Ainsley Harriott Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Wings (Yangnyeom Chicken) with Pickled Radish Recipe

Ainsley Harriott’s Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Wings are crispy, sticky, and absolutely addictive — double-coated in seasoned cornflour and tossed in a fiery, sweet gochujang Yangnyeom sauce. Served with cool, crunchy pickled radish on the side, this is Korean street food at its finger-licking best, ready in under an hour.

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Ainsley Harriott’s Korean Fried Chicken Ingredients

The Chicken Wings

• 1kg whole chicken wings
• 3 tbsp rice wine/mirin (or white wine, dry vermouth, or rice wine vinegar)
• 5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 120g cornflour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Yangnyeom Sauce

• 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp grated fresh ginger

For the Pickled Radish

• 300g daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
• 100ml rice wine vinegar
• 100ml water
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp fine sea salt

To Serve

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• Fresh lime wedges

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How To Make Ainsley Harriott’s Korean Fried Chicken Recipe

• Make the pickled radish first: Whisk together the rice wine vinegar, water, caster sugar and salt in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the daikon radish cubes and toss to coat. Cover and leave at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight for a deeper pickle flavour.
• Marinate the chicken: If preferred, cut the chicken wings through the joints into drumettes and winglets, discarding the tips. Place in a large bowl. Mix the rice wine, grated ginger, salt and black pepper, add to the chicken and toss well to coat, rubbing the marinade into the meat. Cover and marinate for 1–2 hours in the fridge.
• Make the Yangnyeom sauce: Put all the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Whisk well while bringing it to the boil. Simmer for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
• Coat the chicken: Mix the cornflour and baking powder in a shallow bowl. Take a few wings at a time and toss them in the cornflour mixture, rubbing it into the meat and shaking off any excess. Set aside on a tray and continue until all wings are coated.
• Fry the chicken: Heat enough vegetable oil for deep frying in a deep, heavy-based saucepan to 175°C — the oil should come no more than two-thirds up the pan. Fry the wings in batches for 8–10 minutes until crisp, deeply golden and cooked through, turning halfway. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on kitchen paper.
• Coat and serve: Transfer the hot, crispy wings to a large bowl and pour over the warm Yangnyeom sauce. Toss thoroughly until every wing is generously coated in the sticky glaze. Pile onto a serving platter, scatter with toasted sesame seeds and sliced spring onions, and serve immediately with the pickled radish and lime wedges on the side.

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Recipe Tips

Marinate for at least 1 hour — don’t skip it: The rice wine and ginger marinade tenderises the chicken and removes any raw poultry smell. One hour gives a noticeable improvement in flavour; two hours is even better and worth the extra wait.

Cornflour only — no plain flour: Cornflour delivers a lighter, crispier, more shatteringly thin crust than wheat flour alone. This is the technique that makes Korean fried chicken so distinctly different from Western-style fried chicken — do not substitute it.

Oil temperature is everything: 175°C is the correct frying temperature. Too low and the chicken absorbs oil and turns greasy. Too high and the outside burns before the inside cooks through. Use a thermometer for accuracy.

Coat in sauce immediately: Toss the chicken in the Yangnyeom sauce the moment it comes out of the oil while it is still piping hot. The heat helps the sauce cling and lacquer onto the crust. Sauce applied to cooled chicken slides off and doesn’t adhere properly.

Don’t crowd the pan: Fry in batches — maximum 4–5 wings at a time. Overcrowding drops the oil temperature dramatically and results in steamed, soggy chicken instead of crispy.

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💡 Make It Your Own — Creative Twists

• Double-fry for extra crunch — fry the wings once at 160°C for 6 minutes, rest for 5 minutes, then fry again at 185°C for 3–4 minutes for a shattering Korean-style double-fried crust that stays crispy for longer
• Make it milder — reduce the gochujang to 1 tablespoon and add an extra tablespoon of honey for a sweeter, less fiery sauce that still delivers all the sticky, glossy flavour without the heat.
• Try boneless chicken thighs — cut into large chunks, marinate the same way and fry for 5–6 minutes; boneless thigh meat is juicier and richer than wings and makes an excellent Korean fried chicken bite.s
• Add the sauce as a glaze on the grill — brush the Yangnyeom sauce onto chicken thighs or drumsticks during the last 5 minutes of grilling for a charred, caramelised Korean BBQ finish
• Serve in lettuce cups — pile sauced wings into crisp butter lettuce leaves with pickled radish, sliced cucumber and a drizzle of sesame oil for a lighter, Asian-style sharing platter.
• Make it gluten-free — use tamari instead of soy sauce and ensure your gochujang is gluten-free; the cornflour coating is naturally gluten-free, so the recipe adapts easily.

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What To Serve With Ainsley Harriott’s Korean Fried Chicken

Pickled Radish (Chicken-Mu): Included in this recipe — the cool, tangy daikon is the classic Korean pairing that cuts through the richness of the sticky sauce beautifully

Steamed Jasmine Rice: The simplest and most satisfying base — the Yangnyeom sauce soaks into the rice and turns every bowl into something special

Korean Cucumber Salad: Thinly sliced cucumber with sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic and gochugaru — a fresh, spicy side that complements the wings perfectly

Cold Korean Beer or Soju: The classic Korean pairing for fried chicken — the crispness of cold lager cuts the heat and sweetness of the Yangnyeom sauce

Kimchi: A bold, fermented side that adds depth and contrast to the sweet-spicy wings

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How To Store Ainsley Harriott’s Korean Fried Chicken

Best served immediately: Korean fried chicken is at its absolute best served straight from the oil. The cornflour crust begins to soften within 15–20 minutes once sauced, as the moisture from the sauce migrates into the coating.

Refrigerate: Store leftover cooked wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Store the sauce separately if possible.

Reheat: Reheat in the oven at 200°C (180°C fan) for 10–12 minutes or in the air fryer at 190°C for 6–8 minutes to restore crispiness. Never reheat in the microwave — the coating turns soft and rubbery.

Pickled Radish: Keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It actually improves with time.

Freeze: Not recommended once sauced. However, you can freeze the marinated raw wings for up to 1 month — defrost fully in the fridge overnight before coating and frying.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving, based on 4 servings)

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	~520 kcal
Protein	38g
Carbohydrates	32g
Fat	24g
Saturates	5g
Sugar	14g
Salt	1.6g

Nutrition estimated per serving, including sauce and pickled radish, without rice or additional sides.

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FAQs

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Try More Ainsley Harriott Recipes:

• Ainsley Harriott Carnival Rum Punch Chicken Wings
• Ainsley Harriott Junkanoo Jerk-Spiced Chicken with Guava Glaze
• Ainsley Harriott Schnitzel-Style Crispy Coconut Chicken