Recently, three Korean fried chicken eateries have landed in Colorado Springs: Bonchon (tagline Crunch Out Loud!), 92 Chicken (tagline Flavorful Chicken) and Angry Chicken, which does not have a tagline but describes its version as “Innovative Korean Street food.”

If you’ve not experienced Korean cuisine, it’s boldly flavored, using a dynamic combination of spice and umami. Many staples are deeply savory and earthy, including a multitude of fermented condiments with hints of fish sauce, and spicy gochujang, a fermented chile paste.

Korean fried chicken, which Koreans affectionately call KFC, relies on some of those flavor boosters, but the distinguishing characteristic of this Asian-style fowl is the highly seasoned, juicy meat covered in a surprisingly crispy coating. The popular street food can be dressed up with glazes, which can be sticky, salty-sweet, garlicky or spicy hot. With that shatteringly crispy coating on the bird, slathered with or without a glaze, KFC can easily become addictive. It is likely nothing like any fried chicken you may have ever tasted.

On a quest to learn the secrets of making this uniquely delicious dish, we turned to Juno Park, general manager of the family-owned Angry Chicken restaurant. We also wanted to learn how the home cook might be able to attain KFC greatness at home.

“My father opened the first Angry Chicken in Aurora in 2017,” Park said. “This is our second location, which we opened in 2021.”

Park took us to the kitchen for a lesson in the secrets to KFC crunchy goodness.

Prepping

“We use fresh chicken,” he said. “It’s never frozen. The marinade is actually what gives the chicken its spicy kick.”

The chicken is delivered daily.

“We cut it up, put it in the marinade and bag it up,” he said. “It’s refrigerated overnight and ready to fry the next day.”

The magical marinade is a mixture of water, curry, salt and Korean pepper powder.

“Koreans like the flavor of curry,” he said. “It’s used in each step of the process.”

We did Google searches for recipes for the home cook who may want to give KFC a try. Several recipes instructed to double fry the chicken for the ultimate crispy coating. The chicken is fried just a few minutes, scooped out of the bubbling oil, drained and rested a few minutes. Then it goes back into the hot oil.

“Because we use rice and cornstarch, it’s not necessary to do the double frying,” Park said. “When recipes use wheat flour, the double frying gets the coating crispy.”

And, if gluten is an issue, by not using wheat flour, Angry Chicken KFC is gluten-free.

Park uses an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness for every batch of chicken.

“We cook the chicken to 165 degrees,” he said. “We want to be sure the meat is thoroughly cooked.”

Spice is nice

As soon as the chicken is removed from the fryer it gets dumped into a large bowl and doused with a sauce to get that flavorful, glossy coating.

“We also serve the chicken regular fried or nude,” Park said. “Regular fried chicken is served without a glaze. Nude chicken is fried and served without breading.”

Spicy glazes will have gochujang added, which is made with bright red Korean peppers.

“The mixture of peppers, garlic and spices are fermented,” Park said. “I would recommend going to an Asian market to buy gochujang. I’ve seen it in grocery stores, but if you want good quality gochujang, go to the Asian store.”

At Angry Chicken there are five glazes or sauces offered: spicy soy, sweet and spicy, honey garlic, original and angry sauce (the hottest number).

Not a fan of frying?

Not to worry. On the same Google search as mentioned above, there are recipes for getting the job done in an air fryer. We tested a few recipes and got great results. And there’s no lingering fried food aroma or a greasy mess left on the cooktop. Win-win!

Make it a meal

“KFC is a street food,” Park said. “So we usually eat it with other street foods, fried onion rings, fries or corn cheese, one of my favorite sides. We cut fresh corn, mix it with melted cheese and torch the top to get a char flavor.”

Pickled daikon is a standard condiment for KFC.

“Our crunchy pickled daikon radish is refreshing, tasty and cuts the fat flavor of the chicken,” Park said. “They are slightly sweet and tangy. And, cold beer is often served with Korean fried chicken.”

Order like a Korean

“A lot of customers like to order half and half,” Park said. “Half of the chicken with a glaze and half regular fried or nude.”

The secret is revealed: KFC is simple to prepare, even for the home cook. Here are a couple of recipes to get you on your way to the amazing succulent ultra crispy Korean fried chicken. It can change the way you think about Korean food and how you like fried chicken.

Contact the writer: 636-0271.