korean fried chicken (yangnyeom chicken)

this korean fried chicken is crispy, juicy and packing some serious flavour! golden-fried to perfection and coated in a spicy sweet and tangy yangnyeom sauce, this crispy chicken is about to become your new favourite snack.

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if you’re craving a snack that’s crispy, juicy and loaded with flavour, try out this easy yangnyeom chicken. i wanted to make this yangnyeom chicken recipe as authentic as possible so i decided to do a little research and took some inspiration from this recipe by korean bapsang – the result is deliciously crispy korean fried chicken coated in a sticky yangnyeom sauce that strikes the perfect balance between spicy, sweet and tangy.

why you will love this yangnyeom chicken recipe

• easy recipe – i wanted to make sure that this korean fried chicken recipe used ingredients that are readily available – ingredients that you most likely already have at home! the one thing that you might have to go out and buy for this recipe is gochujang.

• customisable – the best part about this korean fried chicken recipe is that you can adjust the seasonings, sauces and spices in the yangnyeom sauce to suit your preferences and your spice level. i’ve tried to keep the spice minimal for this recipe so that those with a lower spice tolerance can enjoy it, but if you like your yangnyeom chicken to be on the spicier side, you can absolutely increase the spices in the chicken batter and the sauce, and increase the gochujang too. similarly, if you prefer a sweeter flavour, you can reduce the spices and increase the honey in the sauce.

• bold flavours – for me, the best part about this recipe is that beautiful yangnyeom sauce. it really is unlike anything i’ve ever had before, and if you love deep, complex flavours with a nice balance between sweet, spicy and tangy, you will absolutely love this.

learn how to make yangnyeom chicken:

to make this korean fried chicken with yangnyeom sauce, we’re going to start off by marinating our chicken in a mixture of spices, as well as some milk to tenderise it. once it has marinated, we’ll add the chicken to a seasoned flour mixture to create our thin, crispy coating. then, we’ll fry until golden and crunchy. finally, we’ll make our spicy sweet yangnyeom chicken sauce and coat our crispy chicken with it. top with green onion and sesame seeds and we’re done!

yangnyeom chicken ingredients

• chicken – i generally use boneless chicken breast in all of my chicken recipes, because of personal preference. you can use anything else that you prefer, like chicken wings, or if you want to keep it boneless, boneless chicken thigh is a great option. for this recipe, i used chicken cut into small, bitesized pieces.

• vinegar – adding white vinegar to the chicken will help tenderise it.

• spices – in this spicy korean fried chicken recipe, we’ll be using a mix of garlic powder, red chilli powder, black pepper, paprika, cumin seeds and salt to marinate the chicken and in the seasoned flour mixture. we’ll also be using some of these seasonings in our yangnyeom sauce, as well as some onion powder for more flavour.

• milk – adding milk to the chicken mixture will help tenderise it.

• flour – coating the chicken in plain flour or all purpose flour is going to give us our crispy crust

• cornstarch- i like to use a mix of flour and cornstarch for the coating for extra crispiness. potato starch is also a great option if you want the crust to be thin and crispy – i just decided to use cornstarch for this yangnyeom crispy chicken as it’s a little more readily available.

• baking powder – a small amount of baking powder in the flour mixture helps make the batter crispier.

• oil – use any neutral oil such as sunflower, safflower, canola etc. for frying. we’ll also be using a small amount of neutral oil for the yangnyeom sauce.

• garlic- for the sauce, we’ll start off by cooking fresh minced garlic in oil for some extra flavour.

• ketchup – the yangnyeom sauce is usually a balance of sweet and spicy, so i think ketchup is a good base for this. it’s also often used in lots of yangnyeom sauce recipes.

• soy sauce – i like to add a small amount of dark soy sauce to the yangnyeom sauce for flavour and colour.

• gochujang – i use a small amount of gochujang in this yangnyeom sauce recipe. you can adjust the amounts of the ingredients in the sauce to your taste and preference.

• water – just used to thin out the sauce a little bit. again, this can be adjusted depending on how thick/thin you want the sauce to be.

• honey – adjust the amount of honey in the sauce depending on how sweet you like it.

• sesame seeds – for garnish.

• green onion – for garnish.

tools

• 2 large bowls – one for marinating the chicken and one for the flour mixture

• deep pan – for frying the chicken

• wire skimmer – use a wire skimmer to drain any excess oil after frying the chicken.

