Korean Fried Chicken (Air Fryer or Oven)
User Reviews
5
Korean Fried Chicken (Air Fryer or Oven)
Description
Korean Fried Chicken (Air Fryer or Oven) features boneless, skinless chicken thighs that are seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ground ginger, then coated evenly with cornstarch to create its signature crispiness. Cooking in an air fryer or oven at high temperatures forms a crisp outer crust while keeping the chicken juicy inside. The accompanying Korean Gochujang Barbecue Sauce combines ketchup, gochujang chili paste, honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger, and garlic, offering a balance of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors that cling to the crispy chicken.
The finished chicken can be garnished with toasted sesame seeds, diced scallions, and lime wedges to add nutty, fresh, and acidic notes. It works well as an appetizer, party food, or a flavorful main dish served alongside rice or vegetables.
For wing or drumette variations, adjust air frying times as suggested to maintain crispiness. Leftover chicken stores well refrigerated for up to three days, and freezing uncooked pieces before saucing is recommended for best texture. Reheating in an air fryer restores crispness effectively.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ - 2 pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless, cut into bite size pieces (or chicken wings, drumettes or boneless chicken breasts if preferred)
- ½-1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil I like Avocado or Grapeseed oil
- 3 tablespoons corn starch or potato starch, I like non-GMO
Korean Gochujang Barbecue Sauce
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons gochujang more or less depending on desired spice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar may use other vinegars, but might change the flavor slightly
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or alternative
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil toasted
- 1/2 tablespoon ginger peeled, minced or grated, fresh
- 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
Optional Toppings
- sesame seeds toasted
- scallions (green onions), diced
- lime cut into wedges for squeezing onto crispy fried chicken
Instructions
- Pat chicken thigh (1 ½-2 lbs) pieces dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the oil and sprinkle it with seasonings (salt (½ -1 tsp), pepper (½ tsp), garlic powder (½ tsp), ground ginger (½ tsp). Toss with corn starch (3 TBL), until coated evenly.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil or use a paper towel to wipe a thin coat of oil onto it, or for less mess, line with parchment paper made for air fryers (with holes in it) or air fryer silicone liners. Preheat the air fryer to 400° F (205° C).
- Cook coated chicken in single layers for 8 minutes, turn and cook an additional 7-8 minutes until crispy, doing in batches if necessary. See notes for how to oven bake.
- For extra crispy chicken, remove chicken after cooking (according to above instructions), to a plate or cooling rack, cool for 5 minutes. After cooling for 5 minutes, spray chicken pieces with a light coating of spray oil (like Avocado oil), place in a single layer back in the air fryer and fry for another 5 minutes.
- While chicken is cooking, assemble sauce ingredients in a small saucepan, 3 TBL Ketchup, 2 TBL gochujang, 2 TBL Honey, 1 TBL Brown sugar, 1 TBL rice vinegar, 1 TBL soy sauce, ½ TBL seseme oil, ½ TBL ginger, 2 cloves garlic and whisk to combine, bring to a brief boil over medium heat, remove from heat until ready to serve.
- Once chicken is cooked, toss well in sauce and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, wedge of lime and/or a little chopped scallion.
Notes
- When using chicken wings or drumettes, pat dry and air fry at 400°F for 15 minutes, flip for 5 minutes, rest 5 minutes, then air fry another 5 minutes before saucing.
- Oven-bake at 425°F on a parchment-lined sheet for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway to ensure even crisping.
- Store cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- Freeze uncooked chicken pieces on a parchment-lined tray before transferring to containers for up to three months; sauce can also be frozen separately.
- Reheat refrigerated or frozen chicken in the air fryer at 400°F for 5–7 minutes to maintain crispiness.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 342 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving (about 6 pieces) | |
| Calories | 342kcal | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | 16g | 5% |
| Protein | 19g | 38% |
| Fat | 22g | 34% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 6g | 35% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Trans Fat | 0.1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 111mg | 37% |
| Sodium | 520mg | 22% |
| Potassium | 300mg | 6% |
| Fiber | 0.2g | 1% |
| Sugar | 10g | 20% |
| Vitamin A | 139IU | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 2mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 17mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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