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–+ servings
Two hands hold a Gochujang Fried Chicken sandwich with pickled veggies and cilantro mayo on a brioche bun. A bowl and sandwich bun are visible in the background.

Gochujang Fried Chicken Sandwich with Cilantro Mayo

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
This Gochujang Fried Chicken Sandwich is one of my all-time favorite spicy sandwiches to make. Juicy, crispy chicken gets coated in a sticky gochujang glaze, then layered onto a soft bun with a generous smear of cilantro mayo and a pile of quick-pickled cucumber, daikon, and carrot. It’s the perfect balance of heat, crunch, and creaminess—and it all comes together in just 45 minutes. If you’re craving something bold, this one’s for you.

Ingredients

Fried Chicken

Quick Pickled Veggies

  • ½ cup EACH: julienned carrots, sliced cucumbers, and julienned daikon radish
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 pinch salt

Cilantro Mayo

Gochujang Sauce

Sandwiches

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
    Raw chicken pieces soaking in a glass bowl filled with water on a white countertop, ready to be transformed into a delicious Gochujang Fried Chicken Sandwich.
  • 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
    A glass bowl containing a mixture of sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots, and daikon radish—perfect as pickled veggies for topping Gochujang Fried Chicken—sits on a light countertop.
  • 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
    A white bowl filled with creamy, green cilantro mayo sits on a white surface, perfect as a dip or sauce for your favorite fried chicken sandwich.
  • 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
    A metal pan containing a thick, reddish-brown Gochujang Fried Chicken Sandwich sauce with a metal spoon resting inside on a white surface.
  • 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
    A white bowl containing flour mixture with a silver fork resting inside, ready for making a crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich, is placed on a light-colored surface.
  • 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.
    A raw chicken piece is being coated in flour mixture in a bowl with some already breaded pieces on a tray beside it.
  • 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
    Eight pieces of golden-brown Gochujang Fried Chicken rest on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet after their first fry.
  • 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.
    Eight pieces of golden-brown fried chicken rest on a wire rack over a baking sheet, ready to be coated in gochujang sauce.
  • 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.
    Gochujang Fried Chicken pieces on a wire rack, some being brushed with red gochujang sauce, next to a bowl filled with more sauce—perfect for stacking in a sandwich or dipping in cilantro mayo.
  • 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
    A Gochujang Fried Chicken Sandwich with cilantro mayo, pickled vegetables, and cucumbers on a toasted bun, served on parchment paper.

Notes

How to bread chicken, the less messy way. Unless you want your hands coated in the gloopiest flour mess, this is what you do: Take a piece of chicken out of the marinade with one hand and drop it into the flour. Use your other hand to sprinkle some of the flour over the chicken until it is completely coated. Use that same flour hand to squeeze the breading onto the chicken and move it off to the side when you're done. Now, it's time for the other hand to take another piece out of the marinade and repeat the process. Saving one hand for the 'wet' task and another for the 'dry' task is the way to go when breading. 
Serving: 1 sandwich, Calories: 886kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 51g, Fat: 47g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Monounsaturated Fat: 22g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 220mg, Sodium: 1894mg, Potassium: 685mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 160IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 95mg, Iron: 5mg