Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich with Kimchi Mayo
The BEST Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich! Kimchi juice + buttermilk brine PLUS potato starch makes the crispiest buttermilk fried chicken sandwich ever!
Servings: 6
Calories: 857kcal
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- candy thermometer
- Cooling rack
- sheet pan
- Metal spider strainer
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup kimchi juice (preferably from old, well fermented kimchi)
- 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6-8 oz each)
Batter:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup potato starch
- 1/4 cup Gochukaru (Korean chili flakes) (can be subbed with 2 Tbsp cayenne or mustard powder)
- 1/4 cup black sesame seeds
- 2 tsp salt
Kimchi Mayo:
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman's)
- 1/2 cup kimchi, chopped (drained)
- 1-2 Tbsp sriracha (optional)
Additional Sandwich Ingredients:
- 4 brioche buns
- 8 sandwich pickles (the flat sliced kind) (2 for each sandwich)
- 8 butter or gem lettuce leaves (2 for each sandwich)
Instructions
Marinate Chicken:
- Combine buttermilk and kimchi juice in glass food container. Add chicken thighs and mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Deep Fry Chicken:
- Set up a deep frying station: Place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet, for transferring fried chicken. Clip a candy thermometer to a cast iron Dutch oven. Fill with 3 inches of oil. Heat on medium high heat until 350F.
- While the oil heats, add batter ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk with a fork.
- To create craggy chunks, add 1-2 Tbsp of the buttermilk brine to the flour mixture and gently mix with your hands. The flour will take on a chunkier texture this way.
- Remove chicken thighs from brine. Dredge both sides with flour mixture. Gently add dredged chicken to hot oil (when it reaches 350F), making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
- Fry chicken thighs in batches, until cooked through, about 6-8 minutes total. Flip the chicken about halfway through. When finished, they should be golden and crispy looking. Remove from the hot oil and transfer to the cooling rack fitted over a baking sheet.
- Optional but highly recommended: After the chicken has been fried, fry a 2nd time for 1-2 minutes each. That extra frying time will ensure the crispiest, crackly chicken!
Kimchi Mayo:
- Mix ingredients in a bowl and set aside. This can be made ahead of time, up to 1 day in advance.
Assemble Sandwiches:
- Toast brioche buns and add kimchi mayo to both top and bottom buns. Assemble sandwich, starting from the bottom: brioche bun with kimchi mayo, pickle, fried chicken, lettuce, top bun with kimchi mayo. Serve with additional kimchi mayo on the side.
- Note: the recipe calls for 6-8 chicken pieces for 6 servings. If you'd like, you can serve the extra 2 pieces for big eaters. They can double up their chicken pieces in 1 sandwich.
Video
Notes
*Chicken breast can be substituted for this recipe. Simply pound down 6 ounce chicken breasts evenly before marinating.
PRO Tips:
- Marinate chicken thighs overnight. Like any brine, the flavor needs to soak into the meat.
- For extra craggy batter: add 1-2 Tbsp of the brining liquid to the flour dredge and gently mix to combine. This will create shaggy, craggy bits that will stick to the chicken in thick shards.
- Don't crowd the chicken! When deep frying, make sure not to crowd the chicken! Fry in batches so the oil temperature doesn't dip too low.
- Double-fry the chicken. Although optional, double frying creates a super crispy batter that does not get soggy. After deep frying the first time, fry for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 857kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 219mg | Sodium: 1768mg | Potassium: 1407mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 10751IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 9mg