Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken

Close up of Korean fried chicken on a plate.

5 from 2 votes

Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken

Korean fried chicken is a classic favorite - fried chicken fried twice and dipped in delicious spicy gochujang- based sauce that is sweet and spicy makes for a delicious dish that everybody loves.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: korean

Diet: Low Calorie, Low Fat

Servings:

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Clara

Equipment

1 Air Fryer

Ingredients

Chicken and Dry Marinade

1 lb Chicken Drumsticks and Wings (Use boneless thigh or breast for boneless pieces)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon Black pepper
½ teaspoon Curry powder
½ teaspoon Ginger
½ teaspoon Garlic powder
½ teaspoon Paprika

Breading

1 Egg
Avocado oil spray (Or other high smoke point oil)
¼ cup Cornstarch
¼ cup All Purpose Flour
⅓ cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Sauce

1 clove Garlic
2 slices Ginger
2 tablespoon Water
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
2 tablespoon Mirin
1 tablespoon Gochujang paste
2 tablespoon Ketchup
1 tablespoon Brown sugar
1 tablespoon Honey

Garnish

Sesame seeds
Green Onion

Instructions

If needed, pat the chicken wings and drumsticks dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl, combine the dry marinade ingredients together. Then mix the chicken wings and drumsticks in the spice mix thoroughly.
Have 3 bowls out - one with the egg, one with a mixture of cornstarch and flour, and one with panko bread crumbs.
Spray the chicken with oil spray. Dip in the flour/cornstarch mix, then the egg mixture to that the coating sticks, then the panko breadcrumbs to give it an extra crisp. Do this repeatedly for each of the chicken pieces.
Spray the chicken pieces with cooking spray and add into the air fryer basket in a single layer. Set the air fryer to 400F and fry for 15 minutes.
While the chicken is being fried, mix the sauce ingredients together in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer, mix together for about 2-3 minutes, then turn off the head.
When done, spray any empty looking spots, flip, and air fry for another 15 minutes.
Coat the chicken in the sauce to give it a nice glaze.
Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion and enjoy your delicious, slightly healthier Korean fried chicken!

Notes

Substitutions and Variations

Soy garlic Korean fried chicken – If you prefer a different, non spicy flavor, soy garlic Korean fried chicken is another favorite. Just make the chicken following the instructions in this recipe and dip it in a soy garlic sauce instead. To make soy garlic sauce, combine 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon rice wine, and 2 cloves minced garlic.

Make boneless – To make boneless, use skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts and cut into small pieces. Cut the air frying time to about 8-10 minutes per side.

Expert Tips

Line the parchment paper on the air fryer – This will make cleaning the air fryer significantly easier. In most cases, it will just be a matter of throwing out the parchment paper.

Fry the chicken in a single layer – Not doing so will result in not fully fried chicken. Make sure to lay in a single layer with some space in between. You may have to do multiple batches depending on how many chicken wings or drumsticks you are frying.

Nutrition