I must start with an apology to Koreans for many parts of this post. I love Korean Fried Chicken. It has a great crisp texture with a complex sweet sauce. The first time I saw it was in a post on youtube by The Bald Chef.
He made Korean fried chicken and his lovely wife made Yangnyeom sauce . This is a video you must watch.
My western ears heard Yum Yum sauce. Talk about inappropriate cultural appropriation. I am so sorry.
I noted there were ingredients hard to find here. She used red paste which research suggests to me was gochujang, a Korean chili paste. So, if I was going to make this recipe I was in trouble from the start.
Then, I sought it out and found a local restaurant served this, I tried it and immediately fell in love. However, it was a little spicy for my old Canadian system.
Here is where I stood. If I tried to use alternate ingredients, made it less spicy, and changed it would I be making Korean fried chicken? I decided, no. However, I wanted to make something similar.
So, I used my mishearing version of the sauce and will call this dish Yum Yum Chicken. Not as a joke but out of respect to the original dish which I hope you get to try. To call my recipe Korean Fried Chicken would be a disservice.
I would encourage you to try the real Korean Fried Chicken. You will love it.
Loving using my Traeger Timberline, I decided to use an oven “fried” chicken recipe from my Double D “Fried” Chicken recipe to “fry” the chicken as I find the double fried version of the original chicken messy.
For the sauce, I will use commercial Chili Sauce instead of the Korean hotter version. I will add Sriracha for heat if desired. Use none for mild, 1 ml (1/4 teaspoon) for a touch of heat and 3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) for a nice warmth.
Now, let’s get started!
It was just She Who Must Be Obeyed so I used four chicken thigs (about 500 grams (1.2 pounds) of chicken thighs. You can use any chicken pieces you like.
I mixed up a marinade of:
- 250 ml (1 cup) milk
- 15 ml (1 tablespoons) Sriracha or Buffalo wing sauce
- 5 ml (1 teaspoons) salt
- 5 ml (1 teaspoons) sugar
- 1 egg
I mixed these ingredients together and put the thighs in to marinade for 3 hours in the fridge. I turned them a couple of times to coat.
While they were marinating I made the Yum Yum sauce. I mixed the following in a small sauce pan:
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) chili sauce
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) honey
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) brown sugar
- 20 ml (4 teaspoons) ketchup
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) minced garlic
- 8 ml (1 1/2 teaspoon) soy sauce
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) sesame oil
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) rice vinegar
- 3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) ground ginger
- 1 to 3 ml (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) Sriracha, optional
Put the pan over medium heat and stir until just bubbly. Remove from heat and set aside.
You can make this in a smoker or an oven. If doing in an oven, put the chicken on a rack over a tray. All other steps are the same.
I mixed the following flour dredge in a low casserole:
- 175 ml (3/4 cup) flour
- 5 ml (1 teaspoons) ground ginger
- 3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) salt
- 3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) onion powder
- 3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) garlic powder
When you are doing a chicken dredge, only use your left hand to take the chicken out of the liquid and your right hand to shovel flour over the chicken and take it out.
Take a piece of chicken out of the liquid with your left hand and put it in the flour mixture. Scoop flour over it and turn to coat. Put it on a plate in a single layer. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
Take the chicken on the plate to the left side of the marinade. Put a piece in the marinade with your left hand. Lift it out with the left hand and put it in the flour mixture. Shovel the flour over the chicken with your right hand and turn to coat. Put it on a plate and repeat with remaining pieces.
A note, since I did my Double D “Fried” Chicken several people with older smokers have got back to me. Their smokers have more radiant heat from below and cook the chicken faster than an oven or my Traeger Timberline which have a more consistent heat. So, when you cook the chicken, I will be recommending that you start checking at 20 minutes but understand that it can take up to 35 minutes for the chicken to be ready to be brushed.
Put the chicken in a 400 F (205 C) smoker or oven and cook. Start checking for a touch of browning on the edges of the chicken at 20 minutes. In an oven, it will likely take 30 minutes or longer.
Brush the chicken with vegetable oil and cook until golden brown and the internal temperature is 180 F or over. This will take from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the amount of radiant heat from your oven or smoker.
Take the chicken and put it in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over it and toss to coat.
Put the chicken on a plate and sprinkle 50 ml (1/4 cup) chopped green onion over it.
She Who Must Be Obeyed made a great vegetable chow mein to go with the chicken.
The Verdict
Don’t make this. Really, don’t make this. It is absolutely delicious and if you make it you will be addicted. The sweet, spicy sauce and the crispy skin are just incredible. I don’t want to be responsible for you pigging out like I did.
However, authentic Korean fried chicken, it is delicious! However, I do encourage you to try the original dish. It is even better.
The Old Fat Guy
Ingredients
- Marinade:
- 250 ml (1 cup) milk
- 15 ml (1 tablespoons) Sriracha or Buffalo wing sauce
- 5 ml (1 teaspoons) salt
- 5 ml (1 teaspoons) sugar
- 1 egg
- Sauce:
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) chili sauce
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) honey
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) brown sugar
- 20 ml (4 teaspoons) ketchup
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) minced garlic
- 8 ml (1 1/2 teaspoon) soy sauce
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) sesame oil
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) rice vinegar
- 3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) ground ginger
- 1 to 3 ml (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) Sriracha, optional
- Dredge:
- 175 ml (3/4 cup) flour
- 5 ml (1 teaspoons) ground ginger
- 3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) salt
- 3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) onion powder
- 3 ml (1/2 teaspoon) garlic powder
- Glaze:
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
- Garnish:
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) chopped green onion
Instructions
- Mix marinade ingredients together.
- Put chicken in marinade and refrigerate for 3 hours, flipping once or twice.
- While chicken is marinating, mix sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Mix dredge ingredients together in a low casserole or on a large plate.
- Take a piece of chicken out of the marinade and put it on the dredge with your left hand.
- With your right hand, shovel the dredge over the chicken and turn to coat. Put the chicken on a plate in a single layer. Repeat with all pieces.
- Take a piece of chicken off the plate and put it in the marinade with your left hand. Put it in the dredge. Shovel the dredge over the chicken and turn to coat with your right hand. Put it on a clean plate. Repeat with all pieces.
- Preheat a smoker or oven to 400 F (205 C). If cooking in an oven, put the chicken on a rack over a tray. If cooking in smoker, put the chicken on the rack. Cook for 20 minutes and start checking for some browning on the edges. This may take up to 35 minutes depending on the radiant heat of your smoker or oven.
- Brush the chicken with vegetable oil and cook until golden brown and the internal temperature is over 170 F (75 C). This will take between 15 to 25 minutes.
- Put the chicken in a bowl and pour the sauce over it. Toss to coat.
- Put the chicken on a plate and sprinkle the green onion over it.
