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My Favorite Recipe

Joe Gitter’s Favorite Recipe: Korean Fried Chicken

The senior editor’s favorite recipe dates back to his early days as an intern.
By Published Feb. 9, 2022

My Favorite Recipe is a new column where we ask America's Test Kitchen cooks, cast members, and luminaries about the recipes they can't stop cooking.

 

Joe Gitter is a senior editor on the Books Team, but you’ve probably seen his face all over social media platforms. Turns out his favorite recipe is one of the first he ever helped develop as a Cook's Illustrated intern.

So Joe — what’s your favorite recipe?

JG: The answer for me is an easy one: Korean Fried Chicken. This was one of the first recipes I ever worked on as an intern for Cook's Illustrated back in 2015. Up until that point I’d only ever fried foods in a restaurant or in cooking school. Before this recipe, I used to think fried food was something you can only get in restaurants.

This recipe sounds both delicious and nostalgic. Is that true?

JG: Absolutely. I was helping the brilliant Cook's Illustrated senior editor Andrea Geary and I thought, "Wow. If you just follow these steps exactly then you will get the exact result as the photo." Sure, you can achieve fried food in other ways, but there’s nothing like deep-fried food. You get all those crispy, crunchy bits. And all you need is a pot, oil, and a thermometer.

What do you love about this recipe?

JG: First, the flavor. It’s sweet, spicy, savory, fermented, and delicious. It needles all the pleasure receptors in the brain. Between the gochujang, sugar, and acid, it’s the perfect balance of flavors. It also has it all, texturally. That crispy exterior and tender interior. 

Even down to the cuts of meat, it’s just such a thoughtful recipe. The real genius is in the chicken’s crispness. It manages to stay super crispy even after being doused in sauce. Andrea chose wings because they have the most skin, providing the most crisp.

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Any tips for someone making it for the first time? 

JG: Just follow the recipe exactly! I’ve tried to freestyle and it didn’t work. This recipe is honestly where my love affair began with ATK. We put in the challenging work so you don’t have to.

Ok I’m sold. This sounds epic for the superbowl?

JG: YES.

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