Rookie Pan
← All recipes
United States, Americas · Classic Buffalo Wings

Gochujang Buffalo Wings

Korean-style potato-starch fried wings glazed in a gochujang, hot sauce, butter and honey sauce, served with sweet-sour pickled radish.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time47 min
Pickling+ 30 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Pickled radish: peel the radish and cut it into 1.5 cm cubes. Stir the water, vinegar, sugar and salt until fully dissolved, pour it over the radish and refrigerate for at least . It is even better made the day before.

    Add in this stepDaikon radish 150 gRice vinegar 60 mlWater 60 mlSugar 2 tbspSalt (for the pickle) ½ tsp

  2. Pat the wings thoroughly dry and season with the salt and white pepper. Add the potato starch and toss until every piece has a thin, even coat, then shake off the excess. Leave them for 5 minutes, until the starch looks damp; this keeps the coating from falling off and makes it thin and crackly.

    Add in this stepChicken wing pieces (drumettes and flats) 16Salt 1 tspGround white pepper 1 pinchPotato starch 5 tbsp

  3. Pour the oil into a heavy 22 cm pot, no more than half full, and heat over medium-high heat for about to 170 °C. A pinch of starch dropped in should sizzle and float up immediately. Keep a lid nearby and never leave the oil unattended.

    Add in this stepNeutral oil for deep-frying 1½ L

    medium-high heat

  4. Add the wings one at a time, away from you, and fry in 2 batch(es), in total, at 165–170 °C (medium-high heat), stirring now and then so they don't stick together. Lift onto a rack when light golden, firmly crisp and 75 °C inside (no pink by the bone).

    medium-high heat

  5. Melt the butter in a wide 24 cm pan over medium-low heat and fry the garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the gochujang, hot sauce, honey and soy sauce and stir for , until it bubbles and turns glossy. Gochujang and honey burn easily, so keep the heat gentle.

    Add in this stepUnsalted butter 30 gGarlic cloves, minced 2Gochujang (Korean red chilli paste) 2 tbspCayenne pepper hot sauce (thin, vinegar-based) 60 mlHoney 2 tbspSoy sauce 2 tsp

    medium-low heat

  6. Turn off the heat, add the fried wings to the pan and toss until evenly coated. Plate, scatter with sesame seeds and spring onions, and serve straight away with the pickled radish.

    Add in this stepToasted sesame seeds 1 tspSpring onions, thinly sliced 1

Cook's tip

Cornstarch works instead of potato starch, but potato starch stays crisp longer. For extra crunch, rest the fried wings 1 minute and fry again at 180 °C for 1 minute. For children, use less hot sauce and add 1 extra tablespoon each of honey and ketchup.

Cooking it at camp

Make the pickled radish and sauce at home. At the campsite, skip the starch and grill the wings over medium coals for 20–25 minutes, turning often, then warm the sauce gently in a cast-iron pan and toss. Avoid deep-frying on a camp stove.