Real Korean fried chicken is double-fried in about three inches of oil. It's worth doing once. It is not worth doing on a Tuesday.
This is the version I actually make. Skin-on thighs, one skillet, shallow oil, fried once until the skin crisps. Then the oil comes out, the sauce goes into the same pan, and the chicken goes back in to glaze.
Soy sauce, honey, garlic, butter, and a spoonful of gochujang. Sticky, savory, a little sweet, a little hot. It's the same flavor you get at a Korean chicken place without the pot of oil to deal with afterward.
About 20 minutes. If you want the properly deep-fried version, my chicken karaage is the weekend project, and my chicken 65 is the same idea in a completely different direction, spicy and tangy with curry leaves.
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Jump to:
- Why This Isn't Deep-Fried (and Why That's Fine)
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Make Korean Soy Garlic Chicken
- The Soy Garlic Sauce
- Rose's Top Tips
- What to Serve With Korean Soy Garlic Chicken
- Storage and Reheating
- Recipe FAQs
- More Chicken Recipes
- Did you try this recipe?
- Korean Soy Garlic Chicken Thighs
Why This Isn't Deep-Fried (and Why That's Fine)
Korean fried chicken is defined by the frying, not the sauce. The chicken goes into the oil once at a lower temperature to cook through, comes out to rest, then goes back in hotter to crisp. That double fry is what gives you the shatter and what keeps it crisp under a wet glaze for hours.
It also needs three inches of oil, a thermometer, and a plan for what to do with a pot of used oil afterward.
This skips all of that. Shallow oil, one fry, skin-side down until the skin is properly golden. The sauce goes into the same pan and the chicken goes back in to coat.
What you give up: the crust isn't as thick, and it softens under the glaze faster. Eat these within twenty minutes rather than leaving them out.
What you get: one pan, twenty minutes, no thermometer, and no oil to strain and store. On a weeknight that's the trade I'd make every time.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- One skillet, start to finish. Four servings, and the chicken fries in it, the sauce is built in it, and the chicken goes back into it to glaze. Nothing else gets dirty.
- No deep frying. Shallow oil, one fry, no thermometer, and nothing to strain and store afterward.
- The sauce takes two minutes. Soy sauce, honey, garlic, butter, and gochujang straight into the pan the chicken just came out of. It picks up everything left behind.
- Skin-on thighs. They stay juicy through the fry and the glaze, and the skin is what gives you the crisp without a batter.
- About 20 minutes. Fast enough for a weeknight, which is the whole reason this version exists.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs, skin on: Boneless if you can find them, which makes them faster to cook and easier to eat. The skin is doing the crisping here, so skinless won't give you the same result. Thighs also hold up to the glaze without drying out the way breast does.
- Potato starch: The coating. Crisps lighter than cornstarch and stays crisp longer under a wet sauce, which matters when the chicken goes back into the pan to glaze. Cornstarch works and is easier to find, just expect the crust to soften a little faster.
- Salt and pepper: On the chicken before the starch goes on. Season the meat, not just the coating.
- Neutral oil: For shallow frying. Enough to come partway up the chicken, not to cover it. Canola, vegetable, or peanut.
- Garlic: Minced, and a lot of it. It goes into the pan after the oil comes out, so it only needs about 30 seconds before the liquids go in.
- Butter: The base of the sauce. It's what makes the glaze glossy rather than just thick.
- Soy sauce: Regular, not dark. Dark soy is heavier and will overwhelm the honey.
- Honey: The sweetness, and it's also what makes the sauce sticky rather than thin. Brown sugar works and goes deeper and less floral.
- Gochujang: Korean chili paste, and where the heat comes from. It's sweet as well as spicy, so it's doing double duty. A tablespoon is mild, more if you want it hot. Sold in tubs in the Korean or Asian section, and it keeps in the fridge for months.
- Sesame seeds: Toasted, over the top. Not optional in the sense that it matters to the flavor, but it's what makes the plate look like the one at the restaurant.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Chicken wings instead of thighs: The traditional cut for this. They take longer to cook through, so give them 6 to 7 minutes a side rather than 4 to 5, and check they're done before the sauce goes on.
- Boneless skinless thighs: Work fine, but the starch coating is doing all the crisping without skin to help, so be generous with it and don't move the chicken while it's frying.
- Cornstarch instead of potato starch: Easier to find and it works. The crust is slightly heavier and softens a bit faster once the glaze is on, so eat these sooner.
