The BEST Sticky-Sweet Crispy Korean Fried Chicken Wings Recipe! Korean Chicken Tempura for home cooks + Korean dunking sauce with outrageous flavor, coats each crunchy piece.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Resting Time4 hourshrs
Total Time4 hourshrs40 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Korean
Servings: 12
Calories: 315kcal
Author: Sommer Collier
Ingredients
For the Fried Chicken Recipe
4poundswhole chicken, wings, and drumsticksabout 12 pieces
Place the salt and warm water in a large bowl and swirl to dissolve the salt. Then add the chicken pieces to the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours (or up to 12 hours.) Take the chicken out of the brine and dry with paper towels. Set out to allow the skin to continue drying.
Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed stock pot and set over medium heat. Attach a cooking thermometer to the side of the pot, with the point down in the oil.
Mix 3/4 cup of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of baking powder in a bowl. Move the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat well. Then place the remaining 1/2 cup of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 3/4 cup of flour in a separate bowl. Whisk in the beer to create the tempera batter.
Turn the oven on warm (175-200 degrees F) and set out an oven-safe plate lined with paper towels. Check the temperature of the fry oil. It should be at 350 degrees F. Drop a little batter into the oil to check. If the batter turns brown right away the oil is too hot. Turn off the heat and wait for it to cool, before continuing. One piece at a time, tap the excess cornstarch off the chicken and dunk it in the tempura batter. Dunk a couple times to make sure there are no air pockets. Shake the chicken a little to allow the excess batter to drip back into the bowl then slowly swirl the chicken as you place it in the oil. Continue... frying 4-6 pieces at a time, until golden brown and crispy. Flip the chicken with tongs as needed and cover with a splatter screen if you have one. The wings should be golden and cooked through around 10 minutes, and the drumsticks will take between 12-15 minutes. Check the interior temperature with a meat thermometer - it should read 165 degrees F. Using the tongs, move the chicken to the plate and place in the oven while you repeat with the remaining chicken. This will take 2-3 batches, depending on the width of your pot.
While the chicken is frying, place the first seven ingredients for the Korean dunking sauce in a medium sauce pot. Set over medium heat, stir, and bring to a boil. Once the sauce reaches a boil, turn the heat on low and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Then remove from heat. Taste for spice. If you want your chicken to be extra spicy stir in sriracha to taste.
Once all the chicken is fried, and you are ready to eat, dunk each piece of chicken in the sauce, one at a time to full coat each piece. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
You can store leftover Korean fried chicken wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep in mind if the chicken is already covered in sauce, it would be as crispy once you warm it up. It is best to store the leftover chicken and wing sauce separately. Then, you can reheat the chicken in the oven, toaster oven, or air-fryer to get them nice and crispy. And dunk the chicken in warm sauce before serving!