Korean fried chicken uses double-frying at exactly 340°F then 375°F—the temperature jump creates those signature glass-like shards.
Crispy Honey Butter Chicken
Get ready to indulge in the ultimate comfort food with our Crispy Honey Butter Chicken! This mouthwatering dish features juicy, golden-brown chicken, perfectly fried to crispy perfection and drizzled with a luscious honey butter glaze that’ll have your taste buds dancing. With just a few simple ingredients and a secret frying technique, you’ll be serving up this sweet and savory delight in no time!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
This sweet-meets-heat masterpiece exploded from Seoul's Hongdae district in the 2010s when Korean fried chicken joints discovered American honey butter chips and thought 'bloody brilliant, but needs more fire'—they slapped gochugaru into melted butter, drizzled honey like liquid gold, and created a sticky, spicy coating that makes KFC's Colonel weep into his eleven herbs and spices.
Regional Twist
In Busan's coastal districts, they swap regular honey for acacia honey and double the sesame oil, then finish with toasted perilla seeds instead of sesame seeds for a nuttier crunch.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1 lb (454 g) chicken breast
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) gochugaru
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) sesame seeds
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
- black pepper (to taste)
- ½ cup (118 ml) cornstarch
- garlic powder (to taste)
- honey (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- sesame oil (to taste)
- unsalted butter (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
In a bowl, mix cornstarch, flour, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
- 2
Coat the chicken breast pieces in the flour mixture.
- 3
Fry the chicken in hot oil until golden and crispy.
- 4
In a separate pan, melt butter and mix in honey, gochugaru, and sesame oil.
- 5
Toss the fried chicken in the honey butter sauce.
- 6
Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Fry chicken at exactly 325-340°F because this temperature range creates maximum Maillard browning while preventing moisture loss that occurs above 350°F.technique325-340°F
- ✓Use a 1:1 cornstarch to flour ratio because cornstarch creates 30% more crispiness than all-flour coatings due to its lower protein content and superior moisture absorption.ingredient1:1 ratio, 30% crispier
- ✓Heat honey butter sauce to exactly 180-190°F before tossing with chicken so it coats evenly without breaking the emulsion or making coating soggy.timing180-190°F
- ✓Double-fry the chicken: first at 325°F for 4-5 minutes, rest 3 minutes, then 340°F for 2-3 minutes to achieve maximum crispiness through moisture evaporation.technique325°F then 340°F, 3-minute rest
- ✓Cut chicken into 1-inch uniform pieces because this size ensures 6-7 minute cooking time reaches 165°F internal temperature without overcooking the exterior coating.technique1-inch pieces, 6-7 minutes
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Korean fried chicken uses double-frying at exactly 340°F then 375°F—the temperature jump creates those signature glass-like shards.
Crispy Honey Butter Chicken
Get ready to indulge in the ultimate comfort food with our Crispy Honey Butter Chicken! This mouthwatering dish features juicy, golden-brown chicken, perfectly fried to crispy perfection and drizzled with a luscious honey butter glaze that’ll have your taste buds dancing. With just a few simple ingredients and a secret frying technique, you’ll be serving up this sweet and savory delight in no time!
The Story
This sweet-meets-heat masterpiece exploded from Seoul's Hongdae district in the 2010s when Korean fried chicken joints discovered American honey butter chips and thought 'bloody brilliant, but needs more fire'—they slapped gochugaru into melted butter, drizzled honey like liquid gold, and created a sticky, spicy coating that makes KFC's Colonel weep into his eleven herbs and spices.
Regional Twist
In Busan's coastal districts, they swap regular honey for acacia honey and double the sesame oil, then finish with toasted perilla seeds instead of sesame seeds for a nuttier crunch.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1 lb (454 g) chicken breast
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) gochugaru
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) sesame seeds
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
- black pepper (to taste)
- ½ cup (118 ml) cornstarch
- garlic powder (to taste)
- honey (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- sesame oil (to taste)
- unsalted butter (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
In a bowl, mix cornstarch, flour, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
- 2
Coat the chicken breast pieces in the flour mixture.
- 3
Fry the chicken in hot oil until golden and crispy.
- 4
In a separate pan, melt butter and mix in honey, gochugaru, and sesame oil.
- 5
Toss the fried chicken in the honey butter sauce.
- 6
Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Fry chicken at exactly 325-340°F because this temperature range creates maximum Maillard browning while preventing moisture loss that occurs above 350°F.technique325-340°F
- ✓Use a 1:1 cornstarch to flour ratio because cornstarch creates 30% more crispiness than all-flour coatings due to its lower protein content and superior moisture absorption.ingredient1:1 ratio, 30% crispier
- ✓Heat honey butter sauce to exactly 180-190°F before tossing with chicken so it coats evenly without breaking the emulsion or making coating soggy.timing180-190°F
- ✓Double-fry the chicken: first at 325°F for 4-5 minutes, rest 3 minutes, then 340°F for 2-3 minutes to achieve maximum crispiness through moisture evaporation.technique325°F then 340°F, 3-minute rest
- ✓Cut chicken into 1-inch uniform pieces because this size ensures 6-7 minute cooking time reaches 165°F internal temperature without overcooking the exterior coating.technique1-inch pieces, 6-7 minutes