutes. Lift with tongs and set the pieces on a rack to drain. Keep the oil between batches at target temperature.
Rest 5 Minutes
- Let the chicken rest on the rack for at least 5 minutes. This pause helps the crust set and keeps it crunchy.
Final Fry 2 to 3 Minutes
- Raise the oil to 370 to 375 degrees. Fry the chicken again in small batches until deep golden and ultra crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the pieces to the rack.
Toss in Sauce 1 to 2 Minutes
- Warm the sauce if it thickened too much. Toss the hot fried chicken with the sauce in a large bowl until it glazes each piece. Shower with sesame seeds and scallions.
Tips & Tricks
- Use potato starch in the coating for that trademark glassy crunch.
- Keep the batter very cold and the oil properly hot to prevent soggy crust.
- Fry in small batches so the oil temperature stays steady.
- Aim for 340 to 350 degrees on the first fry, then 370 to 375 on the final fry.
- Sauce right before serving to keep the crust crisp.
- Adjust heat by adding or reducing gochujang and gochugaru.
- Swap tamari for soy sauce and use all potato starch to keep it gluten-free.
- Add rice cakes or roasted peanuts for extra texture.
- If the sauce thickens too much, loosen it with a splash of water over low heat.
What to Serve with Sweet Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Recipe
Set out crunchy pickled radish, cucumber kimchi, or a simple sesame cabbage slaw to balance the heat and sweetness. Serve with steamed rice or kimchi fried rice if you want a fuller plate. Pair it with a light lager, soju, or iced barley tea. Keep plenty of napkins nearby, because that glaze loves your fingertips.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Marinate the chicken up to 12 hours in the fridge. For party prep, fry the chicken once until pale golden, cool it on a rack, then refrigerate up to 24 hours or freeze on a sheet pan and bag for 2 months. Reheat by doing the final fry straight from the fridge or freezer at 370 to 375 degrees until hot and crisp. Store leftover sauced chicken in the fridge for 3 days and re-crisp in a 375 degree oven or air fryer for 8 to 10 minutes, then toss with a little warmed sauce. Do not microwave since it softens the crust.
Sweet Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place it in a large bowl and add the kosher salt, white pepper, soy sauce, mirim, ginger, and garlic. Toss to coat well and let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes while you prepare the coating and sauce.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the gochujang, ketchup, rice syrup, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and gochugaru if using.
- Set over low heat and simmer, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly and turns glossy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep warm.
- Pour 2 to 3 inches of neutral oil into a heavy pot or Dutch oven and attach a deep-fry thermometer. Heat the oil to 340°F to 350°F (171°C to 177°C).
- In a clean bowl, whisk together the potato starch, cornstarch, baking powder, and kosher salt. Stir in the ice-cold club soda and vodka (if using) until the batter is the consistency of thin pancake batter that clings lightly to the chicken.
- Dip each piece of marinated chicken into the batter, allowing excess to drip off so you get an even, light coating.
- Working in small batches, carefully add the coated chicken to the hot oil. Fry at 340°F to 350°F until pale golden and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes, or until the thickest pieces reach 165°F (74°C).
- Use tongs to lift the chicken from the oil and place on a wire rack set over a sheet pan to drain. Let the oil return to temperature between batches.
- Let the fried chicken rest on the rack for at least 5 minutes to allow the crust to set and stay crunchy.
- Increase the oil temperature to 370°F to 375°F (188°C to 191°C).
- Fry the chicken again in small batches until deep golden brown and ultra crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the pieces to the rack to drain.
- If the sauce has thickened too much, warm it gently and loosen with a splash of water if needed.
- Transfer the hot double-fried chicken to a large bowl and pour the warm sauce over. Toss until each piece is evenly glazed.
- Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions. Serve right away while hot and crisp.
Notes
Approximate per serving (4 servings, including sauce, without garnishes): 620 calories; fat 32 g; saturated fat 6 g; carbohydrates 47 g; fiber 1 g; sugars 21 g; protein 33 g; sodium 1280 mg. Values will vary based on exact ingredients, oil absorption, and portion size.