how to make Air Fryer Crispy Korean Gochugaru Chicken Wings Whole30/Paleo/glutenfree

Happy first Monday of February 2021! Now you all know that I am not a consistent poster, haha. I do the best that I can. As much as I enjoy creating recipes, I also have a full-time job, but nonetheless do love to come back with new recipes to share. I’m am so so excited about this recipe I’ll be sharing today. How to make air fryer crispy Korean Gochugaru chicken wings that are whole30, paleo, and gluten-free. This chicken also happens to be eggless. How did I do it? I have made this chicken a hand full of times just to get it right. It wasn’t something I could just throw together. I’ve tested it over and over, as you can imagine that’s a lot of chicken wings, but it’s so yummy so I don’t mind haha. I first became familiar with Korean fried chicken through watching my K dramas. I loved watching them for their stories and language but also in the way they celebrated and enjoyed the food. I have been fascinated by the variety in the dishes and the fact that it seems to center around family and the time together when sharing a meal. I would watch my dramas and the food made me salivate. Had my first bite of Korean chicken probably about 10 years ago. It is my fave way to have fried chicken. I’ll tell you, I rarely eat fried chicken. When I do it is Korean style.

Korean fried chicken is a variety of fried chicken dishes in South Korea. Koreans always steamed their chicken, and it was not until the American style of chicken was introduced to them in the 1940s and early ’50s during the Korean War by American troops. There are different types of Korean chicken. There is the Ganjang-chikin which is coated with soy sauce, Huraideu chikin which is regular, and Yangnyeom which is a spicy sauce much like what I’m sharing. There are a number of other variations out there. Korean chicken is usually served with beer or carbonated drinks. The real popularity began in the 1990-2000s. There are thousands of Korean fried chicken restaurants in Korea and other parts of the world

Coating– the typical Korean chicken is coated with flour, spices, sugar, and salt. To make the chicken while still keeping with my dietary restrictions of Whole30 the chicken is coated in arrowroot or tapioca starch, spices, it is then lightly pan-fried for about 15 seconds to crisp and set the skin, placed in the air fryer to cook without deep frying it in unnecessary oil and fat.

Sauce- Yangnyeom chicken is usually chicken seasoned with a sweet and spicy sauce of gochujang, garlic, sugar, and other spices. In this recipe I used Coconut aminos for its resemblance to soy sauce, it is naturally sweetened. I used Korean Gochugaru in place of Gochujang, sesame oil, garlic, and rice vinegar. My sauce is simple with 5 ingredients, yet it is reminiscent of the Korean chicken I get from a restaurant near my home when not on whole30.

I hope you are able to try this chicken and enjoy it with your family. If you are on Whole30 and fighting your sugar dragon, I would dilute the aminos as the sauce uses it as a main ingredient and it tends to be on the sweeter side. If not then run don’t walk to try this delicious chicken.

This chicken is made in the air fryer but I’m sure it can be done in the oven, as long as you use a crisping rack. The crisping rack helps with air circulation around the chicken to prevent the coating from getting soggy. Check out the oven directions below.

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how to make Air Fryer Crispy Korean Gochugaru Chicken Wings Whole30/Paleo/glutenfree

Crispy Korean Air fryer chicken, in a spicy sauce made with coconut aminos and gochugaru. This is whole30/paleo/gluten-free and eggless.

Course

Appetizer, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine

American, Asian Fusion, Korean, whole 30

Cook Time

17 minutes

Passive Time

10 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

chicken

• 2 lbs chicken wings and drummettes I buy party wings from costco
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp nut milk I used nut pod/ you can also use coconut cream
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp chinese five spice this is a spice made with ground anise, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper

coating

• 1 cup tapioca or arrowroot starch
• 1 tsp chinese five spice
• 1 tsp sea
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• olive oil for crisping coating

sauce

• 1 cup coconut aminos
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp korean korean gochugaru course red chili powder buy in the asian supermarket or amazon
• 2 tsp heaping full minced garlic
• 2 tbsp sesame oil

Course Appetizer, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack Cuisine American, Asian Fusion, Korean, whole 30 Cook Time 17 minutes Passive Time 10 minutes Servings servings Ingredients chicken 2 lbs chicken wings and drummettes I buy party wings from costco 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp nut milk I used nut pod/ you can also use coconut cream 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 tsp chinese five spice this is a spice made with ground anise, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper coating 1 cup tapioca or arrowroot starch 1 tsp chinese five spice 1 tsp sea 1 tsp garlic powder olive oil for crisping coating sauce 1 cup coconut aminos 3 tbsp rice vinegar 2 tbsp korean korean gochugaru course red chili powder buy in the asian supermarket or amazon 2 tsp heaping full minced garlic 2 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

1. Clean and dry the chicken wings. In a large mixing bowl drizzle oil and add the nut milk, mix well. Add spices together and season the chicken. In a separate bowl, mix together the tapioca or arrowroot starch, Chinese five-spice, 1 tsp salt, and garlic powder.
2. Next, coat chicken pieces in the starch mixture and place them on a cooling rack. heat a skillet with a little oil to cover the bottom on high heat. Also, make sure to preheat the air fryer. When the skillet is hot, add chicken, cook each side for 15 seconds, this will set and crisp up the skin. The chicken will actually cook in the air fryer. Add the chicken to the air fryer, hit air crisp or air fry, temp should be 390 degrees. Air fry 8 minutes on each side, or until crispy and cooked through. Takes about 16 minutes, you will need to cook in 2 batches. Place chicken on a clean cooling rack, and let cool for 5 minutes before saucing. Make the sauce when the chicken is air frying.
3. To Make Sauce: Place coconut aminos in a small saucepan, bring to a boil on medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, add garlic, sesame oil, vinegar, and gochugaru powder. Mix and continue to boil for 12 minutes. Turn off heat and allow the sauce to cool slightly, it will become somewhat thickened. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and coat with sauce. Sprinkle chopped green onions or toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy.
4. Oven Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees, place chicken on crisping rack, and place on a cookie sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes, flipping midway. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack. Sauce and serve.
5. 

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