I have been on this ever since tasting Red Marvel Boneless Chicken Wings by Chicken Plus. These are really spicy Wings, like so angry spicy, but that sauce! That sauce is so incredible, and is what set me out to find out all about Korean Yangnyeom sauce, or better known as the Sauce for Korean Fried Chicken or in Korea, “Everything Sauce”.
This is an exceptional base, closely matching the Red Marvel Sauce offered by Chicken Plus, but not as spicy. Although, you can certainly add more Chili Oil to make it spicier. This is how you control the heat level. It is so close, I had to post this Red Marvel Style Sauce. It may even be better because the heat is so toned down and the other flavors can come out more.
What is Korean Yangnyeom
Yangnyeom literally means seasoned or seasoning in Korean. It often refers to a spicy, sweet and savory sauce commonly used to coat fried or grilled proteins, especially chicken. Today, most people think of Korean Fried Chicken that is coated in a red sauce called yangnyeom sauce.
Yangnyeom as a concept has deep roots in traditional Korean cuisine. The form we know today, associated with Korean fried chicken, emerged in the 1970s. The key ingredients are gochujang paste, garlic, sugar, and soy sauce. In more recent times, ketchup is added.
Korean Yangnyeom Ingredients
Sugar, Water, Cream of Tartar, Gochujang, Soy Sauce, Ketchup, Garlic, Ginger, Chili Oil.
Gochujang Paste
- Origins: Gochujang’s origins can be traced to the 16th century during the Joseon Dynasty, after chili peppers were introduced to Korea. The development of fermented chili paste with glutinous rice, fermented soy, and salt transformed it into a core seasoning.
- Role in Yangnyeom: Provides heat, color, umami, and depth.
Garlic
- Origins: Garlic has been used in Korea for thousands of years, appearing in both royal court and commoner recipes. It was valued not only for flavor but also for its medicinal properties in traditional Korean medicine.
- Role in Yangnyeom: Adds pungency and aromatic depth, cutting through the richness of fried chicken. Often paired with ginger to give a warm, savory undertone and exaggerate the heat.
Sugar
- Origins: Sugar became more widely available in Korea during the Joseon period, though originally expensive and mostly for the elite. Honey was traditionally used as a sweetener before refined sugar became common. Modern corn syrup entered Korea in the mid-20th century through industrial food processing. Rice Syrup, or Oligodang Syrup, also known as oligosaccharide, is widely used in Korean recipes to sweeten and thicken.
- Role in Yangnyeom: Adds sweetness and viscosity, helping the sauce adhere to fried chicken.
Soy Sauce
- Origins: Soy sauce has a long history in Korea, dating back at least to the Three Kingdoms period. Made from fermented soybeans, it provides saltiness and umami.
- Role in Yangnyeom: Gives salt balance and savory depth, tying together the sweet & spicy components. Even in the early versions of yangnyeom chicken, ganjang (soy sauce) helped enhance the complexity of flavor.
Acidity
- Origins: Vinegar has been used sparingly in traditional Korean cuisine, often in pickles and some sauces. Citrus like yuja or lemon is a more modern addition.
- Role in Yangnyeom: Adds brightness and acidity, cutting through the richness of fried chicken and preventing the sauce from tasting overly sweet.
Ketchup
- Origins: Tomato-based products were introduced in Korea in the 20th century, mostly post-Korean War, through Western influence.
- Role in Yangnyeom: Adds color, flavor, sweetness, and a subtle tang, enhancing the glossy red appearance of the sauce and consistency.
Putting it together
I made quite a few batches and gone through tubs of gochujang to mimic the same kind of flavor as Korean fried chicken. The batter I had down, with a double fry for extra crispy Chicken Wings. But that sauce, had to mimic that real flavors a lot more closely, and I believe Chicken Plus Canada has it down and perfected with their Red Marvel Chicken Wings. This is what I was trying to accomplish with this sauce, using them as a benchmark.
Below is an image of the Chicken Plus Red Marvel Sauce in a small container I ordered so that I could develop and compare against.
Did I hit it? It is so remarkably close, although with much less heat, which was very hard to achieve. I had to share it as the base to work from should you want to more closely resemble or tweak to your desired heat level.
Funk
At first, it was understanding that the sauce being used was Yangnyeom. Then it was seeing the color and it was brown more so than red. So I thought a lot more soy sauce. Perhaps even water to dilute. But there was a funk to it, that was really reminiscent of fish sauce or maybe fish sauce and hoisin or oyster sauce. I kept tasting it until I realized it wasn’t any added ingredients. We didn’t deviate from the traditional yangnyeom sauce. It was the ratios that needed to be fine-tuned.
It turns out you need the right amount of garlic with Gochujang to derive that funk taste in combination with the remaining ingredients to get the correct flavor. Careful though because you can overdo it. I initially did, by using a whole head of garlic. After tasting that batch, I realized the sweet spot was about 5 cloves of Garlic. You could go 8 for a pronounced Garlic taste, but over this, and it becomes too much. Even at 8 cloves it may be too much.
The Gochujang itself is at 1/4 C, in this recipe. But this can be reduced to 3 Tbl to reduce that funk taste.
Sugar
After hitting the right notes, it came down to the sugar and whether to add acid. Both Honey & Corn Syrup are pretty expensive, and I didn’t want to use these. Sugar is cheap and easy enough to make a Corn syrup from, or to caramelize the sugar so that it has some viscosity to it.
