Yangnyeom Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich
I was inspired by my addiction to Korean fried chicken and chicken sandwiches and thought what if I mix these two together? Especially if the crispy fried chicken were coated in yangnyeom sauce, I would order this every time I go to any Korean fried chicken joint! That sweet and spicy sauce is my favorite and chicken sandwichs make the most of that flavor with spicy mayo and radish in between two toasted brioche buns.
The Marinade
The marinade mix contains cajun seasoning, pickle juice, black pepper, salt, gochugaru, gochujang paste, and buttermilk.
The part of the chicken for this recipe will be the thigh. Although it is not as thick and big as the breast, but it is much more tender which is perfect to bite into a sandwich. When you get chicken thighs at the supermarket, make sure to get the ones that already boneless and skinless. This will drastically make this easier for you. When preparing the chicken, feel free to remove any fat that is left over. This is completely up to your preference. After you have prepared the marinade, let it marinate for at least an hour or so. The long the better, the chicken will be when it is fried.
The Dry Batter Mix
In this recipe, the choice of batter will be centered around potato starch. Potato starch has a higher frying temperature so it does not burn too quickly in comparison to other types of starches. This will allow you double fry without having to worry about browning the chicken too much. However, potato starch is pretty difficult to find if there are no Asian supermarkets near you, so cornstarch is the next best option. When you are using cornstarch, add flour to the batter. That will be 1/2 cup of flour and 1 1/2 cup of cornstarch.
Yangnyeom Sauce
Yangnyeom sauce is a sweet and spicy sauce that is made from gochujang and syrup, but this recipe will replace the syrup with honey. With the balance of sweet and spicy, this will give your chicken that much needed flavor that will make you want to savor every single bite. When you are cooking the sauce on the pan, there is no particular order for the sauce, but if you want it to be a bit watery, add more water.
Yangnyeom Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups cooking oil
Wet Batter
- 2 boneless/skinless chicken legs divided into 4 pieces
- 1 ½ cup of butter milk
- 1 ½ tbsp gochujang paste
- ½ tbsp gochugaru
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp pickle juice
- ¼ tsp chili powder
Dry Mix
- 2 cups of potato starch
- ½ tbsp gochugaru
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cajun seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Yangnyeom Sauce
- 1 tbsp gochujang paste
- ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 3 garlic clove minced
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tsp sugar
Spicy Mayo Spread
Assembly
- Brioche buns (toasted)
- Pickles/Pickled Radish
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Start by cutting up your chicken legs into 4 pieces. Remove any bones or skins. If you can find the chicken thighs that are already boneless and skinless, go for that.
- Prepare a bowl for the chicken marinade. Mix thoroughly with the chicken thighs. Make sure to refrigerate for at least an hour. Tip: More time, the better
- Then prepare a bowl for the dry batter. Mix thoroughly. Make sure to incorporate some of the buttermilk marinade mix into the dry batter. This will give it its crunchy bits.
- Once it has been marinated, start coating the chicken with the dry batter mix. Shake any excess batter off the chicken. Make sure to let it rest for at 10 minutes. d.
- On a separate deep cooking pot, prepare the 3-4 cooking oil at 350 °F.
- Place the chicken away from you into the oil. Fry the chicken for at 3-5 mins on each side. Tip: Place the chicken away from you and don’t burn yourself.
- Set the chicken aside once it is done. Prepare your Yangnyeom sauce on a pan. Let it simmer once it is thick enough to your liking. Coat the chicken.
- Prepare your spicy mayo spread.
- Prepare all the ingredients. Start with toasting the brioche buns. Add the spicy mayo spread. Add the pickled radish and top with sesame seeds. Enjoy!
