There’s something magical about Korean fried chicken that sets it apart from all other fried chicken variations – that perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and savory flavors wrapped in a shattering crisp crust. Today, I’m transforming this beloved Korean street food into an unforgettable burger that will leave you craving for more!

What makes these special is the combination of buttermilk and kimchi juice in the marinade, creating chicken that’s incredibly tender and subtly tangy. The gochujang sauce delivers that perfect sticky-sweet heat that Korean fried chicken is famous for, while the refreshing pickle and slaw cut through the richness.

The secret to crispy fried chicken:

The key to achieving that enviable crackly crust lies in the double-starch breading mixture and proper frying temperature. The combination of flour and potato starch creates micro-bubbles in the crust when fried, resulting in that signature crispiness that stays crunchy even after being coated in sauce.

Understanding Your Components

1. Chicken: you could use either chicken thigh fillets or breast fillets. I do prefer thighs as they are a bit fatter and hence will result in a juicier fried chicken. If you do end up using breasts, just make sure you portion it out and butterfly it out evenly so that the piece is even in thickness throughout for even cooking.
2. Marinating time: High recommend you to marinade the fillets overnight so the flavours can penetrate and the fillets get tenderised. If you are short on time then minimum 2 hours.
3. Buttermilk: buttermilk is essentially a by-product when butter is made from churning cream. It is used in this recipe to make the muffins extra moist while adding flavour to the muffins. If you don’t want to buy buttermilk, you can make some by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon to 1 cup of normal dairy milk, and let it sit for 5 minutes (this will make 1 cup of buttermilk).
4. Kimchi Brine: it’s the liquid brine your kimchi is soaking in! It not only tenderises the meat but infuses it with that distinctive Korean tang into the chicken, creating a moist and flavourful chicken.
5. Potato starch: this helps to create a dry batter that’s crispy when fried! If you do not have potato starch or you cannot find it, you could opt out for corn starch instead.

Tips!

Storage and Reheating Guide

Marinaded Raw Chicken Thighs

• Refrigerated for up to 1 day

Cooked/Fried Chicken Thighs

• Best eaten fresh
• Can keep refrigerated for 1 day, air-fry to crisp back up to temperature

Sesame dressing:

• Can keep refrigerated for 1 week
• Dress the slaw just before eating

Spicy pickled cucumbers:

• Can keep refridgerated for 3 days

Make-in-advance guide:

• Marinade the chicken thighs in advance for up to 1 day in the fridge
• Prepare the sesame dressing and spicy pickled cucumbers in advance and keep refrigerated.
• Shred cabbage ahead of time and keep refrigerated
• Prepare the Gochujang sauce a head of time and keep refrigerated.
• When ready to fry the chicken, prepare the dry breading, then bread the chicken and fry fresh. Heat up the gochujang sauce in a pan over medium heat and coat the fried chicken evenly.
• Toss the cabbage in dressing just before serving
• Assemble each sandwich fresh before serving.

Ingredients

4 burger buns, toasted

Chicken Marinade:
4 chicken thigh fillets
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup kimchi juice
1 egg
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp salt

Dry Breading:
2 cups plain flour
1/3 cup potato starch (you could also use cornstarch)
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
Salt + pepper

Gochujang Sauce:
3 tbsp gochujang
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp gochugaru (optional)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/3 cup water

Spicy Pickled Cucumber:
1 cucumber, sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp gochugaru, adjust to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sesame seeds

Sesame slaw:
White cabbage, shredded
3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted and grounded
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp kewpie mayo
1/2 tsp mirin
2 tbsp rice vinegar

Method

1. Marinade chicken: In a bowl, combine all the ingredients under the “Chicken Marinade” section. Cover and let marinade in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
2. Spicy pickled cucumbers: In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the spicy pickled cucumbers and set aside to pickle.
3. Sesame slaw: toast your white sesame seeds and grind it with a mortar and pestle. Then add in the rest of the ingredients for the dressing, except for the shredded cabbage. Mix well and season to taste. Add in the cabbage and toss well to combine. Set aside
4. Dry breading: in a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dry breading. Once the chicken thighs are marinated, remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and into the dry breading mixture. Coat the chicken thighs with the mixture well so that all the exterior is coated in the flour.
5. Frying: bring a pot of neutral/vegetable oil up to frying temperature (365-370F or 185-190C). Carefully drop in the coated chicken thighs and fry for 7-8 minute, flipping halfway or until golden brown on both sides. Remove from oil and let drain off of excess oil.
6. Gochujang sauce: Add all the ingredients into a pan and bring it to a simmer. Use the sauce to evenly coat each fried chicken thigh.
7. Assemble: Spread of the sesame dressing on top of the bottom bun, then followed with the coated fried chicken fillet, sesame slaw, spicy pickled cucumbers and lastly, the top bun.