Get ready for Korean Wings that pack serious flavor and crunch. These crispy fried chicken wings get tossed in a bold, spicy red Gochujang based sauce known as Yangnyeom Sauce; a sticky, savory, and sweet glaze with a kick of heat. Want it hotter? Add fresh chilies to turn up the fire. The breading on these wings is next-level stuff, and sturdy enough to handle any sauce without going soggy. It’s the ultimate coating whether you’re making bone-in or boneless wings.
This is a recipe that was developed out of my curiosity of combining the batter used for Korean Sweet & Sour Stir Fry or Ginger Beef Batter, but in dry form for Breaded Wings. The marinade, a mix of Fried Chicken marinade with starches and leavener, but still very thin. The results! Succulent, messy good, Chicken Wings with a beautiful color and marvelous crunchy dense breading. I was really impressed how well these turned out.
Korean Wings Ingredients
Chicken Wings, Marinade (Water, Egg, Chicken Bouillon, Sea Salt, MSG, Baking Powder, Potato Starch), Breading (Cornstarch, Flour, White Pepper), Gochujang Sauce (Gochujang, Honey, Water, Ketchup, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Rice Vinegar, Onion Powder, Minced Garlic or Garlic Flakes, Ginger Powder).
Breaded Wings Marinade
Both the Marinade and the Chicken Wing Breading come from the Breaded Wings Recipe. The Chicken Wings are marinated first and then breaded.
For up to 4 lbs of Chicken Wings, add the following;
- 1 C Cold Water
- 1 Egg
- 1 Chicken Bouillon Cube
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt & MSG
- Use this amount for every 1 lb (ca. 454 g) of Chicken Wings. So if doing 2 lbs, everything else stays the same, but the Salt & MSG is 1 tsp for 2 lbs of Wings. Use 2 tsp of Sea Salt & MSG, if doing 4 lbs of Wings.
- 4 tsp Baking Powder
- 4 tsp Potato Starch or Rice Flour
Breading
This is a remarkable breading for Breaded Wings, that offers crunch, even being coated afterward in any kind of sauce. It’s the tiny nodules that are crunchy that really makes this batter what it is, absolutely amazing as a breading for Wings and for Boneless Chicken Wings too!
For 2–3 lbs of Chicken Wings, use the following breading;
- 1 1/4 C Cornstarch
- 3 Tbl Flour
- 1/2 Tbl White Pepper
To scale up, add the below to the above mix, for every additional 1 lb (ca. 454 g) of Chicken Wings.
- 7 Tbl Cornstarch
- 1 Tbl Flour
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
Korean Gochujang Sauce
The Sauce is nothing more than Gochujang Paste, mixed and balanced against something Sweet (Rice Syrup, Honey, Sugar, or Corn Syrup) and Sour (White Vinegar, Rice Vinegar, or Plum Vinegar) with minced Garlic Cloves or Dehydrated Minced Garlic. Ketchup is added for the red color too, and for sweetness, a bit of tang and thickness. Oil is added for mouthfeel and a nice sheen to the sauce.
Use the below for every 2 lbs of Wings. Fry the chopped Garlic in the Oil and then add in the remaining ingredients to bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to await the Wings.
- 1/4 C each of Gochujang, Honey, Water, Ketchup, each
- 1 Tbl Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil & Rice Vinegar, each
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 3 Cloves of Chopped Garlic
- 1/8 tsp Ginger
Yangnyeom Sauce
Red Korean/Gochujang Sauce is a Savory, Sweet Heat with Tang and a Garlicky Kick Sauce, called Yangnyeom. Made popular with Korean Double Fried Chicken and is also used for Wings & Boneless Chicken. If more heat is desired, then add in Fresh Chilies when making the sauce to bolster the heat up even more.
This sauce is a combination of Gochujang Paste, with something Sweet like Rice Syrup, Honey, Sugar, or Corn Syrup. Balanced against something acidic like Rice Vinegar, White Vinegar, or Plum Vinegar. With Garlic Cloves fried in the oil before adding in the remaining ingredients that include Water & Ketchup. Sometimes Soy Sauce and even Mirin or cooking Wines are added. Feel free to adjust as you see fit.
How to Bread Wings
Add 10–12 wings to make up about 1 lb (ca. 454 g), one at a time, to the bowl of breading and shake the bowl while adding the Wings. Then toss the Wings to ensure they are completely coated. Pick each Wing up and hit against the bowl to shake off any excess breading and place on a tray.
