This easy Vegan Korean Fried "Chicken" is saucy, spicy, and amazingly crispy! Vegan chicken pieces are coated in a thin, flavorful batter, fried to crispy perfection, and then smothered in a sweet, spicy chili sauce. Dinner is ready from start to finish in just 30 minutes!
These juicy, finger-licking sticky, and slightly sweet vegan chicken pieces are absolutely addictive!
If you love dynamic Korean flavors like I do, then this is a must-try! They are perfect as a spicy appetizer, main course, or even just a snack!
You can make this Korean chicken in three simple steps. Coat the vegan chicken pieces in a thin crust, fry them, and then cover them in a delicious sweet chili sauce.
Traditionally, Korean fried chicken is extra crispy because it’s fried twice. However, I have found that a double-fry doesn’t affect the taste or texture here, so cooking them once is plenty.
This tasty dish goes great with rice and veggies. I like to make a simple, delicious cucumber salad for it. You can find the recipe below if you’d like to try it!
Similar to my Vegan Sesame Chicken, you can easily double this recipe if you have a bigger group or want to have leftovers.
Reasons To Love This Recipe
- Quick & easy
- Thin crispy breading
- Saucey with a spicy kick!
- Moist vegan “chicken” pieces
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the Vegan Korean Chicken
- Vegan Chicken - I recommend frozen Gardein vegan chicken strips for this recipe. They are delicious and keep their moisture. I tried a few other brands but found them to dry out. Tofu would work as well!
- Rice Vinegar - Adds a nice tang and acidic flavor. Apple cider vinegar can work as a replacement.
- Soy Sauce - Use low-sodium if possible. Aminos can work as a replacement.
- Salt - Just a bit is needed.
- White Pepper - Such a great flavor in Asian-inspired dishes. If you don’t have this, you can use black pepper as a substitute.
- Ground Ginger - I find ground ginger to easily adhere to the strips, but you can use fresh ginger if you’d prefer.
- Cornstarch - A thin coating of cornstarch creates a crisp layer when fried. Arrowroot powder or potato starch would work as well.
- Oil - Use an oil that’s good for frying such as vegetable or canola.
For the Sauce
- Ketchup - Adds a delicious flavor.
- Gochujang Chili Paste - This deep red Korean chili paste adds lots of spiciness. Use more or less depending on your spice-level preferences. Use sriracha instead if needed.
- Agave Nectar - Adds a sweet dynamic to the sauce. Maple syrup can be used if you don’t have any agave on hand.
- Brown Sugar - Light or dark brown sugar works.
- Soy Sauce - Just like above, liquid aminos can be used instead.
- Garlic - Freshly minced garlic adds a punch of amazing flavor. Use powdered garlic instead if needed.
- Sesame Oil - A little bit of sesame oil is so good and goes a long way here.
- Sesame Seeds - Any kind of sesame seeds will work such as plain, toasted, etc.
How to Make Vegan Korean Fried Chicken
Here are some quick visual steps. Find the full recipe with exact measurements on the recipe card below.
Prepare the Vegan Chick'n
Start to heat a medium pot over medium-high heat with a couple of inches of oil in it. Take the frozen chicken strips out of the freezer to thaw just enough to break them apart.
While the oil is heating, whisk the sauce ingredients together and set it aside to allow time for the flavors to come together.
Tear the vegan chicken strips apart into thirds that are about an inch long. If they are still too frozen to break, heat them in the microwave for 15 seconds. You can cut the strips if you prefer, but tearing them helps to create more jagged edges for the breading to hold onto.
Mix the rice wine, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and ginger together in a large mixing bowl. Then, coat the vegan chicken pieces by gently stirring them into this liquid mixture. Now that the pieces are moistened, add the cornstarch to the bowl and gently toss to fully coat them.
Cook the Vegan Korean Fried Chick'n
Check to make sure the oil is between 325-350°F.
If you don’t want to mess with a thermometer, you can do a sizzle test by dropping some leftover batter into the pot. If it sizzles, the oil is probably hot enough.
Then drop a few pieces in at a time. Let them fry for 2-3 minutes until they turn a light golden brown.
Use a skimmer to lift them out of the hot oil, shake the excess oil off, and then place them on a cooling rack.
Smother Them In The Sauce
While the pieces are cooling, warm the sauce ingredients over medium-low heat until it starts to bubble. Pour the sauce over the vegan chicken and stir the pieces around until they are all fully coated in the sauce.
Enjoy the Korean fried chick’n with rice, cucumber salad, pickled veggies, and/or kimchi.
If you’d like to make a simple cucumber salad, combine 1 sliced cucumber with 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ tablespoon sesame seeds. Easy & delish!
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for 2 months. Reheat them in the microwave at 30-second intervals until heated through. Leftovers will lose some of their crispiness, but will still be just as flavorful!
More Asian-Inspired Vegan Recipes
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Vegan Korean Fried Chicken
Ingredients
For the Vegan Chicken
- 20 ounce frozen vegan chicken strips, like Gardein, (2 bags)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, or rice wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper, or black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- oil for frying (olive, canola, vegetable, etc.)
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup agave nectar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons gochujang chili paste
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds garnish
Instructions
- Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat with a couple of inches of oil in it. Take the frozen chicken strips out of the freezer to thaw just enough to break them apart.
- Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients together and set it aside to allow time for the flavors to come together.
- Tear the vegan chicken strips apart into thirds that are about an inch long. If they are still too frozen to break, heat them in the microwave for 15 seconds. You can cut the strips if you prefer, but tearing them helps to create more jagged edges for the breading to hold onto.
- Mix the rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and ginger together in a large bowl. Coat the vegan chicken pieces by gently stirring them into this liquid mixture. Now that the pieces are moistened, add the cornstarch to the bowl and gently toss to fully coat them.
- Check to make sure the oil is between 325-350°F. Then drop a few pieces in at a time. Let them fry for 2-3 minutes until they turn a light golden brown. Use a skimmer to lift them out of the hot oil, shake the excess oil off, and then place them on a cooling rack.
- While the pieces are cooling, warm the sauce over medium-low heat until it starts to bubble. Pour the sauce over the vegan chicken and stir the pieces around until they are all fully coated in the sauce.
Video
Notes
Oil Temperature
If you don’t want to mess with a thermometer, you can do a sizzle test by dropping some leftover batter into the pot. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough to fry the coated pieces.Simple Cucumber Salad
If you’d like to make a simple cucumber salad to go with the Korean chicken, here’s the recipe. Combine 1 sliced cucumber with 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ tablespoon sesame seeds. Easy & delish!Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for 2 months. Reheat them in the microwave at 30-second intervals until heated through. Leftovers will lose some of their crispiness, but will still be just as flavorful!Nutrition
The nutrition information is estimated and can vary depending on brands and measurements used.
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