There’s a lot of buzz around Korean fried chicken, and rightly so—crispy, savory, flavor-forward, with just enough global flair to intrigue modern diners. Exploiting that profile and making it signature is a smart menu move. Patrick McDonnell, Chef Consultant working on behalf of the National Peanut Board, created a unique take with his Korean Barbecue Chicken Wings, garnished with five-spiced peanuts.
He brines the chicken wings, then slow-braises them, dusts with cornstarch and deep-fries until crispy. He then tosses them in a spicy Korean gochujang barbecue sauce brightened with a squeeze of grapefruit juice.
The genius of this dish lies in its flavor-forward crunchy garnish. McDonnell oven-roasts American peanuts that have been tossed in honey, brown sugar and Asian five-spice powder. “This dish plays on the notes of heat and sweet associated with the gochujang sauce and emphasized by the spiced peanuts,” he says. “These flavors and ingredients are on-trend with today’s consumers and go well with chicken wings.”
