Korean Chicken Wings start with our perfectly crispy chicken wings. They then get tossed in a Korean-inspired sauce that’s spicy sweet and full of umami.
Korean chicken wings have risen in popularity in the US and it’s a dish that you’ll want again and again. While these aren’t traditionally made Korean chicken wings, the sauce is inspired by Korean flavors that will be a new favorite.
What Makes The Sauce So Special?
Korean BBQ Sauce is made with soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, gochujang, water, honey, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. You simmer all these ingredients together to thicken the sauce and dissolve the sugar in it. It’ll also help marry the flavors together and make your house smell amazing!
This sauce has the perfect balance of umami, sweet, savory, and spicy to make a sauce you’ll want to put on everything. There’s enough sauce that you’ll be able dip the wings in the extra too.
What Is Gochujang?
Gochujang is a staple in Korean cooking that is a must for this Korean BBQ sauce. It’s a red chile paste that contains a few other ingredients like glutinous rice and fermented soybeans that create a deep and flavorful condiment.
While other spicy chile sauces can be used, gochujang is hard to replace in this sauce. You should be able to find it in your grocery store, local Asian market, or to make life easy, here on Amazon.
Need to control the spice in the sauce? Use a couple teaspoons less for a milder sauce or add an extra tablespoon to really kick up the heat.
Are These Traditional Korean Chicken Wings?
This isn’t a traditional recipe for a couple reasons, but the sauce is inspired by Korean fried chicken wings.
Korean-style wings are typically fried twice making the breading on the outside extra crispy. Unlike traditional Korean chicken wings, these are not breaded or fried. If you want to fry them, you can follow these steps for frying chicken wings. For nice crispy breaded chicken wings without the mess of deep frying, you can use this recipe.
If you want, you can definitely fry these wings with a breading of your choice to get that authentic texture and crunch.
Is There An Easy Way To Cut Chicken Wings?
There is! Many times you have to break down chicken wings from the grocery store to get the smaller, more recognizable sizes. We have a great tutorial and video on how to cut chicken wings into wing tips, flats (or wingettes), and drumettes.
Once you’ve gotten a few under your belt, it’ll be less intimidating and you’ll be ready to make wings all the time.
How Should You Cook These Korean Chicken Wings?
You can cook these with whichever cooking method you’re most comfortable with. These would be great to grill, but a personal favorite is using the Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wing recipe.
It’s a surprisingly simple way to get a crispy chicken wing without having to bread and fry them. Baking powder and salt is all you need to get started.
From there, baking at a low temperature for 30 minutes helps dry out the skin then cranking up the heat helps cook it all the way through. Using an instant read thermometer like this is an easy way to make sure the wings are done.
I hope you enjoy these baked Korean chicken wings! Feel free to ask questions or give feedback in the comments below.
Print Korean Chicken Wings
Korean Chicken Wings start with our perfectly crispy chicken wings. They then get tossed in a Korean-inspired sauce that’s spicy sweet and full of umami.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients
- 10 whole chicken wings, cut into flats and drumettes*
- 1 Tbsp. aluminum-free baking powder**
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. gochujang
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 and ½ tsp. sesame oil
- Sliced green onions and sesame seeds, to top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a oven-safe rack on top of baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, use your hands to toss the flats and drumettes with the baking powder and salt until chicken is evenly coated. But do not add extra baking powder. Just mix them so they all have some.
- Place wings on the rack in single layer. Transfer rack and cookie sheet to oven and cook for 30 minutes. This baking at a low temperature dries the wings out and allows the baking powder to penetrate.
- After 30 minutes, leave the wings in the oven but raise the heat to 425°F. Continue to cook until brown and crispy, 40-50 minutes. Use an instant read thermometer like this to ensure the chicken wings have reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
- While the chicken wings are cooking, bring soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, gochujang, water, honey, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to a simmer.
- Let simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve and the sauce to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside until the wings are ready.
- Once the wings are cooked and let them rest for 5 minutes. Then toss the wings in a large bowl with the prepared sauce. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- Here’s how to cut them. Discard tips or use for a stock. That leaves you with 20 wing pieces total.
- Make sure you use baking powder, not baking soda.
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