What Korean fried chicken is coated in spicy gochujang sauce?

Yangnyeom chicken is Korean fried chicken coated in a sweet-and-spicy gochujang-based sauce. The Korean word yangnyeom means “seasoned,” so the name broadly means seasoned chicken rather than plain fried chicken.

The chicken is typically fried twice, creating a thin, crackly crust before the sauce is brushed or tossed over it. The sauce commonly combines gochujang with garlic, sugar or rice syrup, soy sauce, chili, and other seasonings. Pickled radish and beer are classic accompaniments.

Yangnyeom chicken became popular in South Korea during the 1980s. Yoon Jonggye is credited with developing the sauced style after noticing that customers found fried chicken crusts too hard; the sauce softened the crust while adding flavor. Pelicana Chicken helped commercialize it nationwide.

A common mix-up is confusing yangnyeom chicken with dak-gangjeong. Both may be crispy and sweet-spicy, but dak-gangjeong usually refers to smaller, bite-sized pieces with a sticky glaze, while yangnyeom chicken is the better-known sauced fried-chicken style. “Banban” orders combine plain fried chicken and yangnyeom chicken in one serving.