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Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Chicken)

Mastering Korean fried chicken has been one of my top priorities, and I can confidently say that this is THE ONE! This KFC is tender, flavorful, with a thin & CRISPY batter, and covered in a sweet & spicy yangnyeom sauce that is finger-lickin’ good.

I LOVE Korean fried chicken! Some of my favorite memories in Korea are of eating yangnyeom chicken with my cousins, often with beer and soju. Fortunately, KFC has become super popular in the states so it’s easily accessible for the most part. If you have never tried it, you are seriously in for a treat!

Yangnyeom means seasoned and mostly refers to anything covered in a red, sweet & spicy sauce. This is one of the original flavors for Korean fried chicken, but there are many more now. When I go out for KFC, I usually order a half & half plate: half yangnyeom chicken and half plain spicy chicken.

The two most important things about Korean fried chicken are:

1. A thin, light, & CRISPY batter. It should not be thick and crunchy, or overly browned. This happens when the batter is mostly all purpose flour. Korean fried chicken should be battered with mostly potato starch.

2. KFC is double fried! The first fry at a lower temperature, then rested on a cooling rack before it goes back into the fryer at a higher temp.

Ingredients:

Chicken wings- For this recipe you will need 2 lbs of chicken wings and drumettes. Try to avoid super small wings and drumettes- anything more than 16 pieces is too small. You may opt for bigger wings (between 12-14 for 2 lbs), but just keep in mind that the frying time for these will be slightly longer.
Seasoning- I prefer to do a dry brine for the chicken with a simple seasoning mix of salt, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne pepper. The ratio of cayenne pepper to everything else might seem shocking to you (it’s 3x more), but don’t worry about it being spicy. Do add more if you want it spicy though.
Wet batter- Potato starch, all purpose flour, egg, baking powder, and cold club soda (or water).
Dry batter- Potato starch, all purpose flour, salt, chicken bouillon, and cayenne pepper.
Yangnyeom Sauce- I’ve tried A LOT of yangnyeom sauces. Many of them are too sweet or tangy for my taste, but this one is perfectly balanced and tastes just like the yangnyeom chicken in Korea! The ratio of ingredients is the key to getting this sauce right (measurements in recipe card below).
- extra spicy gochujang
- ketchup
- rice syrup (or corn syrup)
- water
- soy sauce
- sugar
- plum vinegar
- gochugaru
- garlic

How to make it

Here are step-by-step instructions with pictures for all my visual learners (like me!). You can find the ingredient list/measurements in the recipe card at the end of this post.

1. Combine the chicken seasoning ingredients: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Leave out the cayenne pepper if you don’t want any spice at all.

2. Pat the chicken dry, then season all over. Dry brine uncovered in the fridge over night, or brine on your counter at room temperature for an hour before you fry them.

3. Make the yangnyeom sauce: combine all the yangnyeom sauce ingredients except for the minced garlic and neutral oil.

4. Over medium low heat, lightly fry the minced garlic in neutral oil (I used canola) until fragrant. Do not let it brown too much.

5. Add the yangnyeom sauce

6. Mix and allow the sauce to bubble a little, making sure the heat is not too high. Remove from heat after 2-3 minutes. If you’re making this several hours or days ahead of time, you can keep it in the fridge and reheat it once you are ready to use it.

7. Make the dry batter: mix together potato starch, all purpose flour, chicken bouillon, salt, and cayenne pepper. You can leave out the cayenne pepper if you don’t want any spice. But it’s really not that spicy (so add more if you want spice!)

8. For the wet batter, mix together potato starch, all purpose flour, egg, baking powder (NOT baking soda), and cold club soda.

9. Dip the chicken wings into the wet batter first, shaking off as much excess batter as you can.

10. Then dip into the dry batter, packing it in tightly. Shake off as much excess dry batter as possible- tap it against the side of the bowl multiple times.

11. Fry in peanut oil (or canola or vegetable oil) in batches, do not overcrowd your pot. Use a candy thermometer for this- it is extremely important to monitor the temperature for the first fry. Bring the oil to about 350 degrees, then carefully drop in the coated chicken wings and set your timer for 6-7 minutes. The temperature will drop when you add the chicken. Keep the temperature between 320-335 degrees.

Note: if your wings are larger (about 12-14 wings), add 1 minute to frying time.

12. After 6-7 minutes, rest on a cooling rack and repeat with the rest of your batches.

13. Once all of your chicken has gone through the first fry & resting period, fry them for a second time. This time bring the temperature to about 370 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature will drop when you add the chicken- just don’t let it drop below 350 degrees. Set your timer for 1 minute.

14. Remove from oil and let it rest for a few minutes.

15. Add the yangnyeom sauce and toss to coat or use a brush. Sprinkle with sesame seeds

16. Serve with pickled radish, cabbage salad, and beer for the ultimate KFC experience.

The cabbage salad is super simple- just thinly slice some green cabbage and wash thoroughly. Drizzle over dressing, which is 2 parts kewpie mayo, 1 part ketchup, and just a touch of mustard.

My tips for making the best KFC

1. Invest in a candy thermometer. Trust me, you need this! Frying temps are crucial when making Korean fried chicken at home. For the first fry, you really want to make sure the temperature is between 320-335 degrees Fahrenheit. For the second fry, pump up the heat to 370 and don’t let it drop below 350.

2. Shake off excess wet batter from the chicken before adding to the dry batter, and do the same with the dry batter. We want a thin & crispy coating on the chicken, not thick and crunchy.

3. Add more cayenne pepper to the chicken and the seasoned batter if you plan to eat these plain (without yangnyeom sauce), but still want that signature spicy fried chicken flavor.

4. Use extra spicy gochujang for the yangnyeom sauce.

Did you know that gochujang comes in mild, hot, and extra hot? See the photo below if you’re not sure what to look for.

Yangnyeom sauce has a lot of sugar which tends to tame the spice from gochujang. However, reducing the amount of sugar doesn’t necessarily make it spicier, and also creates a lack of balance. In my opinion, regular gochujang is not even that spicy. So if you really want to feel the heat, use extra spicy gochujang.