EPIC Korean Fried Chicken

harvest // blog issue 13.

Air Fried vs. Hot Baked Korean Fried Chicken

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One of the most popular food trends we’ve seen in restaurants and take out menus during 2020 is Nashville Hot Chicken. But there is another [not so new] kid on the block with a healthy oriental spin. Coated in a thick crust of crushed corn polenta and finished with an alluring sweet and spicy Korean-inspired BBQ basting. This mouth-watering chicken is a sure-fire crowd favorite. We’re giving you two methods of cooking including air frying and conventional baking. Read further to find out which style of baking gave the most crave-worthy crust. Serve with a side of fragrant steamed rice and stir fried veggies for an easy dinner that’s delicious with a twist.

The Southern-style buttermilk marinade offers a few distinct benefits including keeping the chicken incredibly moist while also lending itself as a binder for your polenta and flour crust. Leave the chicken in the buttermilk for at least 2 hours but ideally around 6 hours or even overnight. The addition of gochujang or crystals hot sauce here welcomes an extra kick of heat with a bright pepper-vinegar twang. If that hasn’t got your mouth watering, I don’t know what will.

🍽 Serves 2 | 🕒 Prep Time: 2-6 hours | Cook Time: 30 min | 🔪 Skill Level: Easy

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade:

2 boneless chicken thighs + drumsticks

1 cup (240ml) buttermilk (or 1 cup regular milk + 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar)

1 lemon

1 tbsp Crystals hot sauce or 1 tsp gochujang paste

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp garlic salt

Polenta Crumb

½ cup (120g) polenta

½ cup (120g) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp garlic salt

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp chili flakes

½ tsp chicken salt (optional)

Korean BBQ Sauce:

2 tbsp gochujang paste

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp liquid aminos

2 cloves garlic - peeled and minced

2 tsp minced ginger

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

½ tsp chilli flakes

To serve

3 spring onions - sliced into thin strips

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Garlic Mushrooms or any other accompaniment of vegetables.

Equipment

Breville Air Fryer (Optional)

Mixing Bowl

Small Sauce Pot

Method

Buttermilk Marinade

Combined all marinade ingredients in a large airtight container. Add chicken and leave to marinade in buttermilk brine for a minimum of 2 hours or ideally 6 hours for great results.

Korean BBQ Sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepot and bring to a simmer over medium to low heat. Slow cook for 10 minutes to reduce volume and thicken into the sweet, smoky, spicy and sassy chili glaze.
If storing, keep in a tight air container or mason jar for 2 weeks for peak freshness. Warm and serve over this chicken or even shrimp, salmon, grilled eggplant, a sweet and spicy fried rice or any other oriental creation.

Polenta Crumb

Combine polenta, flour and all other spices and seasonings in a large bowl and set aside for crumbing diced chicken pieces.

Chicken

Slice chicken thighs into 1 inch diced chunks or even smaller to create ultra crunchy chicken popcorn.
Once butter milk chicken has reached a desired degree of marinating, you’re ready to crumb and cook. Create a 3-step station with your brined chicken, spiced polenta crumb mix and a clean and parchment lined baking tray to prepare crumbed chicken for baking.
Note: always rest chicken in dry crumb for a minimum of 10 minutes to create a strong binding of flour crust to the chicken.
Distribute crumbed chicken bits and drumsticks evenly on a baking rack to allow even and all round cooking. A baking tray with no holes or airflow will not yield the same result.

Air Fry:

Preheat Air Frier to 390ºF/ 200ºC and cook chicken for 25-30 minutes until ultra crunchy. While this might seem like a long time for diced chicken, the buttermilk marinade will ensure the meat stays succulent and moist. A noble compromise to the air fryer is the good old home oven - use the same temperature and cooking time.
We had high hopes for the Breville SmartOven Pro Air, and it did not disappoint. To be fair, our very unscientific test showed surprisingly similar results between the two. But the air fryer just took out the winning position with a superior color and extra layer of crunch.

Winner Winner Air-Fried Chicken Dinner !!

To Serve

Once the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165ºF or 75ºC. Remove from oven into a large mixing bowl.
Toss chicken in warm Korean chili glaze together with toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately together with your choice of sides. We suggest fluffy steamed white rice, flash pan fried garlic mushrooms and thin sliced scallions.

Words of wisdom: We created bite size Korean chicken popcorn here. If you wish to send your Friday night sando to epic status, leave boneless chicken thighs whole rather than diced to create the most epic Korean Fried Chicken Burger imaginable. Serve with a light kewpie mayonnaise cabbage slaw and brioche roll. Beer pairing essential. See below.

Wine Pairing

I consulted LA-bred beer cicerone Harley Rogers for a red hot recommendation on pairing a crisp frothie with fiery Korean chicken. “Why not offer your guests two options. Bring the heat with a bitter, hoppy IPA or tone it down with a quenching saison or an amble ale”.

Right now I’m absolutely loving Hazy IPA. The minimal intervention approach to filtering welcomes an irresistibly smooth and juicy fruit flavor but enough crunch to cut through the spiciness of our Korean Fried Chicken. I happen to think that anything made by Russian River Brewing is pure fire.

Russian River Brewing Company - Wild Circus Hazy IPA.

RRP: $5.99 / 500mL / 16oz.