Vegan Korean Spicy Fried Chicken

Korean cuisine is one of my favorite kinds of food. The textures and flavors are exactly what I love. The crispy fried chicken is my favorite.

Korean fried chicken, known for its distinctive crispy texture and bold flavors, has become a beloved dish for many food enthusiasts worldwide. This fried chicken variant is typically double-fried to achieve an extra crunchiness that sets it apart from other fried chicken styles. What makes Korean fried chicken truly unique is the variety of sauces it can be coated in, ranging from classic soy garlic and spicy gochujang to sweet and tangy flavors like honey butter. Whether enjoyed as a snack, appetizer, or main course, Korean fried chicken never fails to delight with its satisfying crunch and explosion of flavors.

Of course we’re not using chicken but I was able to order these vegan chicken legs online. They are nice when you want your finished product to look like chicken legs. They have an edible sugar cane center that emulates a bone in the middle although some varieties have a wooden dowl in the middle for the “bone” so be careful not to bite through that!

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of ordering specialty vegan chicken legs you can of course use frozen vegan chicken nuggets or tenders. You can also use your own home made fried tofu pieces. It’s really the crunchiness and the sauce that makes this dish amazing!

For this sauce you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 T soy sauce

• 1 T Worcestershire sauce

• 1 T minced garlic

• 1/2 C ketchup

• 1/4 C sambal Oelek or gochujang paste if you can find it

• 1/4 C grape jam

• 1/4 C maple syrup

• 1 T vinegar

• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil

• sesame seeds [optional]

  Whisk all of the ingredients in a pot and simmer over medium to low heat for about 10 minutes. You just want to give the sauce time to reduce a little and for all of the flavors to come together. as the sauce reduces the sugars will become more sticky. Put your cooked fried chicken substitute in a large bowl with the sauce and stir it gently with a big spoon or spatula until each piece is evenly coated. sprinkle with sesame for garnish if you wish.

  The fried chicken is easy if you’re using something like vegan chicken nuggets. You will want to be sure you cook them long enough to achieve a very crunchy outer coating. If you are frying the vegan chicken legs or frying tofu you will want to use this recipe:

  Fried Chicken coating:

• 2 cups of flour

• 1/2 cup water

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper

• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon of onion powder

  You will need to put one cup of flour into a bowl with the water and the other cup of flour into another bowl with the seasonings. Take your thawed vegan chicken legs and coat them with the dry flour. Then put them in the wet mixture and then back into the dry flour. This will make a good crunchy coating.

  You’ll need a pot that can easily fit a few pieces at a time. Pour enough cooking oil into the pot so it is not more than half way full, in fact I would try to eye ball the oil level up to only 1/3 of the way full so when you put the pieces in to fry them the oil doesn’t bubble over the pot sides and cause a mess or worse, a fire!

  Usually Korean fried chicken is twice fried to get it extra crunchy but I only fry once. That is good for me but feel free to do your own thing.

  Your oil should be about 350-365 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s good to have an oil thermometer to be sure your oil is the right temperature. If the oil is too hot the outer coating will burn before the inside is cooked. If the oil isn’t hot enough the chicken legs will not be so crispy and will be very greasy and soggy.

  The pieces will be done cooking when the coating is golden brown and crunchy. This takes about 4 minutes but keep an eye on it because I find that this time can vary.

  Once they are golden take them out of the oil with tongs and place them on a paper towel lined tray to drain ad cool.

  I wouldn’t recommend this recipe for meal prep because the fried pieces will lose their crunchiness. If you insist on freezing them for later place the pieces on a baking sheet making sure none of the pieces are touching each other. Place the baking sheet into the freezer and once the pieces are completely frozen they can be transferred to a storage container or freezer bag.

  I really hope you enjoy these delicious vegan chicken legs!