Leftover Breading
This is an optional step, but one that I do to maximize the breading on each Wing and use up as much of the breading as possible. It also adheres some clumps in the breading to the Wings, producing an even crunchier breading.
After the Wings sit for a bit, some may absorb the breading and could use more. Add 1 lb (ca. 454 g) of Chicken Wings at a time (about 10–12 pieces) and toss again in the bowl with the leftover breading. Pick up each one again and shake off any excess and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat for all the Wings you have, doing 1 lb (ca. 454 g) or about 10–12 pieces at a time.
Deep Frying Breaded Wings
Preheat the Deep Fryer to 375F or the highest setting it will go, usually around 375F to 400F.
Once you transfer the Wings, 1 lb (ca. 454 g) at a time, to the breading to toss and coat and now have all your Wings on a baking sheet, you’re ready for deep-frying.
- Place 1 lb (ca. 454 g) of Wings or about 10–12 pieces into the fryer basket and lower into the hot Oil. Give the basket a shake to dislodge any stuck pieces, and deep-fry for 10 minutes. If you have a dual basket fryer, then you can place 1 lb (ca. 454 g) of Wings in each basket.
- Lift the baskets up and let rest 2 minutes, allowing the Oil to come back to temp if not already.
- Then deep-fry again for another 2 minutes. It’s this second fry, after the Wings have rested and the Oil at its hottest, that will really crisp things up.
- Lift the Baskets up and shake off any excess Oil. Empty into the bowl with Sauce to toss.
How to Sauce Wings
Place the Sauce in a steel bowl, to which you can add the Wings after coming out of the fryer. Then toss them with a spatula or tongs until they are fully coated. Remove them with tongs to plate and serve right away.
The Korean Gochujang Sauce is enough to do about 2 lbs of Wings. You may need to add a splash of water to thin it out a bit more for full coverage.
Equipment
- 1 Deep Fryer
- 1 Marinating Bowl
- 1 Breading Bowl cleaned out and used again for saucing
- 1 Sheet Pan
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Tong
- 1 Small Sauce Pan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Wings
- As Needed Oil - For deep-frying
Marinade
- 1 C Water
- 1 Cube Chicken Bouillon
- 1 Egg
- 4 tsp Baking Powder
- 4 tsp Potato Starch
- 1 tsp Sea Salt & MSG - each
Chicken Wing Breading
- 1 1/4 C Cornstarch
- 3 Tbl Flour
- 1/2 Tbl White Pepper
Korean Gochujang Sauce
- 1/4 C Gochujang, Honey, Water, and Ketchup - each
- 1 Tbl Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, and Rice Vinegar - each
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 3 Cloves Garlic - chopped
- 1/8 tsp Ginger Powder
Instructions
- Marinade: Add 1/2 C of water to a pot with the bouillon cube, set over max heat. Use a fork to assist mashing and dissolving the bouillon cube. Empty into the marinating bowl with another 1/2 C of very Cold Water, Egg, Baking Powder, Potato Starch, Salt & MSG. Mix well and add the Chicken Wings. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or longer.
- Breading Procedure: Heat the Deep Fryer up to 375 F. Combine the breading ingredients and mix well with a whisk. Remove the Wings from the fridge and place 1/2 of the Wings, one at a time, into the bowl with the breading while shaking it at the same time. Toss the Wings well and remove each piece, shaking off any excess breading to place on the baking sheet. Repeat for the second batch.Wash the bowl out and make the Gochujang Sauce for the Wings.
- Gochujang Sauce: Add the Sesame Oil to a pan over medium heat and add the chopped Garlic to cook until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and mix while bringing it to a boil. Empty into the washed out bowl to await the Wings.
- Deep Frying the Wings: Lift the Basket/s up from the fryer and place 1 lb into each basket. Lower and deep-fry for 10 minutes. Give the basket a shake to dislodge any stuck pieces. After 10 minutes, lift the baskets up to wait for about 2 minutes, or until the oil is hot again, if longer than 2 minutes. Deep-fry the Wings again for 2 minutes. Lift the baskets up and shake off any excess grease and empty Wings into the bowl with Sauce. Toss around until coated well and plate to serve right away.
Notes
- 7 Tbl Cornstarch
- 1 Tbl Flour
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper