Korean Fried Chicken Wings

Double-frying is the secret to Korean fried chicken's legendary crunch. Let wings rest between fries for maximum crispiness.

Korean fried chicken has a story rooted in the aftermath of the Korean War. In the 1950s, American troops stationed in South Korea introduced deep-frying to a cuisine that had traditionally prepared chicken by boiling, stewing, or grilling. The technique caught on quickly, but it would be another two decades before fried chicken became widely accessible: cooking oil was scarce and expensive in postwar Korea, limiting the dish to occasional special treats. By the 1970s, as South Korea's economy grew and household incomes rose, cooking oil became affordable and fried chicken restaurants multiplied across the country. The first modern Korean fried chicken franchise, Lims Chicken, was established in 1977 by Yu Seok-ho in the basement of Shinsegae Department Store in Seoul. It quickly became popular, establishing the model for hundreds of chains that followed. The yangnyeom style — chicken glazed in a sweet, spicy red sauce made with gochujang, garlic, and rice syrup — was pioneered in 1982 by Yun Jonggye in Daegu. American fast food giant KFC arrived in South Korea in 1984, further intensifying competition and innovation in the local market. The double-frying technique — a first fry at lower temperature to drive out moisture, a rest, then a second fry at higher temperature for shattering crispiness — became a defining method. The New York Times food writer Julia Moskin described the result as a "thin, crackly and almost transparent crust." The 1997 Asian financial crisis created an unexpected boon: many workers who lost corporate jobs opened chicken restaurants as an accessible business, dramatically expanding the industry. By 2002, the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan turned chimaek — the portmanteau pairing of chikin (chicken) and maekju (beer) — into a national cultural institution.