Ingredients
- 2-4 boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
- 1.5 cups of milk
- 1.5 cups of flour
- 1 teaspoon of gochujang
- 2 teaspoons of black pepper
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- Oil for deep frying (not in the original notebook, step 6 heats oil to temperature but no frying oil appears in his list)
Equipment. Heavy deep pot or Dutch oven, Instant-read thermometer, Wire rack over a sheet pan
Method
- Sprinkle kosher salt all over chicken
- Let it brine in the refrigerator until the chicken is sweating, at least 30 minutes
- Pat dry the chicken
- Mix gochujang and milk together
- Mix flour and seasoning together
- Heat oil to 350
- Dunk chicken in milk, then flour, then milk, then flour again
- Fry for 8 to 10 minutes, until the thickest part reads 74C / 165F
How long do you fry it?
Bone-in thighs want 325F for 12 to 15 minutes, turned every three or four minutes. The bone is a heat sink and the meat next to it heats last.
Boneless thighs need much less. They will be done in about five minutes at 375F.
Chicken is done at 74C / 165F in the thickest part. On dark meat, 168F to 175F eats better, because thigh connective tissue is still tough at 165F.
Fry two to four pieces at a time and no more. A crowded pot drops the oil below 300F and the crust goes greasy instead of crisp.
How do you keep the crust on?
Rest the dredged pieces on a rack for ten to fifteen minutes before they go into the oil. The flour hydrates and grips.
Drain the cooked chicken on a wire rack over a sheet pan, not on paper towel. Paper steams the underside and undoes the crust.
Buttermilk instead of plain milk helps here, and so does a quarter cup of cornstarch in the flour.
What do you serve it with?
Hot sauce, pickles and white bread. Coleslaw and cornbread if it is a meal rather than a snack. It is better at room temperature an hour out of the fryer than reheated.