Korean Fried Chicken is perfectly crisp and smothered in a spicy-sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. Our version is made in the air fryer with chicken thighs! Tastier and more juicy than wings!
Pat chicken thigh (1 ½-2 lbs) pieces dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the oil and sprinkle it with seasonings (salt (½ -1 tsp), pepper (½ tsp), garlic powder (½ tsp), ground ginger (½ tsp). Toss with corn starch (3 TBL), until coated evenly.
Spray the air fryer basket with oil or use a paper towel to wipe a thin coat of oil onto it, or for less mess, line with parchment paper made for air fryers (with holes in it) or air fryer silicone liners. Preheat the air fryer to 400° F (205° C).
Cook coated chicken in single layers for 8 minutes, turn and cook an additional 7-8 minutes until crispy, doing in batches if necessary. See notes for how to oven bake.
For extra crispy chicken, remove chicken after cooking (according to above instructions), to a plate or cooling rack, cool for 5 minutes. After cooling for 5 minutes, spray chicken pieces with a light coating of spray oil (like Avocado oil), place in a single layer back in the air fryer and fry for another 5 minutes.
While chicken is cooking, assemble sauce ingredients in a small saucepan, 3 TBL Ketchup, 2 TBL gochujang, 2 TBL Honey, 1 TBL Brown sugar, 1 TBL rice vinegar, 1 TBL soy sauce, ½ TBL seseme oil, ½ TBL ginger, 2 cloves garlic and whisk to combine, bring to a brief boil over medium heat, remove from heat until ready to serve.
Once chicken is cooked, toss well in sauce and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, wedge of lime and/or a little chopped scallion.
Notes
To make using chicken wings or drumettes, use the same process as described above. Be sure to pat the wings/drumettes dry. Air fry at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, flip and fry for another 5 minutes, cool 5 minutes, and fry another 5 minutes. Toss in bbq sauce and enjoy.Oven-Baked Korean Fried ChickenPreheat the oven to 425° F (220 ° C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Then, season and coat the pieces as directed, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Make the BBQ sauce as directed, and toss together. Storage TipsFridge | Place leftover chicken in an airtight container up to three days. Freeze | Freeze leftover chicken (before tossing in sauce for best results) on a parchment lined sheet pan in freezer 1-2 hours, once frozen, place in airtight container or zip-top baggie, freeze up to 3 months. Sauce may also be frozen.Reheat Korean chicken straight from fridge or frozen in air fryer at 400° F for 5-7 minutes until crispy and hot.