One of my favorite sides to eat with fried chicken
What's your go-to side for fried chicken? For me, it's pickled radish! It's called chicken mu in Korean, it's tangy, sweet, and crunchy. It refreshes your mouth after every bite.
When you go to korean fried chicken restaurants, they never give you enough pickled radish and you have to pay extra for a teeny tiny portion
Not anymore. Make it at home and
you'll always have extra pickled radish in your fridge, no extra charge.
Ingredients
Water
Vinegar (I used distilled white vinegar, but you can also use apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar. Just keep in mind that using anything other than white vinegar may affect the color.) Sugar (I used allulose instead. Trying to keep my blood suagr under control
Salt
Recipe
Just remember 2:1:1:1T for 1 whole radish
2 water: 1 vinegar: 1 sugar: 1 Tbsp salt (Adjust based on how much radish you're using.)
For example:
If you are using 1/2 radish- use 1 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 Tbsp salt.
Simmer everything until fully dissolved, then carefully pour into the jar (hot!). The hot brine keeps it crunchy. Let it cool, fridge overnight.
(Honestly day 2-3 tastes better!)
Additional Tips:
As you know I used allulose for my sweetener, but it wasn't sweet enough for me, so I ended up adding 1 Tbsp sugar and reheated the brine (So you can also readjust the taste later!)
I’ve found that making pickled radish at home has truly transformed my fried chicken meals. The key is balancing the brine with the right ratio of water, vinegar, sugar, and salt—following the 2:1:1:1 ratio mentioned ensures a perfectly tangy and slightly sweet flavor. Using distilled white vinegar keeps the radish looking bright and appealing, but experimenting with apple cider or rice wine vinegar adds a different twist to the flavor. One trick I like is simmering the brine until everything dissolves and pouring it hot onto the prepared radish cubes. This hot brine helps retain the radish’s crunchiness, which is essential when you want that satisfying bite alongside your crispy fried chicken. I usually let the jar sit overnight in the fridge, but honestly, the flavor deepens and improves by day two or three—making it worth the wait. For those watching their sugar intake like me, using allulose instead of regular sugar works well, but I sometimes add a bit of sugar back in and reheat the brine to balance sweetness and tang. You can always adjust these proportions based on your personal taste preferences. Plus, having extra pickled radish ready in the fridge means no more paying extra for tiny portions at Korean fried chicken spots. It’s a great snack on its own, too! If you enjoy crunchy, refreshing sides that cleanse your palate after each savory bite, pickled radish is a must-try. Give this recipe a shot—you’ll never want to order fried chicken without it again!
It would never last in my fridge. I’d be constantly eating it!