Korean Fried Chicken Bao Buns

Why you’ll like it

Korean Chicken Bao Buns offer a world of possibilities, allowing you to create a perfect dish that suits your taste buds:

1. Bao Bun fillings ideas: Get creative and feel free to add crispy pickled radishes, kimchi, a hard egg, or even a fried egg to elevate the flavors and textures.
2. Sweet and spicy Bao Buns: If you enjoy a fiery kick, increase the heat by adding extra gochujang to the marinade or adding kimchi to your toppings.
3. Party Pleaser: Korean-style fried Chicken Bao makes an excellent party or game-day snack. 
4. Speed up preparation: If you want to speed up the process for this dish, prepare and freeze the bao buns ahead or buy them from the store.

For The Perfect Bao Buns With Fried Chicken

• For extra flavor, marinate the chicken overnight
• To check if it’s cooked, cut open a piece – if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s done.
• You can use a double-layer steamer pan, placing four buns in each layer.

What You Need

FOR THE BUNS

• All-purpose flour (3 ¾ cups/450g)
• Caster sugar (2 tablespoons)
• Salt (½ teaspoon)
• Instant dried yeast (2 teaspoons/7g)
• Full-fat milk (3 tablespoons)
• Warm water (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons/210 ml)
• Unsalted butter, soft (3 tablespoons)
• Olive oil (1 tablespoon)

FOR THE CHICKEN MARINADE

• Chicken breasts, sliced into bite-size chunks (4 chicken breasts)
• Buttermilk (1 cup/240ml)
• Salt (½ teaspoon)
• White pepper (¼ teaspoon)
• Garlic salt (¼ teaspoon)

FOR THE CRISPY COATING

• All-purpose flour (1 ½ cups/180g) or 00 flour substitute
• Salt (1 teaspoon)
• Black pepper, ground (1 teaspoon)
• Garlic salt (½ teaspoon)
• Celery salt (½ teaspoon)
• Dried thyme (1 teaspoon)
• Paprika, (1 teaspoon)
• Baking powder (1 teaspoon )
• Chilli flakes (1 teaspoon)
• Vegetable oil (4 cups) for deep frying

FOR THE KOREAN CHICKEN GLAZE

• Sesame oil (1 tablespoon)
• Vegetable oil (1 tablespoon)
• Gochujang paste (2 tablespoons) 
• Honey (2 tablespoons)
• Brown sugar (4 tablespoons)
• Soy sauce (4 tablespoons)
• Garlic cloves (2 cloves), peeled and minced
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger

FOR SERVING

• Green onion (½ cup), chopped and thinly sliced
• Lettuce or cabbage (½ cup), roughly chopped
• Korean spicy mayo sauce (¼ cup)
• Black and white sesame seeds (2 teaspoons)
• Pickled radishes (¼ cup optional)

VARIATIONS & ADD-ONS

1. Air-fried Bao Buns: Try air-frying the marinated chicken for a healthier version but still crispy and tasty.
2. Vegetarian Option: For a vegetarian twist, substitute the fried chicken with crispy tofu or tempeh.
3. Bao Bun Variations: Experiment with different types of bao buns, such as whole wheat or ube bao buns with purple sweet potato to add visual appeal and unique flavours to your traditional Korean chicken bao dish.

How To Make The Bao Buns With Korean Chicken From Scratch

Step 1: Preparing the Bao Buns and Marinade the Chicken 

This has to be done in the morning or a few hours ahead. First, we’ll make the dough and leave them to rest. In the meantime, we’ll prepare the Korean fried chicken marinade and leave it to rest. If you’re short of time, you can do it later as the marinade needs only an hour of resting.

Note: You can either follow the steps for preparing the chicken here alongside the bao buns or refer to the Dakgangjeong recipe separately for the chicken on its own.

FOR THE DOUGH (Do this in the morning or a few hours ahead of dinner)

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl.
2. In a separate jug, mix together milk, warm water, and butter until the butter melts.
3. Gradually add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture, starting with a spoon and then using your hands.
4. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer with a fitted dough hook.
5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with a damp tea towel, and allow it to double in size for about 90 minutes to 2 hours.
6. While waiting for the dough to expand, move on to preparing the Korean Chicken.

