Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The best Korean Fried Chicken – Crispy buttermilk fried chicken smothered in a spicy, sticky Korean Gochujang sauce. INSANELY good!
Ingredients
Chicken and marinade:
4 chicken breasts (approx 700g or 1.5lb) sliced into long thick strips
240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp garlic salt
Crispy Coating:
180 g (1 1/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
oil for deep frying (at least 1 litre/four cups) I use avocado oil, but other neutral oils such as sunflower or canola work too.
Sauce:
2 tbsp gochujang paste
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp oil I use avocado oil, but other neutral oils such as sunflower or canola work too.
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 spring onions sliced into thin strips
1 tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
Instructions
✅Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour (up to overnight)
✅Preheat the oven to a low heat (to keep the cooked chicken warm). Heat a large pan of vegetable oil (or preheat your deep fat fryer) until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough). You’ll need at least 1 litre (4 cups) of oil.
✅Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl.
✅Take the chicken out of the fridge. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
✅Once the oil is hot enough, add in 5 or 6 of the chicken tenders. You can add more or less depending on the size of your pan, just be sure not to overcrowd the chicken.
✅Cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the middle. You can check this by cutting open a piece of chicken, if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s cooked.
✅Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the chicken. **If you want to ensure the chicken stays extra crispy whilst in the oven, see my 'Top Tips for Success' section in the post.
✅Meanwhile, make the sauce. Place the gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, and sesame oil in a saucepan and stir together.
✅Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
✅Pour over the crispy chicken and carefully toss together, then top with the spring onions, chilli flakes, and sesame seeds before serving.
The best Korean Fried Chicken – Crispy buttermilk fried chicken smothered in a spicy, sticky Korean Gochujang sauce. INSANELY good!
Ingredients
Chicken and marinade:
4 chicken breasts (approx 700g or 1.5lb) sliced into long thick strips
240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp garlic salt
Crispy Coating:
180 g (1 1/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
oil for deep frying (at least 1 litre/four cups) I use avocado oil, but other neutral oils such as sunflower or canola work too.
Sauce:
2 tbsp gochujang paste
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp oil I use avocado oil, but other neutral oils such as sunflower or canola work too.
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 spring onions sliced into thin strips
1 tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
Instructions
✅Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour (up to overnight)
✅Preheat the oven to a low heat (to keep the cooked chicken warm). Heat a large pan of vegetable oil (or preheat your deep fat fryer) until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough). You’ll need at least 1 litre (4 cups) of oil.
✅Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl.
✅Take the chicken out of the fridge. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
✅Once the oil is hot enough, add in 5 or 6 of the chicken tenders. You can add more or less depending on the size of your pan, just be sure not to overcrowd the chicken.
✅Cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the middle. You can check this by cutting open a piece of chicken, if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s cooked.
✅Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the chicken. **If you want to ensure the chicken stays extra crispy whilst in the oven, see my 'Top Tips for Success' section in the post.
✅Meanwhile, make the sauce. Place the gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, and sesame oil in a saucepan and stir together.
✅Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
✅Pour over the crispy chicken and carefully toss together, then top with the spring onions, chilli flakes, and sesame seeds before serving.
