Korean fried chicken burgers with double-fried chicken thighs, gochujang sauce, quick-pickled cucumber and slaw in a soft potato bun. Makes 8.
Category
Lunch
Servings
8
Prep time
30 minutes
Cook time
35 minutes
Korean Fried Chicken has become a viral recipe over the past few years and I'm honestly not surprised. It's an incredible burger! And even though it does take a bit of time (and steps) to make it, it's one of my favourites and is always a big hit with friends.
What is it?
Korean fried chicken burger is made with chicken thighs, double-fried for a great crunch, then tossed in a gochujang sauce with heat, sweetness and fermented depth. Then, we'll layer a soft potato bun with the chicken, a quick-pickled cucumber, a dressed slaw and mayo.
A double-fry
We're going to double-fry the chicken to ensure we get an extra crispy chicken. The first fry at 175°C sets the coating and cooks the chicken through. The second fry at 190°C drives the remaining moisture out of the crust and gives you the crunch that holds up under the sauce. The Korean sauce, pickled cucumber and slaw can all be made while the chicken marinates, so the frying at the end is the only thing that needs your attention.
Ingredient Notes
Gochujang: A fermented Korean chilli paste made from red chillies, glutinous rice and soybeans. It has heat, sweetness, depth and a slight tang from the fermentation. You can find it at Asian grocery stores or Korean supermarkets.
Potato starch: Used alongside plain flour in the dredge. Potato starch produces a lighter, crisper coating than flour alone and gives the double-fried crust the structural quality that holds up under the sauce. Find it at Asian grocery stores. Cornflour (cornstarch) is a workable substitute if you can’t find potato starch, though the coating will be very slightly less delicate.
Hot honey: Honey infused with chilli, used in both the Korean sauce and the slaw dressing. It adds sweetness and a clean, even heat that balances the gochujang. If unavailable, substitute with regular honey and add a pinch of dried chilli flakes or a few drops of hot sauce to each use.
Equipment
- Deep fryer or large heavy pot
- Kitchen or probe thermometer
- Wire rack
- Large mixing bowls ×2
- Small saucepan
- Shallow heatproof bowl (for pickling)
- Chef’s knife and chopping board
- Kitchen scales
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs, trimmed
- thumbsize piece of fresh ginger, grated
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 8 potato buns, toasted (see separate recipe for homemade)
-
mayonnaise, for serving
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- ½ cup Gochujang
- ½ cup tomato ketchup
- 2½ tbsp hot honey
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or apple cider)
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- ⅓ cup (80ml) water
- 8 cloves garlic, crushed
- peanut oil, for deep frying
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1½ cups (225g) potato starch
- 1½ cups (225g) plain flour
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced into ribbons
- 1 baby wombok cabbage (napa cabbage), shredded
- 4 spring onions, sliced
- 1 bunch garlic chives, chopped
- 1 tbsp korean soy sauce
- ½ tsp gochukaru
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 tsp hot honey
KOREAN SAUCE
DREDGE AND FRYING
SALAD
DRESSING
Directions
Marinate the Chicken
In a large bowl, mix chicken thighs with grated ginger, grated garlic (4 cloves), salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Make the Korean Sauce
Heat peanut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add crushed garlic (8 cloves) and sauté for 2–3 minutes (don’t brown it).
- Add gochujang, ketchup, hot honey, vinegar, salt, soy sauce, and water. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Set aside.
Pickle the Cucumbers
In a saucepan, combine vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve.
- Pour over the sliced cucumbers in a shallow heatproof bowl. Set aside to cool.
Make the Salad
Toss the shredded cabbage, spring onions, and garlic chives in a large bowl.
- In a jar, combine the dressing ingredients: Korean soy sauce, gochukaru, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and hot honey. Shake well.
- Add dressing to the salad just before serving.
Dredge and Fry the Chicken (Double Fry Method)
Heat oil in a deep fryer or heavy pot to 175°C (347°F).
- In a large bowl, whisk half the flour and potato starch with the beaten eggs.
- In another bowl, mix the remaining flour and potato starch.
- Coat marinated chicken in the egg mixture, then dredge in the dry flour mix.
- Fry in batches for 4–5 minutes until light golden. Drain on a rack or paper towel.
- Increase oil temp to 190°C (375°F). Fry the chicken again for 4 minutes until golden and cooked through. Drain again.
Sauce the Chicken and Assemble
Place the hot, double-fried chicken in a large bowl. Pour over the Korean sauce and toss to coat evenly.
Spread mayonnaise on toasted potato buns.
- Layer with salad, a few cucumber ribbons, a piece of sauced chicken, then the top bun.
Recipe video
Recipe notes
Chef Tips
Marinate overnight if you can
I specified in the recipe to marinate for at least 1 hour, but leaving the chicken in the fridge overnight gives a noticeably better result. The ginger and garlic penetrate further into the flesh and the salt seasons through rather than just sitting on the surface. If you’re planning ahead, put the chicken in to marinate the evening before. The sauce, pickle and slaw can all be made in the time it takes to bring the chicken back to temperature and heat the oil.
Use a thermometer for the oil
Oil temperature is the most important variable when deep frying. Too hot and the coating burns before the chicken is cooked through. Too cold and the coating absorbs oil and goes greasy rather than crisping. A digital kitchen thermometer or probe thermometer is the most reliable way to hit and hold those temperatures.
Storage
The components store best separately. Sauced chicken keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 180°C (355°F) for 8 to 10 minutes to restore some crunch. Avoid microwaving as it softens the coating. The pickled cucumber keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days. The slaw is best dressed and eaten straight away. The Korean sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
FAQs
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs? You can, but thighs give a better result. Thigh meat is fattier and stays juicy through the double fry and after being sauced. Breast is leaner and dries out faster under sustained heat. If you’re using breast, pound the fillets to an even thickness of about 1.5cm so they cook evenly through both fries, and reduce the second fry to 3 minutes. The result is still good but thighs give you more margin for error.
Do I really need to double fry the chicken? Yes. The first fry at 175°C cooks the chicken through and sets the coating. The second fry at 190°C drives out the remaining moisture from the crust and creates the sustained crunch that holds up under the sauce. A single fry gives a softer coating that goes soggy quickly once sauced. The double fry takes an extra 4 minutes per batch but the texture difference is significant. It’s the whole point of the technique.
