Do you know what's better than Kentucky Fried Chicken? Korean Fried Chicken! When I saw Kenji's version of the Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich, I was floored! He used kimchi as part of the brine. How genius is that? And that kimchi mayo concoction makes perfect sense. You can check out the entire article from SeriousEats.
While I drew inspiration from that, I also drew some from the wonderful Maangchi. If you do not know who she is, you are really missing out a lot. Check out her YouTube channel and subscribed to her channel. She has loads of Korean dishes. I followed her technique in double frying the chicken as well as that sweet umami sauce.
To combine everything together, I need to make some waffles with Hexa Waffle Mix. My waffles contain some nori flakes and Korean chili flakes aka gochugaru to come full circle for that Korean theme. Do I need to say more?
Ingredients:
Inspired by J. Kenji López-Alt & Maangchi
(Serve 4)
Brine:
Buttermilk, 225g
Watermelon Rind Kimchi Homemade Finely Sliced, 1/4 Cup or Kimchi Homemade
Sea Salt, Pinch
White Pepper, Pinch
Mushroom Powder, Pinch
Garlic Powder, Pinch
Ginger Powder, Pinch
Soy Sauce, 1 TBSP
Sesame Oil, 1 TBSP
Gochugaru, Pinch
Chicken Thigh Skinless Boneless, 4
Waffles:
Sesame Oil, 50g + More For Greasing
Eggs, 2
Buttermilk, 250g
Milk, 50g
Hexa Waffle Mix, 200g
Baking Powder, 8g
Sea Salt, Pinch
Nori Flakes, Pinch
Gochugaru, Pinch
Sauces:
Sesame Oil, 1/4 Cup
Garlic Finely Minced, 5 Cloves
Soy Sauce, 1/4 Cup
Korean Rice or Malt Syrup / Maple Syrup, 1/8 Cup
Gochugaru, Pinch
Gochujang, 1 TBSP Adjust To Preference
Kimchi Homemade Finely Chopped, 2 Heaped TBSP
Kewpie Mayo, 2 Heaped TBSP
Chicken:
Rapeseed / Sunflower / Canola / Peanut Oil, For Frying
Bleached All Purpose Flour, 5 TBSP
Potato Starch, 1 TBSP
Sea Salt, Pinch
White Pepper, Pinch
Mushroom Powder, Pinch
Garlic Powder, Pinch
Ginger Powder, Pinch
Toasted Sesame Oil, For Drizzling
Nori Flakes, Pinch
Gochugaru, Pinch
Equipment:
Cast Iron Griddle / Waffle Machine
Dutch Oven
Cast Iron Skillet / Pan
Directions:
Please visit, "How To Make Vegan Kimchi" or "Watermelon Rind Kimchi" for the recipes.
Prepare the brine.
Add all the ingredients in a large bowl, excluding the chicken.
Mix until well combined.
Add in the chicken.
Make sure the chicken is fully submerged in the brine.
Cover and chill in the fridge for 12 to 24 hrs.
Prepare the waffles.
In a bowl, whisk together sesame oil, egg, buttermilk and milk until well combined.
In a large bowl, mix together Hexa Waffle Mix, baking powder, salt, nori flakes and gochugaru.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
Mix until well combined.
*It is okay to have some lumps.*
Set aside to rest for 15 to 30 mins.
I am using a griddle to cook my waffles. If you have a waffle machine, go ahead and use it as per the manufacturer's instructions.
Grease the griddle with some sesame oil, over medium-low heat.
Pour in the entire batter.
Cover and cook for 2 to 3 mins or until the bottom is browned.
Loosen the edges with a spatula and confidently flip.
Cook for another 1 to 2 mins.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Prepare the sauces.
In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add oil.
Once the oil is heated up, add in garlic.
Saute until aromatic.
Add in soy sauce and syrup.
Followed by gochugaru and gochujang.
Stir to combine well.
Cook until the sauce has slightly reduced and thickened.
Remove from heat and set aside.
In another bowl, add kimchi and mayo.
Mix until well combined.
Set aside until ready to use.
Prepare the chicken.
Heat up about 4 inches of oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
*Bubbles should form when a wooden chopstick is inserted into the oil.*
In a shallow bowl, add flour, starch, salt, pepper, mushroom, garlic and ginger powder.
Mix until well combined.
Dredge the chicken into the flour mixture, packing the flour tightly onto the chicken to adhere well, on both sides.
Gently drop into the oil away from you.
Deep fried until lightly golden brown.
*Do not overcrowd.*
Repeat the steps for the remaining chicken.
Set aside on a wire cooling rack or on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain off excess oil.
*I dredged the brined kimchi with any remaining flour mixture and deep fried them. They tasted pretty good.*
Deep fried the chicken again, in the same oil, until dark golden brown.
Set aside on a wire cooling rack or on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain off excess oil.
To serve.
Spread the kimchi mayo mixture onto the waffles.
Top the waffles off with the fried chicken.
Drizzle that soy sauce mixture over the chicken.
Sprinkle some nori flakes and gochugaru over the top.
Lastly, drizzle some toasted sesame oil over the top.
Serve immediately.
Nothing can go wrong with waffles and chicken...
Succulent...
Mama Mia...
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