Snow onion chicken is a popular dish from a famous Korean fried chicken franchise. Crispy chicken breast topped with a creamy and refreshing onion sauce makes this a crowd-pleaser. This easy recipe is mild enough for everyone in the family to enjoy. It’s perfect for sharing!
Crispy fried chicken with tender, juicy chicken breast meat topped with a creamy snow-white onion sauce? That’s snow onion chicken, a star on the menu at Choong Man Chicken, a famous Korean fried chicken franchise.
I’ve been craving this dish, but the nearest store is a bit of a trek. So, I decided to recreate it at home. And guess what? It turned out even better than I expected. Plus, it’s easier to make than you might think.
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Unlike the classic spicy Korean fried chicken with gochujang sauce, this snow onion chicken is mild enough for kids to enjoy.
Boneless, skinless chicken breast is coated with a special chicken frying mix and then deep-fried twice for extra crispiness. The creamy onion sauce is a blend of mayonnaise and yogurt, sweetened with a touch of sugar. It gets its name because the sauce looks like snow—kind of like Snow White!
Don’t be overwhelmed by the massive amount of raw onion. There’s a trick to calm down the strong onion taste, giving you a mild yet savory flavor. The onions become delicious and crunchy in the creamy sauce, perfectly complementing the fried chicken.
Finally, fried chicken that you can eat with a fork (or chopsticks, if you’re like me)! No more messy fingers like with bone-in fried chicken. Enjoy!
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Breast: This recipe uses lean, boneless, and skinless chicken breast for a lighter texture. You can also use bone-in chicken wings if you prefer. Just make sure to deep fry them long enough to cook thoroughly.
- Chicken Fry Mix: Known as chicken tuigim-garu, this mix is commonly used for making classic fried chicken in Korea. It already includes savory seasoning, so you don’t need to add anything to flavor the batter. Just add liquid, like milk or water, to coat the chicken.
- Onion: Another key ingredient for this recipe. I recommend using yellow onion for a mild taste and light color. The raw taste of the onion will subside after you soak it in cold water.
- You can slice it into rings or thin strips, depending on your preference. I like ring shapes for a more fun presentation.
- Sauce: The highlight of this recipe is the sauce. It uses common ingredients like mayonnaise and plain yogurt mixed with sugar and lemon juice. This combination delivers a creamy yet refreshing taste that pairs perfectly with the deep-fried chicken.
How to Make Snow Onion Chicken
Prepare onion for the sauce
- Cut the onion into thin rings or strips and soak them in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly. In a mixing bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Add the onions and toss to coat them evenly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Double coat chicken with fry mix
- Cut the chicken breast into large, bite-sized chunks. In a mixing bowl, blend the chicken frying mix with milk (or water) to create a slightly thick batter. Add the chicken pieces and coat them thoroughly.
- Before deep frying, coat each piece of chicken with the dry chicken fry mix for a second coating. Make sure to shake off the excess.
Fry chicken
- Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Dip each chicken piece in the dry frying mix, shaking off the excess. Deep fry for 1-2 minutes until lightly golden, then drain on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Fry a second time until crispy and deep golden brown. Remove with a mesh strainer, shaking off excess oil. Place the chicken on a platter, top with the reserved onion sauce, and serve immediately.
Recipe tips and advice
- It is important to soak onion slices in cold water to remove the strong raw taste. So do not skip that process.
- For the frying mix batter, I used milk which adds tenderness to the texture on the coating while still crispy. If you like it more crispy texture, use water instead. Make sure the water is icy cold.
Serving suggestions for snow onion chicken
In Korea, any type of fried chicken is typically served with cold drinks such as beer or carbonated beverages as anju (안주), the Korean drink party food. This makes a great dish to share with your loved ones. Check out my Korean fish jerky recipe for another great anju dish.
You can also serve this as a main dish with some rice and a vegetable side dish. Alternatively, serving this as a chicken salad over a bed of greens would be a fantastic idea as well.
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Snow Onion Chicken
Snow onion chicken, a favorite from a Korean fried chicken franchise, features crispy chicken breast with a creamy onion sauce. This easy, mild recipe is perfect for sharing and sure to please everyone in the family.
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 ½ cup chicken fry mix, divided
- ½ cup milk, or cold water
Snow onion sauce
- 1 onion, sliced into thin rings or strips
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 6 tbsp plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp sugar
- pinches salt and pepper, to season
For the fry mix batter, I used milk which adds tenderness to the texture on the coating while still crispy. If you like it more crispy texture, use water instead. Make sure the water is icy cold.
Calories: 309kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 86mg, Sodium: 367mg, Potassium: 561mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 123IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 87mg, Iron: 1mg
