About 9 years ago, I lived in the Koreatown community of Los Angeles. It was there that I stumbled across Kyochon Chicken, a Korean Fried Chicken chain.
I’m a southerner, so fried chicken is nothing new to me. But these chicken wings were something like I’d never experienced: they were crispy, but not breaded. Frying the wings twice is what gives a signature crispiness that can stand up to being coated in a wet glaze. Each bite was an explosion of soy, garlic, and other umami sensations. It was love at first bite.
While these wings are delicious, they are fairly pricey. This week, and I was craving these wings, but I didn’t want to drive the 45 minute round trip to Kyochon. So, I got it in my head that maybe, just maybe, I could throw together a recipe that would save me some money and satisfy my craving.
This recipe is a hit! It’s not the same Soy Garlic marinade from Kyochon, but when I’m craving double-fried, soy garlicky wings and want to save money and a commute, this recipe is my new go to!
- 2dozen chicken wingsI used wing pieces, not whole wings.
- 1/4cup oniondiced
- 3cloves garlicminced
- 1/2cup soy sauce
- 1/4cup mirin
- 1 tbsp brown sugardark or brown
- 1 tsp honey*if you don't have honey, you can omit
- 1tbsp fresh gingergrated
- 2/3cup flour
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2/3cup water
- oil for fryingcanola, soybean, or peanut oil
- MAKE THE BATTER: In a large mixing bowl, mix 2/3 cup of flour and 3 tbsp of cornstarch together which 2/3 cup of water. Remove 1 tbsp of this "slurry" and reserve for the Soy Garlic Marinade.
- MAKE THE MARINADE Add the onion, garlic, soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and ginger into a small saucepot and bring to a boil. Add 1 tbsp of this "slurry" mixture to thicken the sauce. Bring back to a boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. Remove from heat, strain out solids, and set aside.
- PREPARE THE OIL: In your vessel of choice (cast iron skillet, deep fryer, dutch oven, etc), bring the oil up to 350 degrees. I used a cast iron skillet and a thermometer to ensure the oil temperature. When the grease comes to 350, move to step 4.
- FRY THE CHICKEN, Fry #1: Remove the chicken wings from their packaging and lightly salt and pepper them. Dip the chicken wings in the batter, tap off the excess batter, and one at a time, add to the frying oil. Fry the wings for 6 minutes until lightly golden, and remove from oil. NOTE: They are NOT fully cooked at this time. While chicken is frying, take a wire rack and place on a sheet pan. Place paper towels on top. After 6 minutes, remove chicken from oil and place on a paper towels to drain.
- FRY THE CHICKEN, Fry #2: Bring oil back up to 350 degrees and add partially fried chicken back to the oil. Cook for 7-9 more minutes, or until the chicken wings are golden brown. If you aren't sure about their doneness, remove chicken from oil and test the internal temperature: it should be 165 degrees.
- COAT WINGS IN GLAZE: Place fried chicken wings on the wire rack. (remove paper towels)
Take the soy garlic glaze, and using a pastry brush, coat each fully cooked wing with the thickened glaze. Let rest on the wire rack a minute before serving. - SERVE AND ENJOY