Green Plum Syrup or Rice Syrup is also common to use. But again, I wanted to stay with cheap and since I’ve used Sugar water to create a syrup before, I didn’t see why it wouldn’t work here. Although whenever using a Syrup there is no need for caramelization. Just combine everything, bring to a boil and set aside.
How to Caramelize sugar
Combine 1 C of Sugar with 1/3 C Water, 1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar. The Cream of Tartar helps to prevent crystals from forming while caramelizing the sugar, and as an added benefit contributes a bit of acidity.
Cook until it thickens and reaches a light amber color over medium heat. Stir it around at first, but then just leave it, swirling the pot around gently to mix until it’s an amber color.
Yangnyeom Sauce Heat
Lastly was the heat. The restaurant version was so spicy and no matter how much gochujang I added, it did not derive the same heat. Even with using the spicy Gochujang and adding in Gochugaru Chili Flakes. This is when I considered additional heat to add. For me, the answer was in a Hot Chili Oil that at first would not seem hot, and then slowly build to a level where it starts to get too spicy. This is the same effect that the Red Marvel Boneless Chicken Wings had. The more you ate, the spicier it got. This is the Korean Heat preference.
This is perfect too, because the base sauce can be made which is a Mild or Medium heat and you just up the heat more and more until your desired heat level is reached with the addition of Chili Oil. Hot Chilies can also be finely minced and included. Either way you can make it as spicy as you like.
Red Marvel Sauce
This is incredibly close to the Red Marvel Sauce offered by Chicken Plus, minus the heat. I tasted them side by side and even took the Red Marvel sauce and coated homemade boneless chicken wings, so I could taste the difference in just the sauce. As well to see if the color and consistency was the same. It’s only after eating for a bit that you begin to notice slight nuances of flavor. A bit more tweaking could hit it just right, but it’s so remarkably close that it is definitely a solid base to work from.
With that in mind, I suspect maybe a bit of ground Sichuan for that tongue numbing sensation, and maybe even detecting a pinch of Clove in the Sauce, or perhaps it’s a different Chili Oil being used. The heat is incredibly difficult to get and I compensate for this just by increasing the Chili Oil. Either way, this makes for an incredible sauce, especially on Wings for Korean Fried Chicken and so close to the original. A benefit to this Yangnyeom sauce is that you can control the heat level with just the addition of Chili Oil and that allows you to enjoy this dish with just the right amount of heat for your preference. Make it mild, medium or as spicy as you like.
Interestingly, some people add strawberry jam and if you add tomato paste to caramelized sugar, it creates, in effect, a mock up strawberry jam of sort.
Side by side comparison
The first image below is Homemade Boneless Chicken Wings tossed in the Original Red Marvel Sauce by Chicken Plus. The second image is Homemade Boneless Chicken Wings tossed in this Yangnyeom sauce recipe. In terms of Color and Flavor they are so very close. With the Homemade version of yangnyeom sauce or Red Marvel sauce not being as spicy.
How to make yangnyeom
Start by caramelizing the sugar. This turns it to an amber color and creates a sticky, glossy sauce. Then the remaining ingredients go in to be whisked off heat. While Caramelizing the Sugar, combine the remaining ingredients into a bowl. When the Sugar is thickened and amber in color, turn the heat off and add the bowl of remaining ingredients while whisking. Set aside to cool and later remove the Ginger slices.
Where to use Yangnyeom sauce
This Korean Red Sauce most famously associated with wings or boneless chicken wings can be used in so many other places too. I recently had it with Crispy Fried Pork Belly as a dipping sauce, and it was incredibly good. Another place that comes to mind is Meatballs, Breaded Chicken Burgers, Stir Fry, Shrimp, Dipping sauce, or as a marinade or basting sauce for grilled meats as it was originally used.
Equipment
- 1 Sauce Pot
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 1/4 C Gochujang - or less
- 2 Tbl Water, Soy Sauce & Ketchup - each
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Inch Ginger - Sliced and removed later
- 1 Tbl Chili Oil - less for less spicy or more for spicier
Syrup
- 1 C Sugar
- 1/3 C Water
- 1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
Instructions
- Caramelization: Place Syrup Ingredients in a sauce pot over medium heat and whisk. Let it cook to a light amber color and swirl the pot every so often.
- Bowl: Combine in a bowl the remaining ingredients and mix. Set aside for now.
- Yangnyeom Sauce: Shut the heat off and empty the sauce bowl in and whisk. Set aside and let rest. When cooled down, remove the ginger slices.
Notes
- Sweetness: Add more or less sugar. You can also use different kinds of sugar like Rock Sugar, Honey, or Corn syrup. With Syrups, the whole caramelization can be skipped and just combine everything and bring to a boil. Use 1/2 C Honey instead because honey is sweeter than sugar. With Corn Syrup, 1 C can be used, as it is not sweeter than sugar. Add more or less to get the desired sweetness.
- Heat: Add more Hot Chili Oil for more heat or include some hot chilies and remove after letting it cool.
- Ketchup Flavor: The Yangnyeom Sauce from Chicken Plus is not really ketchup forward. However, if a more forward Ketchup flavor is desired, you can certainly add in more to taste.
- Funk: Generally anywhere between 3-4 Tbl of Gochujang can be used based on preference. Garlic can be between 3–5 Cloves.
- Acidity: The Red Marvel or Yangnyeom Sauce from Chicken Plus is not really acidic. However, if a bit of acidity is desired, then add in Lemon Juice or Yuja.