Gochu-Fried Chicken & Pickles

Name: Gochu-Fried Chicken &amp; Pickles
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Asian-Korean, AMERICAN
Ingredients: 3 cups (24 fl. oz./750 ml) buttermilk; 1 Tbs. kosher salt; 1 tsp. white pepper; 2 tsp. granulated garlic; 2 lbs. (32 oz./1 kg) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch (5- to 5-cm) pieces; 1 33-fl. oz. (1 l) jar bread-and-butter pickles; Vegetable oil for frying; 1 cup (8 oz./250 g) mild gochujang; 8 peeled garlic cloves; 2 Tbs. freshly grated ginger; 1 1/2 cups (16 1/2 oz./ 515 g) maple syrup; 3/4 cup (6 oz./185 g) brown sugar; 1 Tbs. sesame oil; 5 Tbs. (3 fl. oz./80 ml) seasoned rice vinegar; 1 Tbs. soy sauce; 4 cups (17 oz./480 g) all-purpose flour; 2 Tbs. baking powder; 3 tsp. kosher salt; 2 tsp. ground white pepper; 2 tsp. granulated garlic; 2 tsp. granulated onion; 2 tsp. smoked paprika; Vegetable oil, for frying; 1 jar yuzu mayo; 1 bunch scallions, sliced on the bias; 2 Tbs. furikake

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4

For BottleRock, a three-day food and music festival in California's Napa Valley, the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen chefs created these flavor-packed fried chicken skewers — the perfect finger food for guests and artists to enjoy between performances. The chicken is brined in buttermilk and thread on skewers with bread-and-butter pickles before getting dredged, fried to a crisp and dipped in a lightly spicy gochujang sauce. As a finishing touch, the Test Kitchen chefs drizzle yuzu mayo over the skewers and add sprinkles of furikake and sliced scallions.

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Ingredients:

For the buttermilk-brined chicken skewers:

3 cups (24 fl. oz./750 ml) buttermilk
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1 tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. granulated garlic
2 lbs. (32 oz./1 kg) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch (5- to 5-cm) pieces
1 33-fl. oz. (1 l) jar bread-and-butter pickles
Vegetable oil for frying

For the gochujang sauce:

1 cup (8 oz./250 g) mild gochujang
8 peeled garlic cloves
2 Tbs. freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 cups (16 1/2 oz./ 515 g) maple syrup
3/4 cup (6 oz./185 g) brown sugar
1 Tbs. sesame oil
5 Tbs. (3 fl. oz./80 ml) seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbs. soy sauce

For the dredge:

4 cups (17 oz./480 g) all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. baking powder
3 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. ground white pepper
2 tsp. granulated garlic
2 tsp. granulated onion
2 tsp. smoked paprika
Vegetable oil, for frying

For the garnish:

1 jar yuzu mayo
1 bunch scallions, sliced on the bias
2 Tbs. furikake

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, salt, white pepper and granulated garlic. Add the chicken to the buttermilk brine, making sure that the chicken is submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

If using wooden skewers, soak 4 long or 8 short skewers in water to cover for at least 30 minutes, then drain.

While the chicken is brining, make the gochujang sauce: In a large bowl, combine the gochujang, garlic, ginger, syrup, sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Set aside.

Pour oil to a depth of at least 3 inches into a large, heavy saucepan and heat over high heat to 350°F (180°C) on a deep-frying thermometer. Set a large wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and place near the stove. Have ready a second rimmed baking sheet.

While the oil is heating, make the dredge: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, white pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion and smoked paprika.

Thread the chicken pieces onto the metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternating with pickle slivers. Add the skewers to the dredge and toss to coat evenly, then transfer to the second baking sheet.

When the oil is ready, working in batches to avoid crowding, carefully slip the skewers into the hot oil. The temperature will drop, but adjust the heat to keep the oil bubbling steadily at about 350°F (180°C). Deep-fry the chicken and pickle skewers, turning them occasionally with tongs, until the chicken pieces are golden brown and show no sign of pink when pierced at the thickest part, about 4 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the skewers to the rack to drain. Repeat with the remaining skewers.

Dip the fried chicken and pickle skewers into the gochujang sauce. Finish the skewers with drizzles of the yuzu mayo, and sprinkles of the sliced scallions and furikake. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen