Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Wings

This korean fried chicken is super addictive, coated in a glossy sauce made from smoky ‘gochujang’ chilli paste, roasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger and tangy rice vinegar.

The recipe can easily be scaled up and, for convenience, the chicken wings can be coated and fried in advance, then fried a second time when you are ready to serve.

Korean fried chicken is sweet, spicy, sticky and crispy: everything you want in great chicken. They are so irresistibly juicy that you will not be able to stop yourself from eating the lot. Because of the sauce coating the chicken, there’s no need for any additional dipping sauce.

Why not finish these tasty chicken wings with sesame seeds and chopped spring onion for extra crunch and flavour?

ETYMOLOGY

The word chicken (치킨) in South Korea refers to fried chicken and sometimes roasted chicken; yangnyeom (양념) is Korean for “seasoned”. Therefore, yangnyeom chicken (양념치킨) means “seasoned fried chicken”. Unseasoned fried chicken is called dakgogi-twigim (닭고기 튀김; chicken meat fritter) or fried chicken (프라이드치킨). Outside Korea, yangnyeom chicken is known as Korean fried chicken.

CHEATS

Ceres Alpha Coater - The Ceres Alpha Coater is made using very specific starches with a high amylase content – without getting too technical food gets very crispy in the right conditions.

Garlic - When eaten raw, garlic has a robust, pungent flavour. For that reason, it is customary to cook it in some way before serving it, which mellows the flavour considerably. Roasting garlic changes the flavour and texture significantly, resulting in creamy cloves with a nutty, mild taste.

Ginger - There is no flavour in the world like that of ginger. It is hot, zesty and biting yet sweet and warm. Ginger is quite pungent and spicy with a very slight woody flavour that lends a certain mildness to its overall flavour profile. This particular ingredient is as aromatic as it is flavourful.

Rice Wine Vinegar - Rice wine vinegar, also known as rice vinegar, is made from fermenting the starches and sugars in rice until they convert into alcohol and then eventually into acetic acid, which is responsible for vinegar’s acidic taste. Rice wine vinegar is very sharp and will give the sauce a nice kick.

Chicken - If you don’t want to use chicken wings, switch them over for chicken thigh fillets. This cheat is more of a hint as thigh is much better than white meat because it has a bit more fat.

Gochujang Korean Chilli Paste - Gochujang is a deep red, smooth and spicy paste popular in Korean cuisine. A staple condiment, it is made from Korean chilli powder (gochugaru), fermented soybean powder (mejugaru), glutinous rice powder (sssalgaru) and salt.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE CHICKEN

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE SAUCE AND PRESENTATION

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

1 - For the chicken, add the soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger, and Gochujang Korean Chili Paste to a plastic container with the chicken wings. Mix through until all chicken wings are covered, then add 100g of Ceres Alpha Coater and mix through again until all Ceres Alpha Coater is absorbed. 

2 - Cover and set aside in the refrigerator overnight. For the sauce, add all the ingredients to a saucepan and simmer over medium heat, constantly stirring, for 10 minutes. When the sauce is thick and glossy, remove it from the heat and set aside. After cooling, you could chill and use it as needed. 

3 - When ready to fry, take out the desired amount and dredge in the Ceres Alpha Coater, set aside for a few minutes and fry at 175°C for 8 minutes, or until the core temperature has reached 75°C, and then toss through the spicy sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped spring onion. 

Tip - If you want to cook the chicken wings all in one go and refry upon order, let them cool at room temperature and then chill. Upon ordering, fry until they reach internal temperature again (75°C), toss through the spicy sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped spring onion.