Korean Fried Chicken is wonderfully crispy and both sweet and spicy. Made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces, this fried chicken is wonderfully addictive.

Korean Fried Chicken topped with sesame seeds and green onions.

Using chicken thighs works really well for this recipe because they stay juicier and have more flavor than chicken breasts.

3-Step Process

The chicken pieces are coated in a 3-step process. First they are coated in all-purpose flour, then dredged in egg, and finally coated in cornstarch. This double coating creates a fabulously crispy coating.

Korean-Style Sauce

Once the chicken is fried, it is drained and then tossed in an easy Korean sauce made with gojuchang paste, rice vinegar, light brown sugar, soy sauce, and ginger. The sauce doesn’t even need to be cooked. Just mix it together in a bowl. It’s wonderfully thick with lots of spicy heat.

Boneless Korean chicken over rice.

Gojuchang is a spicy, fermented chili paste that’s sweet, salty, and spicy. It’s very thick with a deep red color. Not all supermarkets carry it, but you can order Gojuchang online. Don’t confuse Gojuchang paste with Gojuchang sauce which has other ingredients added.

Korean Fried Chicken Recipe Tips

Fry the chicken in batches. You don’t want to crowd the chicken while it fries or cause the oil temperature to drop too much.

Best eaten right away, but leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Can be eaten plain or over rice.

Korean Fried Chicken in a black bowl.

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Korean Fried Chicken

5 from 3 votes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Servings: 6
Super crispy boneless fried chicken pieces tossed in a spicy Korean sauce.
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Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs,, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup gojuchang red pepper paste
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Vegetable or Canola oil for frying
  • sliced green onions and seasme seeds for garnish
  • rice for serving

Instructions 

  • Place the flour in a bowl
    Place the eggs in a second bowl. Lightly beat them.
    Place the cornstarch in a third bowl.
  • Coat the chicken pieces in flour, then in egg, and finally in cornstarch.
  • Stir together the gojuchang paste, rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, and ginger in a bowl. Set aside.
  • Heat 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven or a deep sided skillet to 375 degrees F.
  • Fry the chicken in batches for 3 to 4 minutes, or until crispy and cooked through. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
  • Toss chicken with sauce and sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds.

Notes

Best eaten right away but will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag us @spicysouthernkitchen on social media!

Recipe adapted from Dinner, Then Dessert

Close-up of Korean Fried Chicken sprinkled with sliced green onions.

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11 Comments

  1. jeri Canale says:

    Awesome! Put some heat in, a little siracha just to give it a bite. I also added a little sticky fingers bbq sauce and added bag of Chinese vegetables. Layered rice Chinese veggies and chicken on top! My husband gave it a thumbs up!

  2. Carol says:

    Loved it!

  3. Joel Miller says:

    I put corn starch and flour together is that ok for the Korean chicken

  4. Kevin says:

    I was looking for something to cook with the grandkids tomorrow night and the photo was what caught my eye. Looks absolutely delicious. Gonna give it a try. Thanks

  5. Susan says:

    Anyone tried making this in an air fryer? If so time and temp! Thx

  6. Trey Burks says:

    Was a great recipe! I have five picky boys, and this one and all of your recipes we have tried so far have been excellent!

  7. Mary Webster says:

    I would like a simple recipe for fried chicken. I do not want to use buttermilk.

    1. Byron M says:

      Buttermilk is not one of the ingredients in this recipe. If you meant the sauce ingredients instead of buttermilk, just omit them. It will still be very crunchy because of the cornstarch. You would want to heavily season the chicken and do all of the other steps, if cutting that coating out to simplify.
      I’ve made a similar recipe before with just cornstarch, and it was good. The texture and crunch are unique and tasty, but it won’t taste as good if you go light or even normal on whatever seasoning you use if you omit the glaze.

    2. AC says:

      Dip your chicken in flour and fry it in hot oil.
      Simple enough for you?

      1. A M says:

        No,it is not simple enough. Have you tried the recipe to compare results?
        If you want simple, donโ€™t flour the chicken. Just season it and fry sans flour!

      2. Lynnie says:

        There’s no need to be rude! Goodness