The Crispy Chicken Chronicles: Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Chunks

As I discussed in the first installment of The Crispy Chicken Chronicles, I have been craving all kinds of crispy, crunchy, spicy, sticky chicken lately. But the one preparation that I keep coming across, that haunts me, that I just cannot keep out of my mind – that is KFC. No, not that KFC – I think I may be weaned off that for good. I am obsessed with the notion of Korean Fried Chicken.

It may have started when Chicago was the venue for our yearly get-together with high school and college friends. When I was poking around the internet looking for places near our rental house to eat, I found a place called Crisp. It served Korean fried chicken. I had never heard of such a thing, but the menu made me instantaneously hungry.

We did not eat at Crisp, but the idea stayed with me.

It’s no secret that I love Korean food. It had been making inroads with food trucks in NYC and Albuquerque, and moving higher up the restaurant food chain with David Chang’s Momofuku empire – but the object of my adoration really seemed to hit the zeitgeist after my missed Crisp opportunity. It seemed like I saw references to the hallowed KFC everywhere I turned. And every time, it made me hungry!

And then I thought I saw my chance. On the menu at Korean BBQ House, Albuquerque’s only Korean restaurant – where we eat with some regularity but almost always get either dolsot bibimbab (rice and vegetables in a sizzling-hot stone bowl with gochujang chile sauce) or lunch bento boxes – I spotted Hot Chicken: “Deep fried Korean style chicken with special hot sauce.” Sign me up!

I was imagining bone-in chicken pieces, hot and sticky and a mess to pick up with your hands, so I was a little disappointed when I received a pile of boneless chicken pieces instead. They were tasty, and the sauce was spicy and a little sweet, clearly including a lot of gochujang – and since gochujang is always a good thing, I couldn’t complain. But the chicken wasn’t as hot and juicy as I wanted, the sauce not as flavorful. I enjoyed the Hot Chicken, but I wanted something more.

So when I embarked on The Crispy Chicken Chronicles, I knew KFC would be right at the top of the list of things to try. I decided to try improving on Korean BBQ House’s Hot Chicken.

After my first attempt at chicken wings, where I found the meat a little bland, I knew I wanted to season the meat before frying. I also wanted to keep things fairly simple, so I settled on a quick marinade of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and black pepper. I let the chicken soak for about 15 minutes, then drained it. Eschewing any kind of fancy coating on this first try, I just tossed the chicken with flour and threw it in some 350-degree oil.

Honestly, I was stunned. The chicken came out immensely flavorful, hot, crisp, and juicy. It would have made a fantastic meal just as it was. But I had a jar of CJ Bibigo Korean BBQ Sauce – one of those things you buy on a whim and can never figure out how to use – in my pantry. Actually, it wasn’t in my pantry anymore; I’d opened it, tasted it, and found it yummy. So I warmed it a little and tossed the chicken in it, like hot wings.

Really, I had expected to have to work harder. My first shot at this Korean Fried Chicken thing was incredibly delicious. Spicy-sweet, juicy, crisp, and packed with flavor. It stayed pretty crispy throughout the meal, too.

I know you aren’t likely to have a jar of Korean BBQ sauce kicking around in your pantry, but take a look in the Asian section of your supermarket, and you may well find a squeeze bottle of prepared gochujang. I’ve seen several varieties now – there’s an Annie Chung variety in my fridge, billing itself as “Korean sweet & spicy ‘goes with anything’ sauce.” Which is actually a pretty accurate name. You could use a sauce like that, perhaps thinned with a little water or sesame oil. Or mix together some plain gochujang from a tub – as far as I can tell there is no different word for prepared gochujang, sweetened and flavored, than for the plain red pepper paste – with some honey, sesame oil, and soy sauce until it tastes good.

Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Chunks

Serves 6

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

4 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

1.5 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Peanut or other neutral oil for deep-frying

1.5 cups CJ Bibigo Korean BBQ Sauce or improvised Korean BBQ Sauce, below

Cut the chicken into roughly 1.5 by 1.5-inch chunks. Chicken thighs are hard to cut uniformly, so don’t sweat it; just get close.

In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sugar, and pepper. Add the chicken chunks and stir to coat all the pieces. Set aside.

In a large Dutch oven or deep fryer, bring to 350 degrees enough oil to submerge the chicken.

Drain the chicken well. Place the flour in a large bowl and mix in the salt; dump in the drained chicken and toss so all the chicken is well coated.

Carefully put 1/3 to 1/2 the chicken pieces in the hot oil, shaking off any excess flour. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and done through. Keep warm while you fry the remaining chicken.

In a really large bowl, toss the cooked chicken with the Korean BBQ sauce. Serve immediately, with white rice and kimchi (or something cooling, like sliced cucumber).

Improvised Korean BBQ Sauce

Stir together gochujang, honey or agave syrup, a dash of rice vinegar, a drizzle of sesame oil, and some soy sauce. Taste and adjust until you like it.

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