Korean Fried Chicken Vs. American Fried Chicken

Remove from heat and stir in the garlic. Set aside until ready to serve

In a medium bowl, add the chicken, ginger, black pepper, and a generous pinch of salt. Toss to evenly coat and let marinate for at least 5 minutes but ideally covered in the fridge overnight.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and baking soda. Set aside.

Fill a 7-8 quart (6.6-7.5L) heavy bottomed pot just over halfway with oil. Heat to 325℉ (163℃). Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack and place that next to the hot oil.

Add the chicken to the cornstarch mixture and firmly press the cornstarch into the chicken, making sure each piece is thoroughly coated in the dredge. Shake off any excess cornstarch before frying.

Carefully add the chicken, in batches, to the hot oil and fry 5 minutes or until the chicken is light golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165℉ (74℃). Drain on the cooling rack and repeat with the remaining batches of chicken.

Once all the chicken is fried and cooked through, increase the oil temperature to 375℉ (190℃). Fry the chicken again, in batches, until deeply golden brown and crispy all over. Drain the chicken on the cooling rack after frying.

Place the fried chicken in a bowl and toss it with as much sauce as you desire, making sure all the chicken gets completely coated with the sauce.

Add to a plate and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, MSG, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika until evenly combined. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 5 minutes, but ideally covered in the fridge overnight.

In a separate large bowl whisk together the flour, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, celery powder, smoked paprika, MSG and salt until evenly combined.

Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge and drizzle some of the marinade liquid into the flour mixture, toss to coat, adding more if needed, until you see balls of flour evenly dispersed throughout; this technique will give your fried chicken the perfect flakey texture. Add the marinated chicken to the flour and press the flour mixture firmly into all sides of the chicken, making sure it is evenly coated. Shake off any excess flour from the chicken and place it on a baking sheet to rest.

Fill a 7-8 quart (6.6-7.5L) heavy bottomed pot just over halfway with oil. Heat to 350℉ (175℃). Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack and place that next to the hot oil.

Carefully add the chicken, in batches, to the hot oil and fry 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is deeply golden brown, crispy and cooked to an internal temperature of 165℉ (74℃). Drain on the cooling rack and repeat with the remaining batches of chicken.

Let rest a few minutes to cool and then serve while still hot.