Colm O'Gorman's fabulous loaded fries: A fusion of Korean fried chicken and Canadian poutine

Pic: Colm O'Gorman

These loaded fries are fabulous, a fusion of Korean Fried Chicken and Canadian Poutine. 

I tasted a version of this a while back in Chimac in Dublin and knew I just had to come up with my own take on it.

This is a lovely combination of flavours, and features my favourite chilli sauce, gochujang. 

You will find that in most Asian supermarkets, along with Korean red pepper chilli flakes. 

I started to make my own gochujang during the lockdowns when such ingredients were a little more difficult to come by, and it is fabulous. You will find that recipe on my Instagram page if you want to give it a go.

Gochujang is used both in my sublime cheese sauce, and as a drizzle to finish off this dish. Both are fabulous. 

The sautéed onions and peas add some lovely freshness to the dish, as does the sprinkle of chopped spring onions.

Korean Fried Chicken Poutine

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

This is a lovely combination of flavours, and features my favourite chilli sauce, gochujang. You will find that in most Asian supermarkets, along with Korean red pepper chilli flakes.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Korean/Canadian

Ingredients

• Korean Fried Chicken:

• 400g chicken breast mini fillets

• 30ml rice wine

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

• 200g cornflour

• Air Fryer Chips:

• 6-8 medium sized rooster potatoes

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Gochujang Drizzle:

• 1 tbsp gochujang

• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 tsp red pepper chilli flakes

• Cheese Sauce:

• 20g butter

• 250ml milk

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• 150g grated vintage cheddar

• 1 tbsp gochujang

• Toppings:

• 1 onion

• 200g frozen petit pois

• 1 tsp red pepper chilli flakes

• 150g feta cheese

• 3-4 chopped spring onions

Method

1. Cut the chicken mini fillets in half. Grate the garlic and ginger. Pop the lot into a bowl along with the rice wine. Stir to coat the chicken and marinade for about 30mins.

2. Wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into chips. Rinse the chips under cold water in a colander. Blanche for three minutes in salted, boiling water. Drain and pop them back into the saucepan. Gently toss in the olive oil, before popping them into the basket of your air fryer.

3. Air fry at 240 Celsius for twenty minutes, tossing every five minutes to ensure they are evenly cooked and perfectly crisp and golden all over.

4. I use a Ninja two-drawer air fryer and divide my chips across both baskets when making chips for more than two people. This helps get the chips evenly cooked and crispy all over. If you do not have a large capacity air fryer, you can cook the chips in two batches, giving each batch ten minutes, before then finishing them in a single batch until they are perfectly crisp and golden, about another ten minutes will do it.

5. If you do not have an air fryer, you can cook the chips in an oven. Simply spread them in a single layer across a tray and cook at 240 Celsius for twenty minute or until they are crisp and golden all over. Turn the chips once halfway through to ensure they cook evenly.

6. Time to make your sauces. To make the Gochujang drizzle, simply pop all the ingredients into a bowl, stir to combine and then set aside until you are ready to serve.

7. Next, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium/low, add the flour, and stir it until the flour is fully incorporated into the butter and forms a smooth paste. This will only take a minute or two. Now add the milk and turn up the heat. Stir continuously as you bring the mixture to a soft boil. As the milk heats, it melts the paste and makes a smooth, creamy sauce. This will take about five to ten minutes. Do not fully boil the sauce, instead reduce the heat as the sauce thickens and then add the cheese, stirring it in until it melts. Add a generous tablespoon of gochujang and stir to combine it thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Remove for the heat and set aside for now.

8. Peel and slice the onion. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat, add the onion and reduce the heat to medium. Add the red pepper flakes and fry for five minutes or until the onions are soft. Now add the peas and cook for just another three to four minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside while you fry the chicken.

9. Heat one litre of sunflower oil to 180c. Dredge the chicken pieces one at a time in the cornflour. When they are all coated, carefully lower them into the hot oil, one-by-one. Do not crowd the pan, you will need to do this in batches of five to six pieces at a time. Fry for three minutes, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper or a wire rack over a tray. Make sure to bring the oil back up to temperature between batches. If it is not hot enough, you will not get that beautiful crisp coating which is essential for great Korean fried chicken.

10. Once all the chicken has had its first fry, fry it a second time for two minutes to get the pieces golden and crispy. You can do this in one batch. Remove it from the pan and drain on some fresh kitchen towel while you start to assemble the dish.

11. Warm the cheese sauce through if needed. By now your ships should be ready, so divide them evenly across four warm plates. If you have a little chilli seasoning such as shichimi or peri peri seasoning, sprinkle some over the chips. Next, add a few generous tablespoons of the fried onions and peas. Spoon over a generous amount of the cheese sauce, and add half of the fried chicken, divided across the four plates. Sprinkle with some crumbled feta, some chopped spring onions and if you want to really go big on the cheese, a little more grated cheddar.

12. Finally, top off each plate with the remaining fried chicken and spoon over some of that sweet and spicy gochujang drizzle. Serve immediately.