Not having an oven in your apartment makes you crave fried things 24/7. I hadn’t had homemade chicken tenders in 2 years so I whipped up these gochujang chicken tenders. I had never heard of gochujang sauce until someone I follow posted a gochujang chicken sandwich and it looked so good. The way the red sauce just glistened made so much sense. Gochujang tastes slightly sweet and very sour and spicy to me. It resembles nothing like sweet and sour sauce however.
What is gochujang sauce?
You can make your gochujang sauce from scratch but I didn’t know much about this sauce so I didn’t think that was a good idea. I bought a bottle of gochujang dipping sauce from the grocery store so it shouldn’t be hard to find. Go to Asian supermarkets if you want an easier time. So apparently, gochujang is made from miso, gochu-garu (a chili powder), glutinous rice, fermented soybean and barley powder (source). It is a Korean condiment which is highly popular in Korean cooking. Popular uses of this sauce include bulgogi and bibimbap.
Prepping the chicken tenders
In this recipe I used the gochujang sauce to marinate the chicken before it is fried and as a dipping sauce after the chicken is fried. You will need boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe. If you happen to find chicken cutlets that’s even better because they are flat cuts of chicken breast. You will need 3 dipping stations: one with breadcrumbs, another with eggs+water (egg wash) and a third with flour+seasoning. To start, cut the chicken breast into thin strips about 2 inches wide. Then season it with gochujang sauce. You can refrigerate it for a few hours to let the marinade kick in well so you get tastier chicken.
Frying the chicken tenders
Heat the oil before you start coating the chicken so that it has enough time to reach an internal temperature of 350°F/175°C. Start dipping the marinated chicken strips into the flour, then the eggs followed by the breadcrumbs, shaking off an excess crumbs. Then fry a few pieces at a time for about 2-3 minutes on each side. It’s important not to overcrowd the pan because it lowers the internal temperature of the oil which leaves you with soggy fried chicken. Hot oil=crispy results. Don’t worry if your tenders look really browned since the chicken is coated in a reddish sauce. Let the fried gochujang chicken tenders cool off on a wire rack for ultimate crispiness.
I like this Kitchn article on how to make use of leftover gochujang sauce. Also, have a look at my Dorito chicken tenders which can be baked or fried!
Ingredients
0.5 kg/ 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets, cut into 2 inch wide strips
1/4 cup gochujang sauce, plus extra to serve
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon table salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon water
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 cups cooking oil (I use canola)
Instructions
- Rub the chicken strips generously with the gochujang sauce and set aside.
- Whisk the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water in a bowl.
- Mix flour, salt, garlic powder, ginger and Italian seasoning in a large shallow bowl.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat (level 5) until the internal temperature reaches 350°F/175°C.
- Roll the chicken strips from step 1 one at a time into the seasoned flour, dip it into the egg mixture, shake off any excess and then pat it generously into the breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess and transfer to a large dry plate.
- Fry a few pieces of the breaded chicken at a time without them touching. Fry on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on one side, flip and continue frying for another 2 minutes.
- Let the fried tenders cool on a wire rack as you continue frying the other raw chicken tenders.
- Serve your tenders warm with extra gochujang sauce or other dipping sauce, and enjoy!
Notes
Leftovers still taste crispy even after a day later. This recipe tastes nicer on the day it is made though.