FOR THE KOREAN CHICKEN MARINADE (Do this at least an hour ahead)

1. Place the chicken in a bowl and add buttermilk, salt, pepper, and garlic salt.
2. Mix well and cover.
3. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Step 2: Shaping the Bao Buns

SHAPING THE BAO BUNS (Do this at least an hour ahead of dinner)

1. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead it again once the dough has doubled in size
2. Divide the dough into 20 balls and place on a piece of parchment paper.
3. Roll each ball into an oval shape, approximately 6cm x 9cm, using a rolling pin.
4. Brush the ovals with olive oil and fold each one over so that the oil remains inside the fold. Leave a small space in the fold using a chopstick in the centre (so the oil remains on the inside of the fold) removing the chopstick after folding.
5. Arrange the buns on the parchment paper and then place them in trays that fit the oven or steamer.
6. Cover each tray with clingfilm or a carrier bag, ensuring the clingfilm doesn’t touch the dough
7. Set aside for another hour until they have puffed up.

Step 3: Fry the Chicken and Prepare the Glaze

If you want to make the chicken a few hours ahead you can do so but refrigerate the chicken and the glaze separately. I recommend starting an hour before serving and leaving them in the oven to keep warm.

FOR THE KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN (Start frying at least 20-30 minutes before serving; ideally 1 hour before to leave ample time for steaming the bao buns and assembling them)

1. Preheat the oven to low heat to keep the cooked chicken warm.
2. Heat a large pan of vegetable oil (or preheat a deep-fat fryer) until it reaches the desired temperature.
3. Combine the ingredients for the crispy coating in a small bowl.
4. Take a piece of chicken from the buttermilk mix, allowing the excess to drip off, and coat it in the crispy coating mixture, ensuring it is fully covered.
5. Place it on a tray and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
6. Add 10-12 chicken pieces to the frying oil, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. See the tips below for ensuring the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
7. Keep the cooked chicken warm in the oven while you cook the remaining pieces.

FOR THE KOREAN CHICKEN GLAZE

1. While the chicken and bao buns are cooking, prepare the sauce.
2. Combine gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, and sesame oil in a saucepan.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens.
4. Place all the cooked chicken in a bowl and pour the sauce over it. Toss everything together to coat. You can leave the chicken chunks whole or slice them, depending on your preference.

Step 4: Steaming the Buns

STEAMING THE BUNS (Start 30 minutes before serving or calculate 10 minutes for each batch of bao buns)

1. Meanwhile, bring a large steamer pan to a boil.
2. Steam the buns in batches, using the baking parchment to hold them, for approximately 10 minutes. Once steamed, transfer them to a warm plate. 

Step 5: Serving the Korean Fried Chicken Baos

SERVING THE KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN BAO BUNS (Let this task for the last minute)

1. Carefully open the bao buns and stuff them with the Korean fried chicken topping with green onion, lettuce or cabbage, radishes, sesame seeds, and Korean spicy mayo.
2. Serve and enjoy.

How to Serve Korean Chicken Bao Buns

This recipe offers everything you need to enjoy these delightful baos. A fun idea is to set up a bao-bun station with various fillings, toppings, and sauces, allowing your friends or family to customize their buns to their liking. Impress your guests by including traditional dipping sauces like soy-based ganjang, tangy ssamjang, or even classic Chinese options like black bean sauce and sweet chili sauce.

You can also prepare a refreshing asian slaw to use when assembling the Bao Buns or as a crispy side.

For dessert, you can use extra steamed buns and fill them with sweet red bean paste or Nutella for a delicious treat.

These buns are best enjoyed with a refreshing beer or a citrusy iced tea for a perfectly balanced meal.

More Party Food Ideas:

• Mary Berry Sausage Rolls using sausage meat
• Mary Berry Sausage Plait
• Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Turkish Beyti Kebab with roasted peppers and yogurt dressing
• Fried Chicken Meatballs

More Street Food Ideas:

• Mexican Birria Tacos
• Korean Rabokki with Tteok and Ramyon
• PF Chang Kung Pao Chicken
• PF Chang’s Crispy Honey Chicken
• Keto Chicken Quesadilla
• Chicken Satay Skewers Recipe with Peanut Sauce

Health Info

• Calories:
• Sugar:
• Sodium:
• Fat:
• Carbohydrates:
• Fiber:
• Protein: