Korean Fried Chicken 101: The cooking technique and where to try it out

August 2, 11:37 AMLA Ethnic Restaurants ExaminerAbby Abanes

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For the past couple of years, a new chicken sensation has been hitting the culinary landscape all over the US and hails from Korea.  Specifically, everyone is gaga over the Korean Fried Chicken.  So let’s get the scoop on what the buzz is all about.

First and foremost, unlike its American counterparts, chickens in Korea run on the smaller side.  As such, these chickens are usually small enough to be fried whole, cut into bite-size pieces and then served according.  The way that Korean Fried Chicken restaurants handle the larger US chickens is that they serve just the chicken wings and/or small drumsticks.

When it comes to the cooking technique, the chicken is first coated finely with flour, dipped into a thin batter before hitting the fryer.  In terms of the oil temperature, it’s usually at a low 350 degrees.  What makes this chicken unique is that it is double-fried.

Initially, the chicken is fried for 10 minutes and it’s removed from the oil, shaken in a wire strainer to remove excess oil and allowed to cool for a couple of minutes.  This first stage slows down the cooking process and ensures that the crust doesn’t get too brown before the meat is cooked through.

When it’s done resting, the chicken then spends  an additional 10 minutes in the fryer.  Once the chicken is fried and removed from the fryer, it’s glazed with either a sweet garlic-soy sauce or a hot red pepper sauce.  If done correctly, the sauce is absorbed into the crust, which adds flavor but doesn’t make the crust soggy.  The usual accompaniment to Korean fried chicken is cubes of pickled radishes and/or coleslaw with some kind of thousand island dressing.

One of the reasons that Korean Fried Chicken is so appealing is that the skin is thoroughly fried all the way through.  That fatty layer between the skin and chicken doesn’t exist.  Also, the chicken when eaten with the pickled radishes produces delicious flavor trails of salt and spice, cold and hot, briny and sweet and wonderful textures like crunchy and tender that run across one’s palate.

So if you’re looking to explore a new fried chicken frontier, Korean-style, than look below for some places to try out!

BonChon
3407 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 487-7878

Chicken Day
301 S Western Ave # 108
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 387-9933

Hite Kwang-Jang
3839 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 384-7999

Kyochon Chicken
3833 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 739-9292

O B Bear
3002 W 7th St
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 480-4910

Pizza & Chicken Love Letter
12238 Artesia Blvd
Artesia, CA 90701
(562) 402-8000

If you enjoy Korean Cuisine, check out:

Korean Food Glossary Terms aka What to Order at a Korean Restaurant
Korean Fried Chicken Smackdown:  Kyochon vs. Bon Chon, Part 1 (Koreatown)
Korean Fried Chicken Smackdown:  Kyochon vs. Bon Chon, Part 2 (Koreatown)
Korean Soon Tofu: Hot in More Ways Than One