- Brown sugar instead of honey: Deeper and less floral. Use a little less, since brown sugar reads sweeter in a savory sauce than honey does.
- Sriracha instead of gochujang: Sharper and more vinegary, less sweet. You'll want a touch more honey to compensate. It's not the same flavor, but it's a reasonable substitute if gochujang isn't in your kitchen.
- Sesame oil instead of butter: Nuttier and more Korean, less glossy. Use about half as much, since sesame oil is much stronger. Or use both, butter for the shine and a few drops of sesame oil at the end.
- More heat: Extra gochujang, or a pinch of gochugaru at the end. Gochugaru is the Korean chili flake and it adds heat without more sweetness.
- Air fryer: 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, then toss in the sauce made separately on the stove. Less crisp than the pan, but no oil at all.
How to Make Korean Soy Garlic Chicken
- Season and coat. Pat the thighs dry, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Toss in the potato starch until every surface is coated, including the skin, and shake off the excess. A thin even layer, not a thick one.
- Fry skin-side down. Heat enough oil in a large skillet over medium-high to come partway up the chicken. Lay the thighs in skin-side down and leave them alone for the first few minutes, or the coating comes off with the spatula. Fry 4 to 5 minutes a side until deeply golden and crisp, 165°F internal. Transfer to a wire rack, not a plate, so the underside doesn't steam.
- Build the sauce in the same pan. Pour off the oil, leaving the browned bits behind. Add the butter and let it melt, then the garlic for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the soy sauce, honey, and gochujang, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens into a glaze that coats a spoon.
- Return the chicken and glaze. Add the thighs back to the pan and turn them in the sauce until coated on all sides. About a minute. You're glazing, not cooking, so keep it moving.
- Serve immediately. Sesame seeds over the top and get it on the plate. The crust starts softening under the glaze, so this is at its best in the first twenty minutes.
The Soy Garlic Sauce
Butter, garlic, soy sauce, honey, and gochujang, built in the pan the chicken just came out of. Two to three minutes on medium.
How thick: it should coat the back of a spoon and leave a line when you run a finger through it. Any thinner and it slides off the chicken instead of clinging.
If it over-reduces: a splash of water off the heat brings it back. Honey sauces go from glaze to candy fast at the end, and an over-reduced soy sauce is also a salty one, so water fixes both.
Taste before the chicken goes back in. Once it's coating the chicken, adjusting means adjusting everything.
Rose's Top Tips
- Pat the chicken dry before the starch goes on. Wet chicken makes the coating gummy instead of crisp, and it's the difference between a crust and a paste.
- Don't move it for the first few minutes. Lay the thighs in skin-side down and leave them. Nudging the chicken before the coating sets peels it off into the oil.
- Fry in batches. Crowding drops the oil temperature and the chicken steams instead of frying. Two batches takes five extra minutes and is faster than fixing a soggy one.
- Wire rack, not paper towels. On a plate the underside sits in its own steam and softens. A rack keeps air moving underneath while you make the sauce.
- Pour the oil off but keep the browned bits. That's what the sauce is built on. Wiping the pan out throws away the best part of it.
- Watch the sauce at the end. Honey reduces fast. Two to three minutes is usually right, and thirty seconds past that turns a glaze into candy.
- Eat them within twenty minutes. The crust softens under the glaze. This isn't double-fried chicken and it doesn't hold the way that does.
What to Serve With Korean Soy Garlic Chicken
The glaze is sweet, salty, and rich. What goes with it should be plain, cold, or sharp.
- Steamed white rice: The obvious one and the right one. Plain rice against a sticky glaze does more than any seasoned side would.
- Korean cucumber salad: Cold, vinegary, and about five minutes of work. This is the pairing I'd pick if I could only have one.
- Garlic green beans: Something green and quick, and they cook while the chicken rests.
- Kimchi: Straight from the jar. Sour and funky against sweet and sticky, and it takes no work at all.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: Airtight container for up to 3 days. The coating softens overnight, which is expected once it's been under a wet glaze.
Reheating: Air fryer or oven at 375°F for 6 to 8 minutes. Both bring back most of the crunch. Skip the microwave, which turns the coating soft and the glaze watery.
Store the sauce separately if you're planning ahead. Fry the chicken, keep it on a rack, and make the sauce fresh when you're ready to eat. That's the version that actually stays crisp.
