Yangnyeom-chikin (양념치킨, Sweet-Spicy Fried Chicken)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy Dutch oven or deep pot, 5 to 6 quart size
• •Deep-fry thermometer or instant-read thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan
• •Spider skimmer or long-handled tongs
• •Wide skillet or wok for tossing the sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the chicken

   Pat the chicken dry, especially around the joints and skin folds. Toss it with the salt, pepper, soju, and ginger, then let it sit 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate 4 to 12 hours and bring it back toward cool room temperature for 20 minutes before frying. Salt needs time to move inward; surface moisture needs time to come out so the starch can grip.

   Do not leave raw chicken at room temperature longer than 1 hour. If your kitchen is warm, season it in the refrigerator and give it only 20 minutes on the counter before coating.
2. 2

   Coat for ridges

   Stir together the potato starch, cornstarch, rice flour, and baking powder in a wide bowl. Add the beaten egg white to the chicken and toss until the surface turns tacky. Dredge each piece in the starch mixture, pressing into every fold, then set the pieces on a rack for 10 minutes. When damp patches show through, dredge them once more in the remaining starch. That second contact is what gives the crust its rough, crisp ridges.

3. 3

   Cook the sauce

   Warm 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a wide skillet or wok over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir 20 to 30 seconds, just until it smells awake, with no browning. Stir in the gochujang, ketchup, rice syrup, soy sauce, sugar, water, vinegar, and gochugaru if using. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes, until the bubbles slow and the sauce falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil.

   Ketchup belongs here. It gives the modern chicken-shop tang. The mistake is not ketchup; the mistake is so much gochujang and sugar that the chicken disappears underneath.
4. 4

   First fry

   Pour 3 inches of frying oil into a heavy pot, never filling it more than halfway. Heat to 160 C / 325 F. Fry the chicken in batches, lowering pieces in one at a time so they do not stick together. Keep the oil between 155 C and 165 C / 310 F and 330 F and fry 8 to 10 minutes for wings and drumettes, turning once, until the crust is pale blond and the thickest pieces are nearly cooked through. Drain on a rack, not paper towels, and rest at least 10 minutes.

5. 5

   Second fry

   Raise the oil to 190 C / 375 F. Fry the chicken again in batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until the crust deepens to golden brown and feels firm when tapped with tongs. Check the thickest piece near the bone; it must reach at least 74 C / 165 F. This second fry is not decoration. It drives off the last surface moisture so the sauce can cling without turning the crust limp.

6. 6

   Toss off heat

   If the sauce has cooled, warm it only until loose, then turn the heat off. Add the fried chicken and toss with a large spoon or tongs for 20 to 30 seconds, stopping as soon as the red glaze clings to the ridges. If the sauce is too tight, loosen it with 1 teaspoon hot water before the chicken goes in. Do not toss over active heat; the sauce will thicken too far and soften the crust you just made.

7. 7

   Garnish and serve

   Scatter with toasted sesame seeds and chopped peanuts if using. Serve at once with chikin-mu, the cold pickled radish that cuts through the sweet-spicy sauce. If the table wants banban, half-and-half chicken, leave half the fried chicken plain and sauce the rest. Once sauced, do not cover it. A lid traps moisture, and moisture is the enemy you have been fighting since the first step.

Chef Tips

• •Wings and drumettes are the best home choice because they are small, even, and built for sharing. If you use chopped whole chicken, sort the pieces by size and fry the large pieces together, or the breast will dry before the thigh is done.
• •Use a thermometer. Oil below 150 C / 300 F makes a greasy crust; oil above 195 C / 385 F darkens the coating before the chicken is safe. Guessing oil temperature is how good chicken becomes a lesson.
• •Potato starch gives the light, hard crust Korean fried chicken needs. All flour makes a heavier shell. The small amount of rice flour helps the coating stay crisp after saucing.
• •The sauce is measured to coat, not puddle. If your family likes a very saucy chicken, make one and a half times the sauce, but add it spoon by spoon. Once the crust is buried, you cannot bring it back.
• •Sauced leftovers will soften. Reheat them uncovered on a rack in a 200 C / 400 F oven or air fryer for 8 to 10 minutes. They will not be first-night crisp, but they will still be worth eating.

Advance Preparation

• •The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm it gently and loosen with 1 to 2 teaspoons water before tossing with the chicken.
• •The chicken can be seasoned up to 12 hours ahead and held uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator. Do not coat it until shortly before frying, or the starch will turn pasty.
• •You can finish the first fry up to 1 hour before serving and keep the chicken on a rack at room temperature. Do the second fry and saucing right before the table eats.
• •Chikin-mu can be bought or made a day ahead. Serve it cold, because that sharp cold radish is part of why the sweet sauce stays pleasant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)