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Korean fried Buttermilk Chicken

This is a special recipe I put together, combining two cultures that have amazing fried chicken...Korea and the South. The first time I served this was at my housewarming party. It became a hit with the guests and was even toddler approved!
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American, Korean

Ingredients
  

Marinade

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • 3 lbs Boneless chicken thighs cut into 8 pieces, rinsed, patted dry
  • 1 cup Hidden Valley® buttermilk Ranch® dressing or regular buttermilk
  • Vegetable or canola oil for frying

Batter

  • 1 cup  tempura powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp curry powder
  • 2 tbsp  cornstarch
  • ¼ cup  cold water

Sauce

  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp sugar

Instructions
 

  • Place chicken pieces in shallow baking dish. Pour 1 cup of marinade over the chicken. Massage the marinade into the chicken real well.
  • The next steps are from a korean chef’s site Seonkyong Longest(link here) Watch her video, it makes the steps easier to follow:
  • Heat frying oil 375°F in a thick bottom pot, such as dutch oven or cast iron wok/pot.
  • Whisk tempura powder, garlic powder, onion powder, curry powder, cornstarch and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Take the chicken out from the marinate, add into the dry ingredients mixture and toss evenly.
  • Slowly add water and mix. Start form ¼ cup and add 1 Tbsp per time as needed. We want the batter to be more thicker consistency than pancake batter.
  •  Add the chicken pieces one by one into the hot oil carefully and fry for 6 to 7 minutes or until lightly golden brown and ¾ to “almost” fully cooked. Do 2 to 3 batches depending on the size of the frying pot. Remove from the oil and place on a cooling rack or paper towel lined baking sheet. Repeat with rest of the chicken.
  • When all the chickens are fried, increase oil temperature to 400°F for double frying. Carefully drop all the chicken and fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked. Remove form the oil and place on the cooling rack or paper towel lined baking sheet.
  • When the chicken comes out of the fryer, sprinkle a little bit of salt (not too much) over the chicken while it’s super hot, then brush the sauce evenly over the chicken. Don’t brush too much sauce, just a light coating...too much sauce might make it soggy
  • Serve hot.