Extra crispy Korean Fried Chicken bites tossed in a homemade sweet and spicy gochujang sauce served with creamy Asian slaw and paired with steamed rice. Easy homemade tender chicken smothered with sticky sauce that’s ready in 30 minutes. This makes for a tasty weeknight dinner inspired by street food the whole family will love.

This is a super fun take on Korean fried chicken with a sticky gochujang sauce. I’ve been wanting to make this for so long now and I finally got around to ordering some gochujang paste to make this recipe. Not commonly found near me so I just ordered some off Amazon where I can pretty much order most of those one-off ingredients you don’t typically shop for. This dish was incredible! I couldn’t stop eating it and wished i made a ton of extra so I’d have some for lunch the rest of the week.

You’ll love this recipe for the fam. You don’t see a lot of dishes with coleslaw unless its a sandwich but  I was semi inspired by an Asian Fried Chicken Sandwich except I served it over rice instead of on a toasted bun. However you decide to eat this- it will be amazing. I think the slaw adds an extra dimension of flavour that you can’t get with rice because its so plain. Sure it helps cut through the sweet and spiciness of the sauce but with the slaw you get some extra crunchiness and a little bit of fat from the dressing that really knocks it out of the park.

GOCHUJANG

Gochujang is a Korean fermented red chilli paste that’s both sweet and spicy. it’s a concentrated paste treated as a condiment used in sauces that adds a funky umami flavour to your dish. I think its best used in dishes where it can be transformed into a sauce and cooked down to open up its flavours so that it can be thinned down. It’s also great for marinates, making dipping sauces and amp up flavours to broth based soups.

Personally, I don’t think its very spicy when paired with other ingredients that bubble into this fiery red sauce. The soy sauce, ginger, garlic, ketchup, honey and acidity balance out the heat from the red chilies for that perfect well-rounded taste. The extra sugars from the soy sauce, ketchup and honey get it to transform into the sticky sauce you get at the end. If you’re worried about the spice, start with a little bit, taste and add more if you think its not strong enough. Its much easier to manipulate as opposed to being too spicy and trying to work backwards from there.

KOREAN FRIED

I know Korean fried chicken as being extra crispy with a lighter coating. So how do you achieve that and why is it different from the North American version? A lot of the times i’ll soak chicken overnight in a buttermilk bath and then dredge it through egg and in a seasoned flour mixture. That’s the North American version and its delicious! The Korean version doesn’t require an overnight soak but rather mixes the chicken directly with the batter ingredients. Egg, cold water and typically potato flour will all get mixed with the chicken pieces and create a light coating for frying. This process is purposeful for a lighter, airier and crispier texture that forms when the cold batter comes into contact with the hot oil. Both are just as good- different technique with similar results.

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Print Recipe

Korean Fried Chicken with Spicy Asian Slaw

Extra crispy chicken bites tossed in a homemade sweet and spicy gochujang sauce served with a creamy Asian slaw over a bed of fluffy rice.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Mains

Cuisine: korean

Keyword: asian slaw, dinner, easy, family, fried chicken, gochujang, korean, rice, weeknight dinner

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 6-8 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
• kosher salt and pepper to season
• 1 large egg
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• vegetable oil for frying
• rice to serve
• sesame seeds
• cilantro

Gochujang sauce

• 1/3 cup gochujang paste add more for spicier
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, grated or paste
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp honey warmed
• 1/4 cup water

Asian Slaw

• 1 cup green cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
• 2/3 cup carrots, shredded
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey, warmed
• kosher salt and pepper to season
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

• Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron pan, wok, or Dutch oven. Fill with enough oil to shallow fry or completely submerge.
• For the chicken: cut each thigh into large bite size pieces and place in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, add the minced garlic, egg, flour, cornstarch and water. Mix well using your hands to coat each piece.
• Fry each piece until golden on both sides and transfer to a wire rack. Repeat in batches until all the chicken is fried. For extra crispy, return for a double fry. Remove and season with some salt.
• Gochujang sauce: Mix together all the ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally until nice and bubbly and the mixture has turned into a sticky sauce. About 5 minutes.
• Asian slaw: Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, sriracha, and lemon juice. Pour overtop the shredded cabbage and carrots.
• Serve chicken over rice with a side of Asian slaw. Season with some sesame seeds and garnish with fresh cilantro. Enjoy!