Chimaek

Seen in dramas

My Love from the Star

Shown in the series

Lead character Song-yi eats fried chicken and says that 'snowy days call for chimaek': the scene sparked a craze for Korean chicken in China.

Source: KOREA, rivista del Korea Culture and Information Service (governo coreano), aprile 2020 · checked on November 6, 2026 · Back to the series

Korean fried chicken (yangnyeom chicken)

Ingredients

• 900 gchicken wings (about 16 pieces)
• 1½ tspsalt
• 1 tspgrated ginger + a pinch of pepper
• 120 mlpotato starch or cornstarch
• 960–1200 mloil for frying
• 1 tbspsoy sauce (sauce)
• 2 tbsprice wine or mirin (sauce)
• 1–1½ tbspgochujang (sauce)
• 1–2 tbsphot sauce (or 2 tbsp ketchup + 1 tsp vinegar)
• 2 + 2 tbspsugar and honey (sauce)
• 1 tbspminced garlic (sauce)
• 4 tbspwater (sauce)

Method

1. Pat the wings dry, season with salt, pepper and ginger and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.
2. Simmer the sauce ingredients 4–5 minutes until slightly thickened.
3. Coat each piece in the starch.
4. Fry at 320 °F in two batches for about 6 minutes until lightly golden. Drain.
5. Heat the oil to 350 °F and fry everything again for about 5 minutes until deep golden.
6. Toss the chicken in the sauce and garnish with sesame and scallion if you like.

Variations and swaps

• Soy garlic sauce, not spicy: 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 rice wine, 2 sugar, 2 honey, 1 garlic, 1 tsp vinegar, 4 tbsp water.
• In dramas it is eaten with beer: that's «chimaek» (chicken + maekju).

Reference recipe: Korean Bapsang, «Yangnyeom Chicken». Written by us following the original recipe; quantities and times are the source's.