Copycat recipes of restaurant favorites create home cooking satisfaction, particularly when the resulting flavors are bold, crunchy and full of flavor.
This Korean Fried Chicken, inspired by the Cheesecake Factory, combines crispy chicken bites with a rich but sticky spicy sweet sauce that is hard to beat.
If you have been longing for a combination of the crunchy along with the saucy goodness of a restaurant takeout dish, this will be a copycat recipe you will definitely want to recreate time and time again.
It is very easy to make with all the ingredients that you already have on hand in your kitchen and this restaurant-style fried chicken will be yours to enjoy.
What Does Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken Taste Like?
This fried chicken is salty, crunchy, and deeply flavorful, with a slight kick from Sriracha and crushed chili flakes.
The sauce is rich and savory, and the cashews provide that lovely buttery crunchy texture.
Served with tangy kimchi or pickles, the bold flavors of each bite are satisfying and enjoyable.
Ingredients Required for Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken Recipe
Gather all the following ingredients, before you start making this Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken
For the Seasoned Rice Flour
- ¾ cup rice flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
The Spicy Soy-Sherry Sauce
- 1 cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup sherry wine
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the Rice Flour Batter
- 1 ½ cups rice flour
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups ice-cold water
For the Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite-size chunks
- Vegetable oil (for frying)
- ½ cup cashews
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
Kitchen Utensils Required
- Frying pan or wok
- Mixing bowls
- Knife
- Tongs
Preparation & Cooking Time
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15–18 minutes
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken Recipe
Just follow this simple step by step guideline to make your homemade version of Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken in a delicious way.
1. Make the Seasoned Flour
In a bowl, mix ¾ cup of rice flour, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, and baking powder. Stir well.
2. Prepare the Sauce
In another bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry wine, red wine vinegar, sriracha, sugar, garlic, and red pepper flakes until smooth. Set aside.
3. Mix the Cold Batter
Place a bowl over an ice-filled bowl. Add rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the ice-cold water, until you reach a smooth, light batter. Keep the batter as cold as possible, which is vital for the crispy texture.
4. Coat the Chicken
Toss the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour mixture until fully coated.
5. Heat the Oil
Pour vegetable oil into a wok or deep sauté pan and heat over medium-high until hot.
6. Batter the Chicken and Fry
Dip each piece of chicken that has been coated in flour into the cold batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into the bowl, and lay on the oil.
7. Fry Until Golden
Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes per side or until golden, crispy, and cooked throughout, and transfer them to paper towels.
8. Simmer the sauce with Cashews
In a clean wok, add the prepared soy-sherry sauce along with the cashews and heat until lightly simmering.
9. Combine Everything
Add the fried chicken to the simmering sauce and toss to coat evenly. Cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute until the sauce thickens and clings to the chicken.
10. Finish and Serve
Transfer to a serving dish and top with chopped green onions. Enjoy immediately!
Delicious Ways to Customize and Serve This Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken
Here are some Variations and Customizations ideas you can try to enjoy this Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken deliciously
1. Over steamed jasmine rice to soak up that flavorful sauce.
2. Served with cold kimchi to contrast the rich flavors-perfectly balances richness.
3. Served with pickled radish or cucumbers like in Korean restaurants.
4. With crispy Korean pancakes (pajeon) as a fun appetizer + main dish combination.
5. Tossed in with noodles on those heartier days.
6. Alongside roasted vegetables to balance the salty, sweet glaze.
7. Tossed into lettuce wraps with rice and sesame seeds-so fresh and crunchy.
8. Paired with creamy mashed potatoes (which is surprisingly good!).
9. With spicy fried rice for a Chili-lover’s dream meal.
10. Alongside a cold beer or sparkling drink-great pairing for game night.
My Personal Experience and Some Tips on This Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken Recipe
1. Keep the batter cold. Cold batter makes the chicken extra crispy. I like to put the bowl over ice so it stays chilly.
2. Cut the chicken the same size. When all the pieces are even, they cook at the same speed. No guessing and no raw spots.
3. Coat the chicken well. Make sure each piece gets a full dusting of the seasoned rice flour. This helps the batter stick better.
4. Shake off extra batter. If you dip the chicken into the batter, let the extra drip off. Too much batter makes it heavy.
5. Use hot oil. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the chicken gets soggy. I always test by dropping a tiny bit of batter in-if it sizzles right away, it’s ready.
