Korean Chicken Bao
Korean chicken bao with crispy fried chicken
Ingredients
Bao Buns
- 450 g plain flour
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- 210 ml warm water
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Chicken & Marinade
- 4 chicken breasts cubed
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic salt
Crispy Coating
- 180 g plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- Vegetable oil for frying
Korean Sauce
- 2 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp ginger
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
To Serve
- Red onion sliced
- Cucumber chopped
- Fresh coriander
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl.
- Combine milk, warm water, and butter, then mix into dry ingredients to form a dough.
- Knead for 10 minutes, then let rise until doubled (about 1–2 hours).
- Marinate chicken in buttermilk, salt, and spices for at least 1 hour.
- Shape dough into small ovals, brush with oil, fold, and let rise again for 1 hour.
- Heat oil and prepare crispy coating mixture.
- Coat chicken pieces and deep fry until golden and cooked through (3–5 minutes).
- Steam bao buns for 10 minutes until fluffy.
- Cook sauce ingredients in a pan until thickened.
- Toss fried chicken in the sauce.
- Fill bao buns with chicken and top with onion, cucumber, coriander, and sesame seeds.
- This Korean Chicken Bao is best served fresh and warm.
Notes
- Use store-bought bao buns for a quicker version