Korean Fried Chicken Recipe

There are fast-food chains and trucks whose menus are devoted solely to this addictive chicken. Generally, it’s fried twice to crisp the skin then rolled in a sweet, vinegary, chilli glaze made from the insanely good gochujang chilli paste.

Since frying chicken on the bone can be messy, this method bakes them crisp first. The result is just as salivatingly good.

KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN WINGS WITH SPICY CHILLI GLAZE
Serves 4 or 6 as a starter

1 kg chicken wings, halved, tips removed

Brine
2 Tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
2 Tbsp rock or sea salt
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Chilli glaze
60g gochujang (Korean chilli paste)*
4 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp sake
4 Tbsp mirin (rice wine)
4 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp black or white sesame seeds, toasted

A thick Korean fermented soybean paste that includes red chilli and ground rice. Its spicy but sour taste adds a unique dimension to glazes, soups, stews and marinades. Buy it in tubs at Asian grocery stores and keep refrigerated once opened.

1. Put the chicken wings in a resealable plastic bag or a large bowl. Add all of the brine ingredients, combine well, then seal or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

2. Set the oven to 220C or 200C fan forced.

3. Drain, rinse and pat dry the chicken wings with paper towels. Place in a single layer in a large roasting tin and bake for 45 minutes, tossing several times during cooking.

4. Meanwhile, to make the glaze, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

5. After the wings have roasted, drain off the excess oil and pour the glaze over the top. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden and sticky. Serve on a big platter.

GET AHEAD: Marinate the chicken and make the glaze the day before, then cover and refrigerate. The next morning, roast the chicken for 35 minutes then remove it from the oven, cool and refrigerate. Just before serving, heat them again in the oven for 10 minutes, add the glaze and cook for another 10 minutes.

— This recipe was extracted from Jennifer Joyce’s cookbook, My Street Food Kitchen, published by Murdoch Books, $45.