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!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 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))
- 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
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise ((I use Hellman's))
- 1/2 cup kimchi, chopped (drained)
- 1-2 Tbsp sriracha ((optional))
- 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
- 1
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.
- 2
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.
- 3
While the oil heats, add batter ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk with a fork.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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!
- 8
Mix ingredients in a bowl and set aside. This can be made ahead of time, up to 1 day in advance.
- 9
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.
- 10
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.