Korean Chicken Wings

The Feral Cooks like to cook and try different types of chicken wings, and these Korean wings rank up there with the most crispy and delicious. There are several versions of Korean fried chicken floating around online, but I tried a recipe from the trusted food scientists at Serious Eats. It’s worth taking the time to read the recipe’s background information on how Kenji Lopez-Alt developed it.

Two things to note: 1) this is not a copycat of bb.q Chicken’s chicken, and 2) there is optional preparation rest-period for the wings of up to overnight, or 30 minutes, at minimum.

What you’ll need

• Kosher salt
• 0.75 cups corn starch, divided
• 1t baking powder, divided
• 2 pounds thawed chicken wings (the Feral Cooks prefer just separated flats and drumettes)
• 0.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.5 cups cold water
• 0.5 cups cold vodka
• Neutral oil for frying (peanut oil works best)

What to do

Combine 2t kosher salt, 0.25 cups cornstarch, and 0.5t baking powder in a large bowl and whisk until well blended. Add the wings and toss them until every surface is coated. Transfer the wings to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, shaking vigorously as you remove the wings from the bowl to get rid of any excess coating. Transfer to the refrigerator and let them rest, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

When ready to start cooking the wings, begin heating the oil to 350°F in a large cooking vessel, such as a wok or Dutch oven.

Combine the remaining 0.5 cups cornstarch, 0.5t baking powder, the flour, and 2t kosher salt in a large bowl and whisk until well blended. Add the cold water and vodka and whisk until it forms a smooth batter, adding up to 2T additional water if batter is too thick. It should have the consistency of thin paint and fall off of the whisk in thin ribbons that instantly disappear as they hit the surface of the batter in the bowl.

Add half the wings to the batter. Working one at a time, lift a wing and allow the excess batter to drip off, using your finger to get rid of any large pockets or slicks of batter. Carefully lower the wing into hot oil. Repeat with remaining wings in this first batch. Fry, using a metal spider or slotted spatula to rotate and agitate wings as they cook until evenly golden brown and crisp all over, about 8 minutes, depending on wing size. The interior of the wings should reach 165 degrees F. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season immediately with salt. Keep warm while you fry the remaining wings.

Serve plain, or toss with sweet soy sauce or sweet and spicy chili sauce for Korean fried chicken—or serve the sauce on side.