Inspired by KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), I ventured into making a rarity at my house, fried chicken. As we are currently having a pandemic, I was only able to get chicken wings from the store. So, fried chicken wings with an Asian-ish glaze was born and it has been a hit. I went from not frying wings for…um…many years to frying wings once a week for the past month.
If you like a crispy-skinned chicken wing without a breading, these Korean-style fried chicken wings are for you. Unlike many wings that I have had at restaurants, these wings are not fatty, oily, or rubbery. I am not sure if the reason is the brand of chicken, the fact that these are regular-sized wings (not very large), how the wings are fried, or a combination of these things. I am sure that this method of frying the wings results in a tasty, crispy, and crunchy piece of chicken.
The wings are coated with cornstarch (or potato starch) and fried twice. Although I read some people refrigerated or even froze the wings before frying after dusting them with a cornstarch mixture. I find that they are very good and much quicker with just letting them rest for a few minutes after the first fry.
Should you brine the wings before coating them in the cornstarch mixture? I have done it both ways. Frankly, I don’t think the result merited the extra work of the brine. No one noticed any difference in taste and it just took a lot longer to prepare the wings.
I made a sauce that gives a nod to a sweet American barbecue sauce but includes hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and ginger. It can easily be made less sweet by using less honey and brown sugar. You can also increase the hoisin sauce, but you may want to be cautious if you are not that familiar with hoisin sauce. Sometimes a little hoisin can go a long way.
The sauce in the recipe can easily be substituted with any sauce you like: Teriyaki, Barbecue, Buffalo, etc. Or, you can just eat them plain.
Korean Inspired Fried Chicken Wings
Ingredients
Wings
- 1 1/2 lb. chicken wing drumettes and wingettes
- 1/2 c. corn or potato starch
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. white pepper
- peanut or vegetable oil for frying
Sauce
- 1/4 c. hoisin sauce
- 1/4 c. ketchup
- 1/4 c. honey
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 2 +/- tsp. soy sauce (to taste)
- 1 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet with a rack and/or paper towels to rest chicken after it first fries.
- Pour oil into a pot with high sides and a thick bottom or a dutch oven until it is about 2 inches deep or use a deep fryer.
- Heat oil to 350 degrees F.
- While oil is heating, combine the hoisin, ketchup, honey, sugar, ginger, soy, and vinegar.
- Pat chicken wing parts dry with paper towels, and place in a plastic zipper bag.
- Combine starch, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or cup.
- Add the starch combination to the plastic bag and toss to coat all pieces well.
- When the oil is at temperature, shake off the excess starch mixture and place the pieces in the hot oil.
- BE SURE NOT TO OVERCROWD THE FRYER. Only fry a few pieces at a time.
- Turn the wings over in the oil to fry evenly on both sides.
- Fry until the wings just start to show a little color, about 6 minutes for regular-sized wings. The internal temp will be around 145 degrees F.
- Remove from oil and set on prepared sheet to cool while frying the rest of the wings in small batches.
- Heat the sauce ingredients until it boils or almost boils. Stirring frequently.
- Refry the first batch of wings until they are a more golden brown color, crispy, and they have reached a safe internal temperature. The USDA guideline is 165 degrees F. (I usually fry more at a time for the second fry as they are still warm and don't drop the oil temperature as much. However, I still don't overcrowd them). This may take 4 or 5 minutes per batch, but you need to monitor closely because it could be less time.
- Place on a paper towel-lined surface to drain any excess oil.
- While the wings are still hot, place a serving of the wings in a bowl with some sauce and bush with more sauce to coat.
- Serve hot. or warm.
Notes
The sauce is sweet. If you would like a less sweet sauce, add more hoisin, and reduce the honey and brown sugar.
