Ainsley Harriott Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Wings (Yangnyeom Chicken) with Pickled Radish
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.
Equipment
- Deep Heavy-Based Saucepan
- Cooking Thermometer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small Saucepan
- Slotted Spoon
- Kitchen Paper
- Tongs
Ingredients
For the Chicken Wings
- 1 kg whole chicken wings cut through joints into drumettes and winglets if preferred
- 3 tbsp rice wine or mirin or dry white wine or rice wine vinegar
- 5 cm fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 120 g cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- vegetable oil for deep frying
For the 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 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger grated
For the Pickled Radish
- 300 g daikon radish peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
- 100 ml rice wine vinegar
- 100 ml 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
Instructions
- 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: Place the wings in a large bowl. Mix together 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 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 together in a shallow bowl. Take a few wings at a time and toss 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. 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.
Video
Notes
Marinate the wings for at least 1 hour — the rice wine and ginger tenderise the meat and remove any raw poultry smell. Two hours gives an even better result.
Oil temperature is everything: 175°C is the correct frying temperature. Use a thermometer — too low gives greasy chicken, too high burns the outside before the inside cooks through.
Coat in sauce immediately: Toss the chicken in the Yangnyeom sauce the moment it comes out of the oil while still piping hot. The heat helps the sauce lacquer onto the crust.
Baked version: Spray coated wings generously with oil and bake on a wire rack at 200°C (180°C fan) for 30 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and cooked through.