Hi Dancinglemons, welcome to the forum, that chicken recipe looks interesting, I'll have to look for that red pepper sauce!

Oh my. This sounds wonderful.

It does sound good. Thanks for the recipe, I'll definitely be making these next weekend. The best part is that when I googled gojujang I found out that I have an Asian grocer relatively near me: H-Mart. I had no idea! So I've got a tub of gojujang and I'm set to go.

I've linked the Saveur article in case anyone's interested in the original recipe or a picture.

Here is a link that might be useful: Saveur

Oh great!! Just when I thought it was safe to go back in the kitchen!!!! With all the cold weather we've been having in Florida this year, I've been trying all the wonderful recipes you all have been posting and My poor DH who lost 20 lbs. when he was in Iraq has gained most of it back, I might have to try this one this week on ethnic night!!!

I made it last night and now am off to Costco to get an industrial size package of chicken wings to keep on hand -- just in case! Next time I make it I am going to try a few skinless boneless chicken thighs and breasts cut in chunks - just want to see what it will taste like. A

Also used the wing tips to make broth for some Matzo ball soup! Talk about fusion cuisine!!

foodonastump,
That Saveur photo is what made me go on this Korean Fried Chicken quest!!

DL

OK made the K*F*C with chunks of boneless/skinless chicken breast and thigh meat. I cut each breast into 3 and each thigh into 2 (the thighs were really small). Same recipe. They were really, really good. That batter mix gives these chicken bites an earth shattering crunch - even after the sauce is on!!

DL

BTW be sure your chicken is dry before dunking into batter.

You had me up to the point of the jelly and cola.
But my BIL's mom is Korean, so now I'm wondering what her recipe is. Love garlic and chicken.

Are we in trouble?

I also got lost at the jelly and cola part - those are the only two ingredients I don't have. Well, I don't have that many chicken wings either, but I do have two chickens in the freezer. I was going to defrost one last week, but whole chickens were on sale for 67 a pound, and so I had to buy a fresh one.

I saw the March 2010 issue of Saveur at my dentist's office last week and wanted to get a copy of it, since it had a lot of info on L.A. restaurants, but I never found it. Do they sell back issues?

Lars

Shaun, you have to raise your hand before you ask. :)

Lars, yes, they do sell back issues from their website.

Is it hot? Red pepper paste sounds like something I would leave out- even before the cola and Smuckers.
I find mild Taco bell to be plenty hot for me.

Dancinglemons, lucky for you the directions did not say CHICKEN WINGS ONLY. NO SUBSTITUTIONS. LOL!!

Ann

I can tell I'm going to be in trouble, it's impossible for me not to tweak a recipe. I just can't leave recipes as written!

That said, I will pick up some rice flour. I can understand how the combination (rice flour, AP flour and corn starch) would make a good coating. I've used flour and corn starch many times.

Lost me on the jam and cola, but I can improvise.

Nancy

I think I'd use grape jelly and a sweet wine like maybe a marsala.
Love the combo of the 3 flours....bet that makes a really good crunch!

OK! Jelly and cola. The Strawberry jam is an addition which the most popular K*F*C* restaurant in Los Angeles has listed on their sauce ingredient list. I thought it really strange at first reading - also I do not like strawberry jam. The ingredient list also has "soda pop". I thought about the mix of flavours and came up with cola. I must admit I do not use P*ep*si or Co*ke because of the HFCS. I purchase cola from Whole Foods which is made with cane sugar. I have grape jam on my "must try in this recipe" list.

This recipe is a sweet/hot/savory recipe so the jam and cola contrubite to the sweet and take some of the blazing heat away from the Korean Red Pepper Paste.

For substitutions I would say the jam could be replaced with ketchup or plain tomato paste. You could try pure apple juice in place of the cola. It is my intention to make this with frozen pineapple juice concentrate in place of the strawberry jam.

I hope that by summer I will have 3 variations - all will be hot & spicy. For another variation I will try using a sweet southern style BBQ sauce with added garlic and sesame oil on this crispy cooked chicken.

However you make it be sure to double fry because this is how you get that c r u n c h!!

Now I am working on a Korean Fried Shrimp - must use JUMBO shrimp because must double fry.

DL

It's probably an American tweak (the jelly and cola). We seem to have a "gift" for ramping up the sugar and salt content in anything.

Seems like the honey in the original Saveur recipe would take care of the sweet.

Don't mind me: I find the grape jelly-drenched cocktail meatball things repulsive too, but other people think it's wonderful.

The Saveur recipe reminds me a little bit of another recipe - Asian Style Chicken Wings. They are also double fried before being tossed with a hot sauce sweetened with honey and brown sugar. The heat comes from a mix of garlic chili paste and Thai Sweet Chili sauce.

I'll definitely try the recipe as posted on Saveur. It seems a little more authentic. Saveur's recipe only uses corn starch and flour which are two ingredients I always have on hand.

Like you Renee, the idea of grape jelly meatballs doesn't do it for me. But then I don't like any kind of jam. Not even on toast.

Ann

I used to have rice flour specifically for coating wings and I remember liking it. I'm thinking I'm going to try DL's starch mix but the original sauce mix.

Bumblebeez - Even straight I do not find the gojugang particularly hot. You might, but once cut with the other ingredients I'd expect it to be even more mild. It does have its own taste which I'm sure is pretty critical to its authenticity. Also, at H-Mart they had a mild version you could try.

FOAS, my thought is that once you add strawberry jam and cola to a Korean recipe it probably doesn't matter all that much if you sub out the Gojugang for another chili paste. Authenticity already went out the window.

It isn't even 7:00 AM here on the west coast and I'm craving chicken wings. LOL!

Ann

Actually the jam and cola is the authentic recipe used in Korea - the sauce that Kyochan uses in Korea and in Los Angeles has strawberry jam and 'soda pop'. Kyochan is the K*F*C* restaurant that inspired the article in Saveur magazine. This is only one restaurant's recipe however there are of course other K*F*C* restaurants in Korea and in the USA. Just like here in the US -- Korea has different fast food fried chicken joints :-)) We have Popeye's, KF*C (Kentucky Fried), Bojangles and other chains in the USA -- all of it is considerd American Fried Chicken.

Try the recipe in Saveur and tweek it to your liking -- I only used the recipe as a starting point. I did talk to the Korean folks at the market where I purchased the red pepper paste and got their take on this addictive treat!

DL

Well I made this last night - kind of.

The rest of the family was eating various leftovers and there was not enough for me. So I went through the fridge, saw the gojujang and knew I had the rest of the sauce ingredients on hand plus shrimp in the freezer, so I went for it.

I essentially did the Saveur recipe but with single-fried shrimp. The sauce was delicious; it definitely had a lot more heat to it than I expected based on the relatively mild gojujang. I guess the ginger was to thank for that. While fine for me, when I do this again I'll have to figure out how to tone it down a bit so my wife can eat it.

I definitely recommend trying this sauce. Can't wait to have it with double-fried wings.

FOAS, I can imagine that the Saveur sauce, without the jam and cola, would be great with shrimp.

Can you just use a little less of the gojujang to tone it down a little for the family?

Double fried chicken wings are wonderful with just about any sauce.

Ann