• wire rack – let the fried chicken rest on a wire rack after removing from the oil. this will also remove any excess oil before you add the sweet and spicy yangnyeom sauce.

• pot or pan – for making the yangnyeom sauce

step by step instructions

for full measurements, keep scrolling down to the recipe below.

step one: in a bowl, add chicken, cut into bitesized pieces, and then add the white vinegar and all of the seasonings: garlic powder, red chilli powder, black pepper, salt, paprika and cumin seeds. then, add milk, and mix all of this into the chicken until the chicken is coated. cover the bowl, place it in the fridge and let the chicken soak into the mixture for at least 30 minutes.

step two: while the chicken is marinating, start making the flour mixture. in another bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch or cornflour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, red chilli powder and onion powder.

step three: once the chicken is ready, add all of the chicken mixture to the flour mixture – you can add any of the liquid that’s left behind to the flour mixture as well. mix the chicken into the flour mixture until it is nicely coated.

step four: then gently add the chicken to hot oil, making sure to not overcrowd the pan. you’ll need to fry the chicken in batches.

step five: as soon as you add the chicken to the hot oil, lower the heat to medium. fry the chicken over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. (i did not double-fry the chicken for this korean fried chicken recipe, but if you do, bear in mind that double-frying usually involves frying the chicken at a lower temperature first, and then at a higher temperature for the second fry.)

step six: remove the fried chicken from the hot oil using a wire skimmer, and let it rest on a wire rack. repeat with the next batch of chicken.

step seven: once you’ve fried all of the chicken, we’ll make the yangnyeom sauce. start off by heating up some oil in a pan. add fresh minced garlic and cook this over medium heat in the oil until it becomes a light golden colour.

step eight: add gochujang and cook this over low heat until it becomes lightly fragrant. then, turn off the heat, and add ketchup and dark soy sauce as well as black pepper, garlic powder and red chilli powder. mix all of these in together until combined.

step nine: add water to the sauce, and mix it in. cook this over low-medium heat until the water is completely mixed in and the sauce has thickened up.

step ten: remove the pan from the heat, then add the honey and stir that through until combined.

step eleven: add the crispy korean fried chicken to the sauce and mix it in until coated with it.

step twelve: sprinkle your spicy yangnyeom fried chicken with sesames seeds and some green onion, and let’s eat!

tips and notes

• marinate the chicken for as long as you can – marinating the chicken for hours is not always an option when you don’t have much time, so i generally recommend marinating the chicken for at least 30 minutes in my recipes. however, when you do have the time, marinating for a couple of hours or even overnight, makes a difference in terms of taste and texture of the chicken. the spices and the milk will help tenderise the chicken and give it a better flavour.

• remove from the fridge and let the chicken come to room temperature before you start coating and frying. this helps the chicken cook evenly. alternatively, if you live in a place with cold weather, you can just leave the chicken to marinate at room temperature instead of putting it in the fridge.

• bear in mind that frying times will vary depending on the size of the chicken pieces – larger pieces will take longer to cook.

• do not overcrowd the pan when frying the chicken. you will most likely need to fry the chicken in batches.

• adjust spices and seasonings to your taste – this spicy yangnyeom chicken is made to my taste – i think it’s a nice balance of spicy and sweet, but everyone is different. feel free to adjust the amounts of gochujang, ketchup, honey etc. in the yangnyeom sauce to suit your taste. if you’d like it to be spicier, you might want to add more chilli powder or chilli flakes in the sauce. if it’s too spicy for you, reduce the chilli powder.

• make sure your oil is not too hot or too cool when frying. oil that is too hot will cook the outside too quickly and won’t cook the inside enough, and oil that isn’t hot enough will make the chicken greasy.

• i decided not to double-fry the chicken for this recipe. however, if you would like that extra crispiness, you can fry the chicken once at a lower temperature (around 320°F to 340°F/160°C to 170°C) to cook the chicken through, and then again at a higher temperature (around 350°F to 375°F/175°C to 190°C) for that crispy crust.

• drain excess oil after frying your chicken with a wire skimmer, and then place the chicken on a wire rack to allow any excess oil to drip off so that the chicken stays crispy.

• it is usually recommended to have your yangnyeom sauce ready so that you can add the crispy korean fried chicken to the sauce as soon as it’s done and while the chicken is still hot. this will help the sauce adhere to the crispy chicken better. i found that making the sauce after worked fine as well, as long as you work quickly and add the chicken to the sauce as soon as the sauce is ready. feel free to do whatever works best for you.

