ChefSteps is a team of chefs, writers, and food lovers who develop recipes, techniques, and guides to help people cook better at home.

ChefSteps

Korean fried chicken came to be when Americans sold soul food to troops stationed in South Korea during the Korean War. Food vendors capitalized on the popularity of American fried chicken, developing their own versions with a cracklier, thinner coating than the craggy, denser American counterpart. Originally there was simple, naked huraideu—Korean fried chicken sans postfry seasoning—but later came the versatile and delightfully flavor-packed yangnyeom, morsels of juicy, tender fried chicken coated in sweet ’n’ spicy seasonings and sauces. Korean fried chicken is a classic anju, food that’s eaten along with alcohol. Koreans even have a name for the lip-smacking combo of fried chicken and beer: chimaek, a portmanteau of the word “chicken” and the Korean word for beer, maekju. This recipe is for addictive yangnyeom: Initially sous vide to perfection, the chicken is then battered, fried, and tossed in a savory-sweet, spicy, tangy, funky sauce that screams, “Chase me with cold beer!” Just don’t sleep on the the soju batter and shrimp chip breading. The three-step coating is what makes this recipe the ultimate KFC—that’s Korean fried chicken, if you know what’s good.