6. Don’t crowd the pan. Fry a few pieces at a time. If the pan is too full, the chicken won’t get crispy.
7. Fry until golden. Look for a nice, light golden color. That’s when the outside gets crunchy.
8. Mix the sauce before cooking. The sauce comes together fast, so I like to make it ahead and set it aside.
9. Toss the chicken in the sauce quickly. Don’t leave it in the sauce too long or it will lose crunch. A fast toss is perfect.
10. Add toppings at the end. Green onions and cashews stay crunchy when added right before serving, and they make the dish taste even better.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken Properly?
If you have any leftover (hopefully you don’t have) you can process them properly as follows,
Store leftover Korean fried chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. The best option for reheating is in the air fryer or oven so the coating can become crispy again.
It can be reheated in the microwave, but this will make the exterior soften. If you are storing the sauce separately, be sure to combine again before reheating so the chicken does not get soggy.
FAQs on this Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken Recipe
When you give this Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken Recipe a try, you might have a few questions. Don’t worry-we’ve rounded up answers to the most common ones to help you out.
1. Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?
Absolutely. We’ve made this with both, and thighs actually stay juicier because of their higher fat content. Just cut them into similar bite-size pieces so they fry evenly.
2. Why does the recipe use rice flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Rice flour gives the chicken that extra-light, ultra-crispy texture-very similar to authentic Korean fried chicken. We’ve tried swapping it for regular flour, and it never comes out as crunchy.
3. Do I really need to keep the batter cold?
Yes! Cold batter hitting hot oil creates a crispier crust. When we’ve let the batter warm up, the coating turned soft and oily. Keeping it over ice makes a noticeable difference.
4. What if I don’t have sherry wine for the sauce?
You can use mirin or a splash of rice vinegar mixed with a tiny bit of sugar. We’ve tested all options, and sherry has the richest flavor, but the substitutes still work great.
5. Can I make the sauce less salty?
Definitely. Cheesecake Factory’s version leans salty, and the recreated version does too. We usually reduce the soy sauce by 1–2 tablespoons or use a low-sodium option.
6. How spicy is this chicken?
It’s mildly spicy-just enough to keep things interesting. If you want more heat, add extra Sriracha or a pinch more chili flakes. When we tested it with double the flakes, it was fire but still manageable.
7. Can I bake or air-fry the chicken instead of deep-frying?
Yes, but the texture won’t be quite the same. In our tests, the air fryer gave the best “fried-like” crunch-about 400°F for 12–14 minutes, flipping halfway.
8. How do I keep the chicken crispy after tossing it in sauce?
Toss it quickly, right before serving. The longer it sits, the softer it gets. Sometimes we drizzle the sauce instead of fully coating the chicken when we want extra crunch.
9. Can I prep parts of this recipe ahead of time?
Yes! You can make the sauce a day ahead and keep it in the fridge. We also cut and flour the chicken early, but we always mix the batter fresh right before frying.
10. What should I serve alongside this dish?
We often pair it with rice, sautéed veggies, or a crisp cucumber salad. The salty-sweet sauce also tastes amazing with simple steamed jasmine rice-it balances everything out perfectly.
Cheesecake Factory Korean Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a bowl, mix ¾ cup of rice flour, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, and baking powder. Stir well.
- In another bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry wine, red wine vinegar, sriracha, sugar, garlic, and red pepper flakes until smooth. Set aside.
- Place a bowl over an ice-filled bowl. Add rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the ice-cold water, until you reach a smooth, light batter. Keep the batter as cold as possible, which is vital for the crispy texture.
- Toss the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour mixture until fully coated.
- Pour vegetable oil into a wok or deep sauté pan and heat over medium-high until hot.
- Dip each piece of chicken that has been coated in flour into the cold batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into the bowl, and lay on the oil.
- Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes per side or until golden, crispy, and cooked throughout, and transfer them to paper towels.
- In a clean wok, add the prepared soy-sherry sauce along with the cashews and heat until lightly simmering.
- Add the fried chicken to the simmering sauce and toss to coat evenly. Cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute until the sauce thickens and clings to the chicken.
- Transfer to a serving dish and top with chopped green onions. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Notes
This Cheesecake Factory Korean fried chicken recipe has everything you want, crispy, bold flavors, and sweet-savory flavors-it’s the perfect recipe when you’re looking for something fun and restaurant-style at home.
This dish is easy, filling, and will certainly impress your guests. Give it a try and let me know how it goes or what you changed, and you may find a new weekly favorite!
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