Korean (Not)Fried Chicken

Korean fried chicken is the love child of American soul food and simple, vibrant Korean flavours. It originated from the Korean War, when American soldiers were stationed there and brought fried chicken with them. Before this, Koreans traditionally steamed their chicken. 

In its simplest form, it differs from its American origin as it's twice fried which makes it extra crispy but also, strangely, makes it less greasy. 

For me, the real star of the show is the sweet hot sauce that often coats the chicken. This is made up from a few simple ingredients: gochujang, honey and sesame oil. Gochujang is a fermented soybean chilli paste made and uses a chilli powder called gochugaru - which has a unique smokiness to it and is also used in making some kimchi. It is widely available in Asian supermarkets and is even becoming more available in regular supermarkets here in the UK. 

Lastly, I've called this Korean (Not)Fried Chicken because, well, I'm not frying it here. Instead, I'm baking it in the oven. This is for a few reasons: 1) I don't have a deep fat fryer and I find getting oil in a saucepan to the correct (and consistent) temperature; 2) It's less messy; 3) It's healthier. But, this doesn't mean the chicken isn't crispy. Just have patience and don't turn the wings over until the top gives you that crunchy sound when a fork is dragged across it. 

Serves 2

500g chicken wings
50g plain flour
70g gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
50g honey
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
Rice, to serve
1 spring onion,  finely sliced for garnish

Preheat the oven to 200C.

In a bowl, coat the chicken wings with flour and layout on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.

Place in the oven on a medium-high shelf and bake for 50 minutes - turning over half way through.

Combine the gochujang, honey, sesame oil and sesame seeds in a large mixing bowl. Go in with the chicken wings and give it a good toss to thoroughly cover them in the sauce.

Serve with rice and garnish with spring onion.