An easy and delicious Korean Fried Chicken recipe: Market-style Korean Fried Chicken Drumsticks! Before the era of Korean Fried Chicken slathered with sauces, glazes, and powders, this was the original KFC. A popular favorite because of the juicy meat and incredibly crispy skin! YUM!
What is Market-style Korean Fried Chicken?
Market-style Korean Fried Chicken is the original or old school type of Korean Fried Chicken. Seasoned simply and coated in a light, crispy batter, the star is the chicken itself. There’s no sauce, glaze, or powder. Instead, the chicken is perfectly seasoned and very juicy!
Also called Tongdak Fried Chicken, it requires an entire chicken to be deep fried whole. This cooking method, created in South Korean in the 1970s, produces an ultra crispy skin and juicy, tender meat. It caused quite a sensation when it was first sold in South Korean markets. And became a cultural and iconic food item popularized when Dads brought it home to their families as a special treat on payday.
To make it easier to cook at home, my recipe includes chicken drumsticks. They are meaty and include skin and bone to keep the chicken moist. They can also be deep fried easily in a Dutch Oven. But at South Korean markets, you’ll find whole chickens deep fried in huge cauldrons of oil.
Make sure to brine the chicken for at least 24 hours. The easy brine will season the meat and keep it moist.
And make sure to deep fry the chicken twice! That’s one of the secrets to good Korean Fried Chicken. The first time, at a lower temp and longer cook time, to cook the chicken. The second time, at a higher temp and shorter cook time, to create that ultra crispy texture.
On the surface, Market-style Fried Chicken looks plain. But the brining method and thin batter make it extra special. Take a bite to discover juicy, tender chicken with crispy skin. It’s iconic because of its simplicity. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Chicken. Look for small but meaty drumsticks.
- Brine. Water, salt, sugar, coriander seed, fennel seed, bay leaf, and garlic. A brine seasons the chicken to juicy, tender perfection. The aromatics add subtle flavor and fragrance.
- Flour. Regular all purpose flour works great.
- Potato Starch. For that extra crispy texture. Can be subbed with corn starch.
- Curry Powder. Optional ingredient. Adds subtle flavor and removes the gamey scent of chicken.
- Onion Powder. Adds flavor.
- Cooking Oil. For deep frying. I recommend any neutral oil with a high smoke point, like Avocado Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Canola Oil, and Vegetable Oil. You’ll need enough to fill 2-3 inches in the cooking vessel.
How to make easy and delicious Korean Fried Chicken Drumsticks
- Brine chicken. Add water to a large measuring cup. Add salt, sugar, coriander seed, fennel seed, and bay leaf. Whack garlic cloves with the side of a knife so it’s partially smashed and cracked. Add to the brine. Stir together until the salt and sugar dissolves. Pour over the chicken drumsticks. Cover and brine for 24 hours or at minimum, overnight.
- Make batter. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients: flour, corn starch (or potato starch), salt, curry powder. Add cold water and whisk until well combined. The batter should be thin and runny. Remove the raw chicken from the brine and add directly into the batter. It’s ok if a few coriander seeds and fennel seeds stick to the chicken but make sure to remove the garlic cloves and bay leaf. Mix until the chicken is well coated.
- Deep fry chicken. Add enough oil so the chicken pieces can float, about 2-3 inches of avocado oil (or canola oil or vegetable oil) to a Dutch Oven. Heat over medium heat until the temperature reaches 350F/176C. Add the battered chicken to the hot oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. The drumsticks should float in the oil. Be careful — the oil is hot! Deep fry until the chicken is golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the hot oil and transfer to a cooling rack fitted over a sheet pan to catch the drips. Repeat until all the chicken is deep fried.
- Deep fry chicken twice. After all the chicken has been deep fried the first time, deep fry for the second time. Heat the oil until it reaches 370F/187C on the thermometer. Add the fried chicken back to the hot oil and cook until dark golden brown, another 3-4 minutes.
- TIP: *To ensure the chicken is completely cooked through, use a food thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 165C/74C.
- Serve. Garnish with green onion, if desired. Enjoy with White Radish Kimchi (dongchimi), beer, and rice.
PRO Tips
- Brine for (at least) 24 hours. Make sure to brine the chicken for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days. The combination of salt, sugar, and aromatics will soak into the meat for the most juicy chicken.
- Deep fry twice. The best results come from the double fry method of deep frying. The chicken is deep fried twice. The first fry is longer, at a lower temperature. The second fry is shorter, at a higher temperature.
