Korean Baked Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken wings or drumsticks
• 100 g cornflour
• salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp gochujang paste
• toasted sesame seeds and spring onions, to serve
• Pickled cucumber, to serve
• Fresh coriander, to serve
• steamed jasmine rice, to serve
• kimchi, to serve
• gochujang mayo, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C fan and sit a wire rack on a baking tray. Pat the chicken completely dry with kitchen paper and season generously with salt and pepper — water means steam, and steam means no crisp skin.
2. Tip the chicken into a large bowl with the cornflour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and vegetable oil. Toss until every piece is chalky-white and evenly coated, with no damp patches showing through.
3. Arrange on the rack in a single layer with space between each piece — don't crowd the tray or the chicken steams instead of crisping. Bake for 25–30 minutes, turning once at the halfway point, until the skin is deeply golden, blistered, and shatteringly crisp.
4. While the chicken bakes, warm a small pan over medium-low heat. Add the sesame oil, then the garlic and ginger, and cook just until fragrant — 30 seconds, no more. Burnt garlic turns the whole glaze bitter, so watch it and pull the pan off the heat the moment it smells sweet.
5. Add the gochujang, soy sauce, honey, and the rice vinegar to the same pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and bubble for 2–3 minutes, swirling the pan, until the glaze turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Taste it — most of the salt comes from the soy and gochujang, but a final pinch ties the heat, sweet, and sour together.
6. Tip the hot, crispy chicken into a large bowl. Pour over the warm glaze and toss until every piece is lacquered red and gleaming.
7. Return the chicken to the rack and back into the oven for 3–4 minutes, just until the glaze tightens and caramelises at the edges.
8. Pile onto a platter, shower with toasted sesame seeds and sliced spring onions, and serve straight away with steamed jasmine rice, kimchi alongside, and a bowl of gochujang mayo for dunking.