These extra crispy spicy Korean fried chicken wings will put any other wings to shame- holding perfect crunch even with a coating of hot & tangy sauce.
I’m not here to hate on buffalo wings. They’re a classic. They’re delicious. But to be honest, they have disappointed me in the past. You know the ones – where the sauce doesn’t have enough oomph. Or the wings weren’t quite fried enough and so aren’t that crispy. It’s one of my biggest irritations – if you’re going to make the ass-fattening commitment to fried foods, it better be CRUNCHY AF.
Me and (to a lesser extent) my ass are therefore proud to introduce you to Korean Fried Chicken. Where the wings fantastically crispy due to both the cornstarch batter AND a double fry. Yup, two dips in the hot oil is a secret to crispy goodness. More than this, though, these wings even stay crispy when coated in a gloriously tangy sauce! Sorcery!
The thing that makes this Korean chicken, aside from the technique, is the gochujang sauce. It’s a funky, fermented and slightly sweet condiment that also packs an impressive heat punch. I used a gochujang sauce which was the consistency of thick ketchup. If you end up using a firmer gochujang paste, you may need to thin it out using a little water.
I also used my newest seasoning, Hardcore Carnivore® Amplify, in the batter mix. Amplify is an all-natural flavor booster that is made with chicken fat powder, so it lends an extra umami hit to the batter and also seasons it. It’s certainly not mandatory to use it, but it’s definitely recommended. You can check it out here.
The biggest trick to successful deep frying is oil temperature. Too low, and you’ll end up with a soggy mess. To avoid that, I recommend using a thermometer for precise temp monitoring. I actually use a super handy infrared gun that measures the temperature, so I don’t have to put my hand close to the oil while measuring, or make any of my thermometers oily.
Serve these delicious wings hot with a cold beer on the side.
Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Wings
Ingredients
2lb chicken wing segments
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1.5 cups water
1 tablespoon Hardcore Carnivore Amplify (optional)
Vegetable oil for frying
2/3 cup gochujang sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Instructions
- Pour oil into deep fryer or heavy based large pot and heat to 375f. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with paper towel, then placing a wire rack on top.
- In a bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, water and Amplify. Whisk to mix well.
- Using tongs, place a wing in the batter then remove, allowing excess batter to drip off, and place into the hot oil. Repeat with half of the wings. If your fryer or pot is small you may need to do this in three batches. Cook for 7 minutes then remove wings to rack to cool. Repeat with remaining wings, making sure oil has returned to temperature between batches.
- Allow oil to heat once more to 375 and fry wings (in batches) a second time for 5 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Remove to rack again and let stand at least 2-3 minutes.
- While the wings are cooling, combine gochujang, soy and vinegar in a large bowl. Whisk to incorporate into a sauce. Dump the wings into the bowl and toss to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately.
