One bite of this exceptionally crunchy, sweet-spicy style of fried chicken and you’ll be hooked. To get the ideal exterior that would stay crispy even under a layer of sauce, we followed tradition and double-fried the wings. We tried different types of coatings for our chicken—a simple dusting of cornstarch, a light batter of flour, cornstarch, and water, and a heavy batter of eggs, cornstarch, and water. We preferred the flour, cornstarch, and water batter, which yielded a light, crisp crust. A rasp-style grater makes quick work of turning the garlic into a paste. Gochujang, Korean hot red chili paste, can be found in Asian markets and some supermarkets; use the larger amount for spicier wings. If you can’t find gochujang, substitute an equal amount of Sriracha sauce and add only 2 tablespoons of water to the sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced to paste
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons gochujang
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 quarts vegetable oil
- 1½ cups water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 pounds chicken wings, cut at joints, wingtips discarded
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For the Sauce
- Combine sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in large bowl and microwave until mixture is bubbly and fragrant but not browned, 40 to 60 seconds. Whisk in water, sugar, gochujang, and soy sauce until smooth; set aside. For the Wings
- Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. While oil heats, whisk water, flour, and cornstarch in second large bowl until smooth. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
- Place half of wings in batter and stir to coat. Using tongs, remove wings from batter one at a time, allowing any excess batter to drip back into bowl, and add to hot oil. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent wings from sticking, until coating is light golden and beginning to crisp, about 7 minutes. (Oil temperature will drop sharply after adding chicken.) Transfer wings to prepared rack. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining wings. Reduce heat to medium and let second batch of chicken rest for 5 minutes.
- Heat oil to 375 degrees. Carefully return all chicken to oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until exterior is deep golden brown and very crispy, about 7 minutes. Transfer to rack and let stand for 2 minutes.
- Add chicken to sauce and toss well to coat. Return chicken to rack and let stand for 2 minutes to allow surface to set. Serve immediately.
