Bring it to 350˚F over medium heat, again monitoring the temperature with the thermometer. Pull the chicken from the freezer and unwrap it about 1 hour before cooking.Īdd frying oil to your pan or pot so that it is no more than half full. This is the sauce that you will brush the chicken with as it comes out of its finishing fry. The next day, combine the gochujang, garlic, maple syrup, soy sauce, fish sauce, cheongju, hot sauce, and, if using, the MSG in the food processor and blend well.
Once it is completely cool, transfer the chicken to a clean sheet pan (or remove the rack and discard the newspaper from one pan), wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze for 8 hours or overnight. (If you’re unsure, cut into a piece of chicken to inspect the doneness from the inside.) Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the chicken to the cooling rack, and continue until all of the chicken has been blanched. The chicken should be opaque looking, and about 75 percent cooked through. Blanch in the oil for 6 to 8 minutes per side, turning the chicken as necessary. Working in batches, carefully transfer the chicken to the hot oil. Set the cooling racks over each lined sheet pan. Working in batches, remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, then toss into the potato starch to coat. Place the potato starch in a shallow bowl. Bring to 300˚F over medium heat, monitoring the temperature with a deep-fry thermometer. Add frying oil to a large, deep, straight-sided frying pan (or other vessel suited to frying chicken) so that it is no more than half full. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. Add the chicken and toss to coat with the marinade. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the chili oil, salt, and gochugaru. Gochugaru (ground Korean red pepper) FOR THE CHICKENĤ pounds chicken legs, separated into thighs and drumsticksĪbout 4 quarts peanut or soy oil, for fryingġ cup potato starch or tapioca starch FOR THE SAUCEġ cup gochujang (fermented Korean pepper paste)Ģ teaspoons MSG (optional but recommended) Special Equipment:Ģ cooling racks, each approximately the same size as the sheet pans The freezing step makes this dish into a two-day affair, and you’ll need to clear some room in your freezer, but it’s essential for extra-crisp results. The blanching and freezing technique was lifted from Danny Bowien at Mission Chinese, who does this with his chicken wings. There are many ways to make tasty fried chicken, and I like them all, but I’m particularly enamored of the Korean way, which requires some planning ahead but is extremely satisfying.