Make Junghyun Park's Korean fried chicken

A leading light of the New Korean Cuisine movement, Junghyun (JP) Park has co-authored The Korean Cookbook, which will be published in October 2023, by Phaidon. Here we share the acclaimed chef’s recipe for sweet and spicy Korean fried chicken. 

Park, together with his wife Elia Park, run four New York City restaurants – their first, Atoboy, was followed by Atomix, which showcases chef Park’s creative flare in a peerless tasting menu, earning two Michelin stars and the title of Highest Climber at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023. Naro and Seoul Salon followed cementing the husband-and-wife team’s place as the Ambassadors of Korean cuisine in NYC. The Korean Cookbook is co-authored with Jungyoon Choi, a Korean culinary researcher, lecturer, and writer. 

A much loved Korean dish, sweet and spicy fried chicken captures everything that is great about Korean food – crispy, crunchy and sticky with strong umami and soy-rich flavours. Here is the recipe for you to make it at home.  

_{Courtesy of Phaidon}

Sweet and spicy Korean fried chicken

Serves 2 

Ingredients 

For the sauce 

3 tbsp corn (golden) syrup 

2 tbsp ketchup 

2 tbsp gochujang (red chilli paste) 

2 tbsp ganjang (Korean soy sauce) 

1 tbsp minced garlic 

1/2 tbsp fine gochugaru (red chilli powder) 

1 tbsp sugar 

For the chicken 

1 3/4 lb (800g) bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces 

1 tbsp mat-gogeum (MSG/salt blend) 

1 tsp sugar 

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

Neutral cooking oil for deep-frying (about 81/2 cups/68 fl. oz/2l) 

1 1/2 cups (180g) Korean seasoned fried chicken mix 

Method 

Step 1 

Make the sauce: in a small saucepan, combine the corn syrup, ketchup, gochujang, soy sauce, garlic, gochugaru and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring well. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes before removing from the heat. 

Step 2 

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. In a bowl, sprinkle the chicken with the MSG/salt blend, sugar and black pepper and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes. Pour 3-4 inches (7.5-10 cm) of neutral oil into a large deep pot or deep fryer and heat to 355°F (180°C). 

Step 3 

In a small bowl, stir together 6 1/2 tablespoons of the fried chicken mix and 4 tablespoons of water to make a batter and mix well until uniform. Place the remaining generous 1 cup (130g) fried chicken mix in a large plastic bag. 

Step 4 

Working with one piece at a time, place the seasoned chicken in the plastic bag and shake well until the chicken is well coated. Let settle for 30 seconds before removing from the bag, shaking off any excess mix. 

Step 5 

Set a wire rack in a sheet pan. Once the oil is up to temperature, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the chicken pieces, starting with any larger pieces, such as a thigh or drumstick. Deep-fry for 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove and set on the rack to cool for 3 minutes. 

Step 6 

Sauce the chicken by combining the fried chicken with the desired amount of sauce and tossing well in the bowl. Plate and serve immediately. 

The Korean Cookbook by Junghyun Park and Jungyoon Choi is published by Phaidon.