Meat & BBQ
Ganjang Chicken (Soy Garlic Fried Chicken)
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Servings
3
Steps
- 1
Pat the chicken wings completely dry and toss in potato starch to coat.
- 2
Heat oil to 325°F (165°C) and fry the wings in batches 6-7 minutes, until pale golden. Remove and rest 5 minutes.
- 3
Raise the oil to 375°F (190°C) and fry the wings a second time, 2-3 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp.
- 4
Meanwhile, simmer soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, vinegar, and water in a small pan until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- 5
Remove the glaze from heat and stir in sesame oil.
- 6
Toss the hot, freshly fried wings in the glaze off the heat, working quickly so the coating stays crisp.
- 7
Top with green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Did you know — Korean culture
The double-fry technique behind Korean fried chicken's crunch was specifically credited as the innovation that let it stay crisp under a wet glaze — most fried chicken traditions sauce lightly if at all, since a single fry's crust doesn't hold up to a full glaze the way a twice-fried one does.
The double-fry is the real technique behind ganjang chicken's crunch, not the glaze. The first, lower-temperature fry cooks the chicken through and sets a light crust; the rest afterward lets residual moisture escape rather than staying trapped under the coating. The second, hotter fry is what actually builds the shattering crust — skip it and the wings stay merely cooked, not crisp.
Tossing the wings in the glaze only after both fries, and serving right away, matters just as much. Soy-based glazes are largely water and sugar; the longer fried chicken sits in it, the more that moisture soaks back into the crust and turns it soft. Sauced-and-served-immediately is non-negotiable for the texture to hold.
Korean fried chicken as a genre — ganjang, yangnyeom, and the many variations that followed — became a defining national comfort food in the late 20th century, with the double-fry technique specifically credited as the innovation that let Korean fried chicken stay crisp under a wet glaze in a way most Western fried chicken, sauced only lightly if at all, never needed to solve.
Troubleshooting
Crust went soggy after saucing? It likely sat too long before serving — glazed Korean fried chicken is meant to be eaten within a few minutes of tossing.
Coating not crisp even before saucing? The second fry temperature was probably too low — it needs to be noticeably hotter than the first fry to finish the crust properly.
Glaze too thin to coat evenly? Simmer it a little longer before tossing — it should coat the back of a spoon, not run off it.