Korean fried chicken wings
Double-fried, ultra-crispy chicken wings tossed in a sticky sweet‑spicy gochujang glaze — perfect for sharing with friends.
These Korean fried chicken wings are double fried for astonishing crispiness, then tossed in a glossy sweet‑spicy gochujang glaze. They're ideal for a weekend sharing plate, football night or when you want to impress without faff.
The method is straightforward: dry the wings, a gentle first fry to cook through, a short rest, then a hot second fry to crisp. Finish with a quick pan sauce that clings like a dream.
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken wings
- 10 ml fine salt
- 5 ml ground black pepper
- 80 g plain flour
- 80 g cornflour
- 5 ml baking powder
- 1.2 l vegetable oil — for deep frying; adjust to your pan so oil is about 6 cm deep
- 4 garlic cloves — finely minced
- 25 g fresh ginger — finely grated
- 15 ml light soy sauce
- 15 ml rice wine vinegar
- 60 g gochujang — Korean red chilli paste
- 60 g ketchup
- 60 g honey
- 25 g brown sugar
- 10 ml sesame oil — to finish the sauce
- 5 ml sesame seeds — to garnish
- 2 spring onions — finely sliced, to garnish
Equipment
- deep-frying thermometer
- wire rack
- baking tray
- tongs
- small saucepan
Instructions
Trim any loose bits from the wings and pat them thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Season evenly with 1 tsp fine salt and the ground black pepper. Leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Mix the dry dredge in a large bowl: plain flour, cornflour and baking powder. Stir until evenly combined.
Toss the rested wings in the dry dredge until well coated. Shake off any excess and rest the coated wings on a wire rack for 2–3 minutes before frying.
Pour the vegetable oil into a large, heavy saucepan to a depth of about 6 cm. Heat the oil to 160°C (use a deep‑frying thermometer).
Fry the wings in batches so they have room to move. First fry at 160°C for 8 minutes per batch until cooked through but pale. Remove with tongs and transfer to a wire rack over a baking tray.
Leave the wings to rest on the wire rack for 20 minutes — this cools them and allows steam to escape, which helps the second fry.
Raise the oil temperature to 200°C and keep it steady. If using a thermometer, heat slowly until the reading stabilises.
Second fry the wings in batches at 200°C for 2–3 minutes until deep golden and super‑crisp. Drain briefly on the wire rack.
While the final batch fries, make the sauce: warm a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, gochujang, ketchup, light soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey and brown sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring, and cook for 3–4 minutes until glossy and slightly reduced. Stir in the sesame oil off the heat.
Place the hot wings in a large clean bowl, pour the hot sauce over them and toss quickly so every wing is evenly glazed. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds and the sliced spring onions. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Dry the skin thoroughly and don’t skip the rest between fries — it’s the secret to lasting crunch.
- Use a thermometer for reliable oil temperature; too cool = greasy, too hot = burnt exterior.
- Fry in small batches so the oil temperature recovers quickly; keep cooked wings on a wire rack rather than kitchen paper to preserve crispiness.
- Make the sauce just before the second fry so it’s hot and glossy when you toss the wings. The sauce thickens as it cools.
- Leftovers (if any) reheat well in a hot oven at 200°C fan/220°C conventional for 6–8 minutes to revive crispness.
Substitutions
gochujang → sambal oelek, same weight
Noticeably differenthoney → golden syrup, same weight
Stays closeplain flour → rice flour, use the same weight for a lighter, slightly nutty crisp
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 730
- Calories
- 45 g
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 20 g
- Sugar
- 1000 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use drumsticks instead of wings?
Yes — cook times will be longer. First fry at 160°C for 12–14 minutes and second fry 3–4 minutes; ensure the internal temperature reaches 75°C.
Can I bake them instead of deep frying?
Baked versions will be less crisp. If you must, bake at 220°C fan/240°C conventional on a wire rack for 35–40 minutes, then brush with the glaze and blast under the grill for 2–3 minutes to caramelise.
How do I make this less spicy?
Reduce the gochujang by a third and increase honey by 10–20 g, or add a spoonful more ketchup to soften the heat.
Why double fry?
The first fry cooks the meat and renders fat; the rest lets steam escape. The second, hotter fry crisps the surface quickly for a durable crunch.
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