Korean Soy Garlic Chicken Thighs
Crispy-skinned chicken thighs pan-fried in a single skillet, then coated in a sticky soy garlic glaze made from soy sauce, honey, garlic, butter, and gochujang. No deep frying and no double-frying, and it's done in about 20 minutes.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 510kcal
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
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 510kcal
