Gochujang Fried Chicken Sandwich with Cilantro Mayo
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This gochujang fried chicken sandwich is crispy, spicy, saucy perfection, balanced with cool cilantro mayo and tangy pickled veggies. It’s bold, messy, and totally worth every bite!
If you love a sandwich with serious personality, this gochujang fried chicken sandwich is calling your name. The chicken is super crispy and coated in a sticky-spicy gochujang glaze that packs just the right punch. I pile it onto a soft bun with a generous smear of cool, herby cilantro mayo and a handful of crunchy, tangy pickled veggies for that perfect bite every single time.
I’ve made this sandwich more times than I can count, and it never gets old. It’s bold, messy, and absolutely irresistible—the kind of dinner that makes you feel like a genius in the kitchen. Trust me, once you try it, you’ll want to keep this one on repeat.
I’ve taken inspiration from a few of my sandwich recipes and combined them to make this beauty. The pickled veggies on my Korean pulled pork sandwich are the same ones I use here. And you’ll also find the cilantro mayo on my sesame pork burgers. Mixing and matching familiar flavors to create something new is my favorite.
Family-friendly version → My husband and I love spicy food, but our daughter is still a little cautious about heat. For her, rather than coating the chicken, I put a dollop of the gochujang sauce on her plate so she can dip her sandwich into it when she’s feeling brave.
Make-ahead tips
There are four components to this sandwich, and you can get a jump-start on all of them.
Pickled veggies: These will keep for up to 2 weeks in your fridge.
Cilantro mayo: This will last for about a week in your fridge.
Gochujang sauce: You can mix this together and store it in a jar in your fridge for a long time.
Chicken: The chicken can marinate for up to 6 hours. I think the chicken is a tiny bit crispier when it is fried right after being breaded, but only a tiny bit. If you want to get this messy step out of the way, you can bread the chicken and then keep it on a baking sheet in your fridge for a few hours.
Gochujang Fried Chicken Sandwich with Cilantro Mayo
Ingredients
Fried Chicken
- 8 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup pickle juice
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon EACH: paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder
- ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- Peanut oil (for frying)
Quick Pickled Veggies
Cilantro Mayo
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup finely minced cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Gochujang Sauce
- ¼ cup gochujang sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons honey
Sandwiches
- 4 brioche buns (toasted)
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken: Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl and pour in the pickle juice. Mix them around then put the bowl into your fridge while you prep the rest of dinner (or up to 6 hours.)8 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 cup pickle juice
- Pickled Veggies: Put the carrots, daikon, and cucumbers into a medium-sized bowl. Bring the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small pan over high heat, and then pour it over the vegetables. Toss to coat, then set them aside to pickle.½ cup EACH: julienned carrots, sliced cucumbers, and julienned daikon radish, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 pinch salt
- Cilantro Mayo: Mix the mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl then put it into your fridge until you're ready to use it.¼ cup finely minced cilantro, ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lime juice, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Gochujang Sauce: In a small frying pan, mix the gochujang, olive oil, mayonnaise, and honey and set it aside on your stove. (Note: the picture here is what the sauce will look like after you heat it.)¼ cup gochujang sauce, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons honey
- Prep the breading: In a wide bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Spoon about two tablespoons of the brining liquid into the flour and mix it around so that there are little balls of flour – this creates all the craggly little crispy bits.¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, 1 teaspoon EACH: paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- Bread the Chicken: Working with one piece at a time, coat the chicken well in the breading. Use your hands to squeeze the breading onto the chicken. See notes for how to keep your hands clean (ish!) while doing this step.
- First fry: Set a wire rack over a baking sheet. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large, high-sided frying pan or pot until it reaches 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Working in batches, fry the chicken for 5 minutes, turning it over halfway through cooking. Set the fried chicken aside on the wire rack.Peanut oil
- Second fry: Increase the heat so the oil is 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Working in batches, return the chicken to the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes more, until the chicken is very crispy and the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sauce it up: Heat the gochujang sauce and then brush it on the crispy chicken pieces. Note: the sauce will look oily and separate, especially as it cools-don't worry about this. Both the oily part and the thicker part have lots of flavor so just brush it all on.
- Assemble the sandwiches: Spread some cilantro mayo on the bottom of a bun, then top with two pieces of chicken, a scoop of the pickled veggies, some cilantro, and the bun top.4 brioche buns, Cilantro
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Tips for deep frying chicken
Here are my go-to tips for deep frying chicken so it turns out crispy, juicy, and golden every time:
- Mix a little of the marinade into the breading. This makes little balls of flour that stick to the chicken and create those extra crispy pieces when it fries.
- Use a thermometer to get the right temp. You don’t want the oil too hot or the breading will burn before the chicken cooks.
- Don’t overcrowd the pot. Fry in batches so the temperature doesn’t drop. Crowding the oil leads to soggy breading.
- Use neutral oil. Go with oils like canola, vegetable, or peanut oil that can handle high heat and won’t add extra flavor.
- Drain on a wire rack. Skip the paper towels and let your chicken cool slightly on a wire rack so it stays crisp and doesn’t steam on the bottom.
Four more crave-worth sandwiches to try next
For even more inspo, check out all of my sandwich recipes!
