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5 from 3 votes

Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken

Air fried chicken thighs are wonderfully crispy and tossed in homemade gochujang sauce, then placed atop a heaping portion of asian pear and Napa cabbage slaw.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Marinate time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8 chicken thighs
Author: Julie Chiou

Equipment

Ingredients 

For the fried chicken:

  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into halves
  • 4 cups (946 ml) buttermilk or enough to just cover the chicken pieces
  • 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon paprika powder
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • Avocado oil spray

For the gochujang sauce:

  • ½ cup (137 g) gochujang paste
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • ½ cup (170 g) honey
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ cup (59 ml) water or enough to thin sauce to coat chicken pieces

For Asian pear & Napa cabbage slaw:

  • 6 leaves of Napa cabbage sliced thinly
  • 1 large Asian pear cut into thin sticks
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ cup cilantro chopped
  • ¼ cup (59 ml) apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper

To serve and garnish:

  • Corn tortillas
  • Chopped green onions
  • Sesame seeds

Instructions

For the fried chicken:

  • Remove bone from chicken thighs, keeping the skin intact. Cut thighs into halves
    8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • Place chicken pieces in a medium bowl and soak in buttermilk for 12-24 hours. Ensure chicken pieces are submerged
    4 cups buttermilk
  • When you are about ready to air-fry the chicken, mix dry ingredients in a shallow dish
    1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon paprika powder, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • Dredge soaked chicken pieces in flour mix and make sure all surfaces of the chicken is covered. Place breaded chicken on a wire rack and let stand for 10-15 minutes so that the buttermilk and flour form a crust on the chicken. Repeat process for remainder of chicken pieces
  • Prepare air fryer basket by coating in oil spray, and arrange chicken pieces in the basket. Do not crowd the basket so the chicken can fry to golden brown and crispy. Spray chicken with avocado oil
    Avocado oil spray
  • Set air-fryer to 375 °F (191 °C) for 10 minutes, flipping after 5 minutes. Spray any white flour spots that remain on the chicken. After full 10 minutes, check whether chicken is golden brown and fully cooked. Add an additional 3 minutes if necessary. Set aside cooked chicken on cooling rack, repeat process for the remaining pieces.

For Gochujang Sauce:

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Continue to whisk and add water until you have achieved a semi runny consistency. This is a great BBQ sauce for chicken and pork dishes and can be stored in a jar in the fridge for 7-10 days
    ½ cup gochujang paste, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, ½ cup honey, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ cup water
  • Pour sauce over air-fried chicken while still hot and garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, if desired

For Asian Pear & Napa Cabbage Slaw:

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix with hands until all ingredients are thoroughly tossed together. Keep in fridge until ready to serve
    6 leaves of Napa cabbage, 1 large Asian pear, 1 teaspoon ginger, ¼ cup cilantro, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon white pepper

To serve:

  • Warm up the corn tortilla on a griddle / frying pan or over flame on the gas stovetop. Scoop a spoonful of the pear & cabbage slaw and top with fried chicken. Spoon more sauce and garnish over chicken if desired.

Notes

It is important to let chicken pieces stand for 10-15 minutes after breading so the buttermilk and flour combined can form a crust on the chicken. Place breaded chicken on a wire rack/cooling rack, not on solid flat surface to ensure breading stays on the surface of the chicken.
Do not crowd the chicken on the basket or on air-fryer rack to make sure there is plenty of space for hot air to circulate.I am using the Instant Pot Air Fryer lid attachment to make this recipe and each basket  can fit 4 pieces comfortably.
Cooking time depends on your air fryer. If in doubt, use less cooking time and keep checking the chicken and adding more cooking time until they are crispy, flipping them over so that the other side can get crispy as well.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 chicken thigh | Calories: 388 kcal | Carbohydrates: 46 g | Protein: 28 g | Fat: 11 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 121 mg | Sodium: 1490 mg | Potassium: 608 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 28 g

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