Garlic Fried Chicken and Korean Homestyle Cooking

Korean Homestyle Cooking: 89 Classic Recipes From Barbecue and Bibimbap to Kimchi and Japchae, written by Hatsue Shigenobu, features a variety of recipes perfect for the home cook. A few notable dishes include Quick Napa Cabbage Kimchi, Grilled Beef Rolls, Chilled Cucumber and Seaweed Soup, and Hearty Pork and Potato Stew. I will also be sharing her recipe for Garlic Fried Chicken following the review.

Disclosure: I received this book from Tuttle Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Hatsue Shigenobu

Hatsue Shigenobu is a home chef, cookbook author, and magazine contributor.

She is also the author of a variety of Japanese cookbooks including Make Sushi at Home, Delicious Gyoza, Extraordinary Side Dishes, and Everyday Rice Bowls.

Korean Homestyle Cooking

Hatsue begins Korean Homestyle Cooking with a short introduction along with a collection of menu planning ideas and recipe pairings to get you started.

For those new to Korean cooking, the basic pantry guide with photos and descriptions of the more common ingredients will be helpful. A handful of homemade stocks and condiments are also provided to help build a foundation.

Chapters are divided into the following: Classic Korean Dishes, Meat and Fish Dishes, Vegetable Side Dishes, Hot Pots and Soups, Rice and Noodle Dishes, Classic Korean Homemade Drinks and Sweets. The contents also include a list of the recipes with page number for easy reference. 

Every single recipe is accompanied by a quarter to full-sized photo of the finished dish. There are even step-by-step photos to help illustrate the techniques for making Yuja Citrus Jam, Bibimbap, Quick Cucumber Kimchi, Seafood Pancakes, Bulgogi, and more.

Each recipe includes a headnote with a short introduction, cooking tips, serving size, total time, equipment, and ingredient notes. Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English.

Garlic Fried Chicken

My favorite recipe so far from Korean Homestyle Cooking is this Garlic Fried Chicken. Pieces of boneless chicken thighs are tossed in a soy sauce mixture, coated in flour, then fried until golden. One of the best parts is the crushed garlic sauce over the top.

Garlic cloves are fried alongside the chicken for about 2 minutes. Peel the still hot garlic cloves as soon as they are cool enough to handle without burning your hands.

The hot garlic is then mashed with sesame oil, salt, and a little black pepper to create a flavorful coating for the chicken.

Love fried chicken? Hatsue also has a recipe for Korean Fried Chicken coated in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce.

Other Dishes

I also made Japchae (Glass Noodles with Fresh Vegetables), Cucumber Salad with Sesame Dressing, Korean Egg-Drop Soup, and Stuffed Korean Hotteok Buns. 

Japchae is one of Claire’s favorites, so it was the first recipe we tried. Dangmyeon (glass sweet potato noodles) are tossed with marinated beef, vegetables, and a light soy sauce mixture. The noodles come together in about 30 minutes, making it especially perfect for weeknights.

To help balance some of the spicy recipes, this refreshing Cucumber Salad is covered in a sesame garlic dressing. I especially enjoyed the contrast of the crisp cucumbers with the rich tahini coating.

This Korean Egg-Drop Soup was another delicious and comforting meal. Tteok (rice cakes) are simmered in a lightly seasoned stock with green onions. Right before serving, each bowl is garnished with gim (seasoned nori) and ground sesame seeds (in the photo above, my daughter was a bit overzealous and threw in a few seeds before I had the chance to grind them).

For the Hotteok, a light dough encloses a warming brown sugar cinnamon filling. They are then pan-fried in sesame oil on each side until cooked through and golden.

Korean Homestyle Cooking is a great pick for beginners interested in Korean cooking. Most of the recipes come together easily within about 30 minutes.

Having a market nearby with Korean ingredients will be helpful for locating items such as tofu, wonton wrappers, gochujang, miso, Korean red pepper powder, pork belly, perilla leaves, fresh seafood, Napa cabbage, tteok, gim, and black sesame paste.

Garlic Fried Chicken Recipe

Excerpt from Korean Homestyle Cooking

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5 from 5 votes

Garlic Fried Chicken

A recipe for Garlic Fried Chicken from Korean Homestyle Cooking. Pieces of boneless chicken thighs are tossed in a soy sauce mixture, coated in flour, then fried until golden. 

Course Main

Cuisine Korean

Keyword asia, asian, chicken, fried chicken, garlic, Korea, Korean, poultry

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 21 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds (700 grams) boneless chicken thighs
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sake or cooking sherry
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Cooking oil for deep frying
• 8-10 cloves garlic outer skins intact
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Cut the chicken into chunks, place them in a bowl, and rub in the soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sake, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
• Dredge the seasoned chicken in the flour to coat evenly.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, heat 2 inches (5 centimeters) of cooking oil to 340˚F (170˚C).
• Use tongs or chopsticks to place the chicken in the oil. Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in between the chicken pieces. Fry the garlic for 2 minutes and the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes until crisp, turning the pieces over occasionally to cook both sides, then transfer to a rack or plate with paper towels to drain.
• Peel the garlic cloves and place them in a small bowl, then crush the garlic with a fork. Mix in the sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• Transfer the fried chicken to a serving plate and smear the garlic sauce evenly over them.