- Make sure not to crowd the pan. When frying the chicken, make sure the chicken is not too crowded. Overcrowded chicken will lower the temperature of the oil, resulting in soggy chicken.
Special Equipment
- Dutch oven. An enameled cast iron Dutch Oven retains heat well. The high walls also prevent the oil from splashing. It’s the perfect kitchen tool for deep frying.
- Thermometer. To measure the oil temperature. I use a candy thermometer and clip it to the side of the Dutch Oven. Frying at the right temperature will ensure the fried chicken is perfectly crispy and crunchy instead of overly greasy and oily.
- Cooling Rack + Sheet Pan. Transfer the fried chicken to a cooling rack or wire rack fitted over a sheet pan. As it cools, the air will circulate under and around the chicken — keeping it crispy and crunchy.
Serve with
- Dongchimi. Korean radish kimchi. Little white cubes of radish kimchi are a classic side dish that’s served with Korean Fried Chicken. Sweet, sour, and slightly salty.
- Beer. In South Korea, the combination of Fried Chicken and Beer has a special term: ChiMaek. Chicken + Maekju (beer) = ChiMaek. Cold beer and fried chicken is a classic, unbeatable combination.
- Rice. To make it a meal, serve Tongdak Korean Fried Chicken with rice. That’s how my Korean grandpa liked to eat it, alongside a small dish of salt and pepper for dipping the chicken.
FAQ
The first fry can be completed in advance. For best flavor and texture, I recommend frying the 2nd time right before serving.
Leftovers can be stored loosely covered in the fridge. Reheat in the Air Fryer at 350F/176C for 4-5 minutes until hot and crispy.
More easy chicken recipes:
- Soy Garlic Korean Fried Chicken (Dak Ganjeong)
- Kimchi Brined Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Spicy Braised Chicken (Dak Dori Tang)
- Spicy Gochujang Chicken Drumsticks
- Filipino Chicken Adobo
Market-style Korean Fried Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Equipment
- Large measuring cup *I recommend a 4-cup measuring cup, 2-cup will be tight
- Large Tupperware container with lid
- Large Bowl
- whisk
- Dutch oven
- Thermometer
- Cooling rack
- sheet pan
Ingredients
Brine
- 2 lbs chicken drumsticks *about 8 drumsticks
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 Tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic
Batter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 cup potato starch *can be subbed with corn starch
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt *any seasoned salt works well
- 1/2 cup cold water
Instructions
- Brine chicken. Add water to a large measuring cup. Add salt, sugar, coriander seed, fennel seed, and bay leaf. Whack garlic cloves with the side of a knife so it's partially smashed and cracked. Add to the brine. Stir together until the salt and sugar dissolves. Pour over the chicken drumsticks. Cover and brine for 24 hours or at minimum, overnight.
- Make batter. In a large bowl, add the flour, corn starch (or potato starch), salt, curry powder, onion powder, and cold water. Whisk until well combined. The batter should be thin and runny. Remove the raw chicken from the brine and add directly into the batter. It's ok if a few coriander seeds and fennel seeds stick to the chicken but make sure to remove the garlic cloves and bay leaf. Mix until the chicken is well coated.
- Deep fry chicken. Add 2-3 inches of avocado oil (or canola oil or vegetable oil) to a Dutch Oven. Heat over medium heat until the temperature reaches 350F/176C. Add the battered chicken to the hot oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. The drumsticks should float in the oil. Be careful — the oil is hot! Deep fry until the chicken is golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the hot oil and transfer to a cooling rack fitted over a sheet pan to catch the drips. Repeat until all the chicken is deep fried.
- Deep fry chicken twice. After all the chicken has been deep fried the first time, deep fry for the second time. Heat the oil until it reaches 370F/187C on the thermometer. Add the fried chicken back to the hot oil and cook until dark golden brown, another 3-4 minutes.
- TIP: *To ensure the chicken is completely cooked through, use a food thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 165C/74C.
- Serve. Garnish with green onion, if desired. Enjoy with White Radish Kimchi (dongchimi), beer, and rice.
Video
Notes
- Brine for (at least) 24 hours. Make sure to brine the chicken for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days. The combination of salt, sugar, and aromatics will soak into the meat for the most juicy chicken.
- Deep fry twice. A South Korean double-frying method for extra crispy fried chicken. The first fry is longer, at a lower temperature. The second fry is shorter, at a higher temperature.
- Make sure not to crowd the pan. When frying the chicken, make sure the chicken is not too crowded. Overcrowded chicken will lower the temperature of the oil too quickly, resulting in soggy chicken.
