Yennal-tongdak (Old-Style Whole Fried Chicken)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kitchen shears for butterflying and serving
• •Heavy 6 to 7 quart Dutch oven or deep wok
• •Deep-fry thermometer or probe thermometer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Long tongs or a wide spider strainer

Instructions

1. 1

   Open the chicken

   Pat the chicken dry inside and out. Use kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it, then turn the chicken breast-side up and press firmly on the breastbone until it lies flat. Cut two shallow slashes into each thigh, down to but not through the bone. This keeps the bird whole for the table but lets the heat reach the thick meat safely.

   Save the backbone for broth. A cook who throws away good bones has not stood long enough at the stove.
2. 2

   Season and rest

   Mix the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, soju, grated garlic, and ginger. Rub it over the chicken, including the thigh slashes and the underside. Set the chicken on a rack, skin-side up, and rest it uncovered for 1 hour in the refrigerator. The salt is measured at about 1 percent of the bird's weight, enough to season to the bone without making a salty crust.

3. 3

   Mix the coating

   Stir together the flour, potato starch, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and white pepper. In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg white with 2 tablespoons cold water until loose. The starch keeps the coat crisp, the flour gives color, and the egg white helps a thin layer cling without turning into heavy batter.

4. 4

   Coat thinly

   Wipe any wet garlic pieces from the chicken surface so they do not burn. Brush the chicken lightly with the egg-white mixture, then dust it all over with the flour-starch mixture. Shake off more than you think you should. Let it sit 10 minutes until the dry patches look slightly damp, then dust only the bare spots again. You are making a thin coat, not armor.

5. 5

   Heat the oil

   Pour 10 to 12 cups oil into a heavy 6 to 7 quart pot or deep wok, leaving the pot no more than half full. Heat to 165 C or 330 F and set a wire rack over a tray beside the stove. The thermometer matters here. Oil that is too cool makes the crust greasy; oil that is too hot browns the outside before the thigh is cooked.

6. 6

   First fry

   Lower the chicken into the oil slowly, skin-side down and away from you. Fry 12 to 14 minutes, turning every 3 to 4 minutes and keeping the oil between 155 C and 165 C, or 310 F and 330 F. The chicken should be pale golden, with the coating set and the thickest thigh near 68 C or 155 F. If the oil climbs too high, lower the heat before the crust gets ahead of the meat.

   Do not drop a wet chicken into hot oil, and do not fill the pot too high. Deep frying rewards calm hands and punishes hurry.
7. 7

   Rest the bird

   Lift the chicken to the rack and rest it 8 to 10 minutes. This pause is not laziness. The juices settle, the coating dries, and the second fry can crisp the surface instead of driving moisture out all at once. Bring the oil up to 185 C or 365 F while the chicken rests.

8. 8

   Second fry

   Return the chicken to the hotter oil and fry 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until the crust is deep golden and crisp. Check the thickest part of the thigh and breast with an instant-read thermometer; both must reach 74 C or 165 F. If the color is ready before the temperature is, move the chicken to a 180 C or 350 F oven for a few minutes rather than burning the crust.

9. 9

   Cut and serve

   Drain on the rack for 3 minutes, then cut the chicken into 6 to 8 pieces with kitchen scissors at the table or just before serving. Serve with chikin-mu and a small dish of salt mixed with black pepper. Sauce can sit on the side if the table insists, but once you lacquer the whole bird, it is no longer this dish.

Chef Tips

• •Buy a small chicken. A 900g bird is right for yennal-tongdak at home; a 1.4kg roaster belongs in the oven, not in this pot. If your market only has large chickens, cut it in half through the breastbone and fry the halves.
• •The safe shortcut is asking the butcher to butterfly the chicken. The unsafe shortcut is frying a closed whole bird in a narrow pot and hoping the thigh cooks before the crust darkens.
• •Korean chicken frying mix can stand in for the flour, starch, baking powder, and coating salt. Use 110g total and taste the mix first, because many are already salted. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway.
• •Do not crowd the pot with potatoes, gizzards, or extra pieces during the chicken fry. Old shops sometimes add them because their cauldrons are wide. Your home oil temperature will fall too far.
• •Serve it with rice, kimchi, and pickled radish if this is dinner. Serve it with cold beer if this is the late table. Both are honest.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken can be seasoned and left uncovered in the refrigerator up to 12 hours. This gives better flavor and a drier skin, which is exactly what frying wants.
• •Mix the dry coating up to 1 month ahead and keep it airtight. Add the egg-white wash only when you are ready to fry.
• •Fried tongdak is best eaten right away. Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 2 days and recrisped on a rack in a 190 C or 375 F oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)