Why This Double Fried Korean Chicken Secret Has NYC Locals Breathing Fire in Their Cars

A sweltering 100 degree day in New York City calls for some serious heat inside the blast of a cool car AC. I took a drive out to Williamsburg, Brooklyn for a brand new episode of Wings With My Wife. The destination? Mad For Chicken. We pre ordered an absolute mountain of Korean fried chicken to devour. The whole feast built up to a dangerously spicy wing challenge that literally had me breathing fire.

The Secret to the Crunchy, Non Greasy Double Fry

Unlike your standard American fried chicken, Korean fried chicken is fried twice. This process renders out the fat and creates an elite, shattering crunch without leaving the skin super greasy. Look at that box. You can hear the crunch from a mile away.

First up was the Scallion Chicken, a massive pile of boneless white meat chicken breast smothered in a thick layer of fresh, thin sliced scallions. I dipped it right into their sweet mustard sauce. It is incredibly tender, juicy, and has this gorgeous sweet and savory flavor profile. It tastes remarkably like a high end scallion pancake from a Chinese takeout spot. Insane.

Between bites, we cleansed our palates with pickled daikon radish cubes. They are wonderfully light, cold, and refreshing. Next came a side of fried dumplings packed with a savory mixture of beef, pork, and vegetables. They are crispy, delightfully greasy, and everything you could possibly want in a dumpling. Game changer.

Hand Brushed Heat That Builds Up Fast

Then came the main event. The Half and Half combo box featuring half soy garlic and half spicy jumbo wings and drumsticks. Mad For Chicken uses organic chicken brought in daily from a farm in Pennsylvania, and they hand brush every single piece with sauce so it stays perfectly crisp instead of turning into a sticky, soggy mess.

The soy garlic wing is a masterpiece, but that spicy wing is on a totally different level. Look at that color. The second it touches your tongue, it starts burning. The spice does not hit you immediately; it sneaks up on you and completely builds over time. On a scale of one to ten, it sits at a solid six for inside of mouth burning heat. But it is not just straight, blinding heat. It has an incredible umami flavor that keeps you diving back in for every last shred of skin on the bone. Unreal. If you find yourself in Brooklyn, this spot is a hundred percent recommended.