Freezing: Freeze the fried chicken before the sauce goes on, up to a month. Reheat in the oven or air fryer, then glaze fresh. Freezing it already sauced doesn't work, since the coating has softened once and won't come back twice.
Recipe FAQs
Not quite. Traditional Korean fried chicken is double-fried in deep oil, which is what gives it that shatter and keeps it crisp for hours. This is a one-pan version with the same soy garlic glaze, faster and less messy, with a slightly lighter crust that softens sooner.
Yes. Coat as directed, fry at 325°F until cooked through, rest 5 minutes, then fry again at 375°F until deeply golden. You'll get a thicker, longer-lasting crust. Then make the sauce separately and toss.
Potato starch, if you have it. It fries lighter and holds crisp longer under a wet glaze. Cornstarch works and is easier to find, the crust is just a bit heavier and softens faster.
Yes, and they're the traditional cut. They take longer, about 6 to 7 minutes a side, so check they're cooked through before the sauce goes on.
Mild at a tablespoon of gochujang. Gochujang is sweet as well as hot, so it reads more like warmth than heat. Add more, or a pinch of gochugaru at the end, if you want it to actually bite.
Korean fermented chili paste, sweet and savory as much as spicy. Sold in red tubs in the Korean or Asian section of most large grocery stores, and it keeps in the fridge for months once opened.
Yes, up to a week in the fridge. Warm it gently before glazing, since it thickens cold. Making it fresh is easier though, since it takes two minutes in the pan the chicken just came out of.
You moved the chicken too soon, or the chicken was wet when the starch went on. Pat it dry, coat it, and leave it alone for the first few minutes so the crust sets before you touch it.
More Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Sisig: Chopped chicken on a sizzling plate with calamansi and chilies. My biggest chicken recipe and the one people make again.
- Chicken Bistek: Soy sauce and citrus with soft onions. The Filipino version of the same soy-forward flavor, braised instead of fried.
- Creamy Mushroom Chicken with Corn: One pan, no frying, ready in about the same time as this one.
- Thai Basil Ground Chicken and Mushroom: Faster still, and no coating to worry about.
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Korean Soy Garlic Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- 1 large frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs with skin on about 4 chicken thighs
- 4 tablespoon Cooking oil (avocado oil or canola oil)
- salt and pepper
- ¾ cup potato starch or cornstarch
Spicy Soy Garlic Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 2 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Gochujang (korean chili paste)
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.1 lb boneless chicken thighs with skin on, salt and pepper
- Toss the chicken in the potato starch until evenly coated on all sides, shaking off any excess.¾ cup potato starch
- Heat enough oil in a large skillet over medium-high to come partway up the chicken. Add the thighs skin-side down and leave them undisturbed for the first few minutes so the coating sets. Fry 4 to 5 minutes per side until deeply golden and cooked through, 165°F internal. Transfer to a wire rack.4 tbsp Cooking oil (avocado oil or canola oil), 1 lb boneless chicken thighs with skin on
- Pour off the oil, leaving the browned bits in the pan. Add the butter and let it melt, then the garlic, and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant.2 tablespoon Butter, 2 tbsp garlic, minced
- Add the soy sauce, honey, and gochujang. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes over medium, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.2 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp honey, 1 tablespoon Gochujang (korean chili paste)
- Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat in the sauce, about 1 minute.
- Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.toasted sesame seeds for garnish
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Notes
- 4 servings
- Pat the chicken dry before the starch. Wet chicken makes the coating gummy instead of crisp.
- Don't move the chicken for the first few minutes. Lay it in skin-side down and leave it. Nudging it before the coating sets peels it off into the oil.
- Fry in batches. Crowding drops the oil temperature and the chicken steams instead of frying.
- Wire rack, not paper towels. On a plate the underside sits in its own steam and softens while you make the sauce.
- Keep the browned bits when you pour off the oil. That's what the sauce is built on.
- Watch the sauce at the end. Honey reduces fast. If it goes too thick or too salty, a splash of water off the heat brings it back.
- Taste the sauce before the chicken goes in. Once it's coating the chicken it's too late to adjust.
- Eat within 20 minutes. The crust softens under the glaze. This isn't double-fried chicken and it doesn't hold the same way.
- Potato starch over cornstarch if you have it. Lighter crust that stays crisp longer. Cornstarch works, just softens sooner.
- Storage: Up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in an air fryer or 375°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Skip the microwave.
- Make ahead: Fry the chicken and keep it on a rack, then make the sauce and glaze when you're ready to eat.
