Feeling a rush of excitement for the upcoming game, yet pondering over the perfect dish to prepare? Get ready to spice up your gameday with a sensational Korean cuisine adventure. Welcome to the ultimate guide to crafting the alluring Korean Fried Chicken with a Savory Gochujang sauce, a gameday treat that's not just crunchy and delicious, but also a thrilling gastronomical trip to the East! In this culinary guide, I'll unveil the magic behind the unforgettable taste of Korean Fried Chicken (or KFC, as it's colloquially known in Korea) and its perfect partner, the Gochujang sauce. I'll break down the recipe into manageable steps, uncover the secret to that jaw-crunching crispiness, and dive into the flavor profiles that make this dish a crowd-favorite on gameday and beyond...Let's Get Cooking!
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Like most great wing sauces, the key to maximizing the flavor of this recipe is to make the gochujang sauce a day early for all the flavors to combine and fortify one another. Mix together the ketchup, corn syrup, sugar, minced garlic, soy sauce, gochugaru, and cayenne in a bowl. Stir it extra well to ensure that corn starch and ketchup actually combine together to form a homogenous base for the gochujang itself to adhere to creating an explosion of flavors like no other! Once all the ingredients are fully mixed, cover the bowl and refrigerate it overnight so those flavors can get to work! This recipe does make an extra large batch of sauce, so feel free to half it if you want, but it is so damn tasty you will end up putting it on everything else you eat so keep that in mind. Plus, keep it refrigerated and it should last a couple weeks for another few rounds of wings, just saying!
One way to make chicken so extra crispy and delicious, as the Koreans have perfected, is the double fry method where you cook it at a lower temperature, let it cool, then finish with a second fry at a much higher temp to attain ultimate crunch! Well, we don't always have that extra time so the method we will use today is a wet dredge that creates a thin, but ultra crispy coating on the chicken that can stand up to the sauce and maintain that crunch till the very end, when you devour it.
We are going to end up with 2 containers of the same thing, so feel free to make one batch and divide it or just use two containers and split the ingredients between them. Either way, mix the AP flour and cornstarch together with some salt and pepper. There is absolutely nothing fancy about this, but a trick I learned from Food Network is to add a bit of curry powder as well, for an extra boost of flavor. It isn't exactly Korean in nature, but the taste is great so add or omit it, up to you. Anyway, one container will be our dry dredge so you can go ahead and set that aside temporarily. The other container is going to be our wet dredge, so add about 1 cup of water to it and stir until fully mixed. It should create a semi-thick, batter. Again, personal preference comes into play here so if you want an extra crunchy and thicker coating, keep your wet dredge on the thicker side. A thinner batter will still bring that crunch factor, but without the extra breading on the chicken. I suggest starting with one cup of water, make a few wings, then adjust accordingly. That being said, go ahead and set up your dredge and cook station at this point and get the deep fryer oil up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I suggest starting with raw chicken/wings on one side then moving to the dry dredge container, followed by the wet dredge and immediately into the hot oil, but basically set up how you would any other dredge and fry recipe, however you are comfortable.
Once your oil is up to temperature, grab 5 or 6 wings and transfer them to the dry dredge. One quick tip, the more dry the chicken the better this whole process works so start by patting the chicken off with some paper towels or something, before going into the dry mix. Anyway, one your chicken is fully coated with the dry dredge, dunk it in the wet batter, ensuring full coverage, then immediately go right into the hot oil. Do this step as quickly as possible until your first batch of 6 or so wings are all in the fryer. Set your timer for 12 minutes and get the next handful of wings ready in the dry mix while you wait, holding on the wet batter dunk of course.
While the chicken fries, use some tongs to separate the pieces from one another and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom or basket. After 12 minutes, the wings should be fully cooked and starting to float. Lift up your basket or use a strainer to remove the chicken from the oil and place on a wire rack to drain and rest for a few minutes. Note: this recipe is designed for chicken wings, but any cuts of chicken can be used, of course. Be sure to adjust your cooking times accordingly, though.
Obviously, you are going to repeat this process a few times to cook all the chicken, or as people finish devouring a batch and are ready for the next. Once you have let the wings rest 5 minutes or so, use a silicon brush to paint that sweet and spicy, mega savory gochujang sauce onto the Korean Fired Chicken! You don't want to drench them in sauce, but apply enough so they are covered and delicious. Typically people just toss their wings and sauce together in a bowl, but that would break all that crispy and crunchy breading we just slaved to make so take a few minutes and gently apply the sauce, please! I'm telling you, this coating is very light, though it may look thick and hearty. This is the key to that extra crunchy crispiness that made Korean chicken famous.
Anyway, with a full breakdown of the recipe for Korean Fried Chicken with savory Gochujang sauce, you're all set for your gameday feast. But remember, the brilliance of this dish extends beyond the gameday. It's a perfect treat for any occasion, one that will bring you closer to the unique flavors of Korean cuisine. So why wait? Take a taste-based trip to the heart of Korea from the comfort of your kitchen, and let this all-time favored companion make your gameday an unforgettable culinary experience...Just Keep Cooking!
KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN
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