The Best Crispy Korean Fried Chicken (2024)

Ingredients & Substitutions

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.

• Chicken drumsticks: or substitute with bone-in skin on chicken thighs or chicken wings but please refer to recipe card for instructions.
• Neutral oil:like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or heavy scented oils.

Chicken marinade

• Rice Vinegar, Dry Sherry or White Wine: or substitute with apple cider vinegar
• Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
• Garlic
• Black Pepper &Salt

Wet batter

• Tapioca flour:or sub with potato starch or cornstarch. Avoid using all purpose flour or it won't be crispy.
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Curry powder: Use Japanese curry powder or Indian curry powder for a stronger curry flavor.
• Salt &Black Pepper
• Baking powder: don't skip as it makes the chicken extra crispy.
• Cold water: this makes the coating light and flaky!

Note: Your grocery store or Asian market should carry most of these ingredients.

In a large bowl or Ziplock bag, combine Marinade ingredients as listed. Add chicken to marinade and mix well. Cover the bowl or seal the bag. Let this sit for 10 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

In another large bowl, combine Wet batter ingredients as listed until you have a thick but runny batter. The batter will settle and almost "solidify" but that is normal. You will just need to mix it again when you're ready to batter the chicken.

Once your chicken has marinated, add it to your batter and mix. You'll need some arm strength here to evenly coat the chicken.

In a deep pan or heavy bottom pot, heat cooking oil on medium heat or around 350 degrees F with a digital cooking thermometer or place a wooden chopstick in the oil and look for bubbles.

Lower battered chicken into oil away from you. The batter will slightly run off the chicken but that's normal. Do not overcrowd the pan or cover your pot with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes, flipping halfway and turning occasionally until golden crispy brown and juices run clear. The internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165 F with a digital cooking thermometer.

Can I use chicken wings or thighs?

Yes! Please find deep frying instructions for each cut in the recipe card below.

Can I make this in advance?

Korean fried chicken can be prepared in advance by marinating the chicken 1-2 nights before and you can create the wet batter a few hours in advance. You can also fry these in advance and store them in the refrigerator to reheat in the oven or air fryer at 350 degrees F or deep frying them again for a few minutes until hot throughout.

• 8 chicken drumsticks
• 4 cups vegetable oil or any neutral oil

Chicken Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon dry sherry or sub with white wine or rice vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1.5 teaspoon regular soy sauce or sub with a gluten-free soy sauce, tamari sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• ½ teaspoon salt

Batter (for 8 drumsticks):

• 1.25 cups tapioca starch aka tapioca flour or sub with potato starch or cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1.5 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp water cold

• In a large mixing bowl, combine marinade ingredients as listed. Marinate your chicken for 10 minutes or overnight for best results.

• In another large mixing bowl, combine batter ingredients until you have a thick but runny batter. The batter will settle and almost "solidify" but that is normal. You will just need to mix it again when you're ready to batter the chicken.

• Add marinated chicken it to your batter and mix. You'll need some arm strength here to evenly coat the chicken.

• In a large wok, deep pan or heavy bottomed pot, heat oil or neutral oil in a pot over medium heat (around 350 degrees F). Place a wooden chopstick in the oil to check if the oil is hot enough by looking for bubbles. Once you see bubbles form at the tip of the chopstick, your oil is hot enough.

• In small batches, carefully lower battered chicken into hot oil away from you. The batter will run off the chicken a bit but that's normal. Do not overcrowd the pan (about 4 pieces per batch).

• Fry drumsticks for 10 minutes on each side for a total of 20 minutes. Flipping around every now and then until golden crispy brown. The internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165 degrees F with an digital cooking thermometer.

• Transfer fried chicken to a wire rack or a paper-towel lined baking sheet to remove excess oil. Enjoy!

Can I use chicken wings or thighs for this recipe?

Yes! Please find deep frying instructions for each cut below:

Chicken wings: Heat oil to 375 degrees F and fry chicken wings for 8-10 minutes flipping over halfway. Cook until juices run clear or until an internal temperature of 165 F.

Chicken thighs with bone in skin on: Heat oil to 350 F and fry thighs for 14-15 minutes flipping over halfway. Cook until juices run clear or until an internal temperature of 165 F.