• if you want to prepare this spicy yangnyeom fried chicken ahead of time, i would recommend frying it once and then storing it in the fridge. make the sauce ahead of time and store this in the fridge in a separate container. when you’re ready to serve it, simply heat up the sauce over the stove, and fry the chicken a second time to crisp it up, then toss the chicken in the sauce.

frequently asked questions

1. what is yangnyeom chicken?

   – yangnyeom chicken is a popular korean fried chicken dish, consisting of crispy fried chicken pieces coated in a spicy, sweet and tangy sauce, usually made with ingredients like gochujang, honey, garlic and rice vinegar. there are a lot of different yangnyeom sauce recipes out there, so ingredients will always vary between each one – the ingredients stated are just some of the most common ones used to get that classic yangnyeom chicken flavor.

2. what does yangnyeom chicken taste like?

   – yangnyeom chicken has a complex flavour profile, with a sauce that usually has a balance of sweet, spicy and savoury notes. crispy korean fried chicken is coated in a sticky sauce that’s typically spicy and tangy from the gochujang and sweet from the honey. other ingredients are also added for extra depth and flavour.

3. is yangnyeom chicken spicy?

   yangnyeom chicken is typically spicy because of the gochujang and other spices. however, the spice levels can be adjusted by reducing the amount of gochujang or other spices in the sauce. if you want to keep the flavour in the sauce, but reduce the spice, you can also balance it out with more of the sweet ingredients like honey.

4. can i use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?

   – yes, you can absolutely use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. in fact, chicken thighs tend to be juicier and more tender, with more flavour too. you can also use bone-in chicken for this recipe. keep in mind that boneless chicken will take less time to cook than bone-in pieces, so you may have to adjust cooking times depending on what you use.

5. can i make this korean fried chicken in the air fryer?

   – it won’t be quite as crispy as deep frying and i have never tried this personally, but if you really want to, you can try making this korean fried chicken in the air fryer instead of frying in oil. you can place the chicken pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket, then air fry at 190°C (375°F) until golden and crispy. be sure to flip the chicken halfway through.

6. how do i know if my oil is hot enough for frying?

   – if you’re not sure whether your oil is hot enough, and you don’t have a thermometer, dip the handle of a wooden spoon or a chopstick in the oil. once you see bubbles start to form around the spoon/chopstick, and they start to float up, it means that your oil is hot enough for frying. if the oil is bubbling up really fast, it might mean that your oil is too hot. Alternatively, drop a small piece of batter into the oil; if it sizzles and rises to the surface immediately, the oil is ready for frying.

7. can i make the yangnyeom sauce in advance?

   – yes, you can make the yangnyeom sauce in advance, and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. when you’re ready to serve, just reheat the sauce in a pan. feel free to thin it out with some water if needed.

8. is gochujang yangnyeom chicken halal?

   – most ingredients used in a typical yangnyeom chicken recipe are generally considered halal. however, gochujang typically has alcohol in its ingredients list so you may have to look for a halal-certified gochujang. this can be found online, but i actually managed to find halal gochujang at a local asian shop, so i’d recommend checking out your local shops too.

9. can i make this yangnyeom chicken without cornstarch?

   – the cornstarch in this korean fried chicken recipe helps create a light, crispy coating that stays crunchy even after the chicken is tossed in the sauce. this usually can’t be achieved with just the use of flour. i also wanted to make this yangnyeom chicken recipe easy by using ingredients that are readily available. if you don’t want to use cornstarch for whatever reason, some good substitutes that will give a similar effect would be potato starch or something like rice flour.

10. can i make this yangnyeom chicken recipe without baking powder?

    – this korean fried chicken recipe uses baking powder to help achieve an even crispier texture, but it is absolutely not an essential ingredient. you can leave out the baking powder if you don’t want to use it or don’t have it. the chicken may be slightly less crispy, but it shouldn’t make too much of a difference since we’re still using a mix of flour and cornstarch.

11. what sides could i serve with this yangnyeom chicken?

    – if you’re looking for something light, pickled radish or pickled cucumbers are great options. i also personally love having this yangnyeom chicken with rice as a full meal.

12. what kind of oil do i use for frying?

    – for frying the chicken, you will need to use an oil with a high smoke point so that it’s able to withstand the high temperatures needed for deep frying. i also recommend using an oil with a neutral taste so that it doesn’t impart any of its flavour on the chicken. some good options are sunflower oil, safflower oil or vegetable oil (which is a mix of different plant oils).

recipe