Course : Mains | Cuisine: Korean | Servings : 1 persons | Cook Time : 20 mins
Korean Spicy Chicken Wings
Take your chicken wings in a new direction with these Korean Spicy Chicken Wings from Riverside Foods. Crispy chicken wings are coated in a glossy, sticky Korean-inspired glaze made with gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, ginger, soy and sesame, then finished with spring onion and sesame seeds.
Korean fried chicken is known for its combination of crispiness and bold, sticky sauces, making it particularly well suited to sharing menus, casual dining and food-to-go. Korean-style chicken has also become increasingly visible on UK menus, making it an interesting flavour direction for foodservice operators looking to offer something beyond traditional BBQ or buffalo wings.
This recipe uses Riverside Foods Chicken Wings as the base, demonstrating how a familiar poultry product can be transformed with a few distinctive ingredients. Serve the wings with golden chips and a cooling dip for a Korean-inspired wings-and-chips experience.
What spices are commonly used in Korean cuisine?
Korean food is not defined by chilli alone. Its distinctive flavour comes from a combination of chilli, fermentation, aromatics, sweetness, umami and sesame.
Gochugaru, Korean red chilli flakes, provides heat, colour and a fruity chilli flavour. It is a fundamental ingredient in many Korean dishes, particularly kimchi and chilli-based seasonings. Gochujang, meanwhile, is a fermented Korean chilli paste made using chilli pepper, fermented soybean, rice and salt. It brings a combination of heat, sweetness, savouriness and umami rather than simply making a dish hot.
Garlic and ginger are also important Korean seasonings, while sesame seeds and sesame oil are frequently used to add a toasted, nutty finish. Spring onion is another common aromatic, particularly as a garnish.
Together, these ingredients create the characteristic balance that makes Korean-inspired food so appealing: spicy, sweet, savoury, aromatic and deeply umami-rich.
Why use Riverside Foods Chicken Wings?
Riverside Foods has more than 40 years of experience in the wholesale frozen food industry, supplying poultry products to professional food businesses. Its chicken range includes a variety of whole-muscle and convenient poultry products designed for foodservice applications. Riverside’s product range is Halal Certified, helping operators cater for customers looking for halal poultry options.
Chicken wings are particularly versatile for foodservice. They can be used across pubs, casual dining, takeaway, street-food concepts, sharing menus and catering, with different sauces and seasonings allowing operators to create entirely different menu propositions from the same core product.
This Korean-inspired recipe shows how Riverside Foods Chicken Wings can be taken beyond traditional BBQ and buffalo formats and turned into a bold, globally inspired menu option.
Ingredients
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For the chicken wings
- 1kg Riverside Foods Chicken Wings
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Korean-inspired spicy glaze
- 4 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp gochugaru
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp water
To finish
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 red chilli, thinly sliced – optional
- Fresh coriander – optional
To serve
- Golden seasoned chips
- Korean-inspired mayo or garlic mayo
- Lime wedges
1. Prepare the wings
Pat the Riverside Foods Chicken Wings thoroughly dry using kitchen paper.
Place the wings in a large bowl and add the baking powder, salt and black pepper. Toss thoroughly so that each wing is evenly coated.
The baking powder helps draw moisture from the surface of the chicken, helping create a crisp exterior when cooked. Riverside’s existing crispy chicken wing recipe uses the same technique.
2. Cook the wings
Arrange the wings in a single layer on a wire rack over a baking tray, ensuring they aren’t overcrowded.
Cook according to the product’s cooking instructions until golden, crisp and piping hot throughout.
For particularly crisp wings, finish at a higher temperature for the final few minutes of cooking.
3. Make the Korean-inspired glaze
While the wings are cooking, add the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and water to a saucepan.
Place over a low to medium heat and whisk until combined.
Allow the sauce to gently bubble for 2–3 minutes until it becomes glossy and slightly thicker.
Taste and adjust if required. Add a little more honey for sweetness or gochugaru for additional heat.
4. Coat the wings
Once the chicken wings are cooked and crispy, transfer them to a large bowl.
Pour over the warm Korean-inspired glaze and toss thoroughly until every wing is coated.
Work quickly so the sauce coats the wings while they’re still hot.
5. Finish
Transfer the sticky wings to a serving platter.
Scatter generously with sliced spring onion and sesame seeds. Add fresh chilli and coriander if desired.
Finish with a squeeze of lime.
6. Serve
Pile the wings onto Riverside Foods greaseproof paper on a wooden serving board or platter.
Serve alongside golden seasoned chips and a cooling Korean-inspired mayo or garlic mayo dip.
For a foodservice presentation, keep the wings generously stacked rather than arranged individually – the aim is to create a bold, indulgent sharing dish that looks as good arriving at the table as it tastes.
