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Dakgangjeong Korean Fried Chicken

Dakgangjeong (Sweet Crispy Korean Fried Chicken)

Shi (IG: @shi_cookin) / Food Content Creator, Brooklyn, NY; Photo by Shi

Ingredients for the Korean Fried Chicken (Dakgangjeong):

  • 1 lb chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp. ginger, minced
  • 1 tbsp. cooking rice wine
  • potato starch, as needed
  • oil for deep frying, as needed

Ingredients for the Sauce:

  • 1 ½ tsp. The Perfect Purée Sweet Ginger, thawed
  • ¼ serrano, thinly sliced (around 5-6 slices)
  • ¼ yellow onion, small diced
  • 6 dried chilis
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp. corn syrup (oligo syrup recommended)
  • 1 tbsp. light brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp. gochujang
  • 2 tbsp. oil

Ingredients for the Garnish:

  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Scallions, thinly sliced
  •  ⅓ cup peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped (optional)

Method for the Korean Fried Chicken (Dakgangjeong):

  1. In a bowl, add the chicken, salt, black pepper, garlic, ginger, and cooking rice wine. Make sure everything is well incorporated. Set aside and marinate the chicken for 30 minutes at room temp.
  2. For the sauce, in another bowl, combine the garlic, The Perfect Purée Sweet Ginger, soy sauce, corn syrup, light brown sugar, and gochujang. Mix well and set aside.
  3. In a Dutch oven, deep saucepan, or fryer, add a generous amount of oil (around 2-3 inches deep) and heat on medium-high heat until it reaches 340°F.
  4. While the oil is rising to temperature, pour some potato starch onto a large plate or bowl. Coat each chicken piece with potato starch.
  5. Once the oil reaches 340°F, using chopsticks or tongs, carefully drop in the coated chicken pieces one at a time. Do not overcrowd, it will decrease the temperature of the oil, and it will not fry properly. Fry them until light golden brown, around 7 minutes.
  6. Once nice and light golden brown, with tongs or a fish spatula, remove from oil and place it onto a sheet tray with a wired rack. Season the chicken with a pinch of salt while it is still hot. Before frying the next batch, wait until the oil comes up to 340°F again. If needed, remove any small floating pieces with a skimmer. Continue steps 5-6 until all the chicken is fried.
  7. In a separate pot, heat 2 tbsp. of oil on medium heat and add the dried chilis, serranos, and onions. Sweat until fragrant, around 2 minutes. Do not brown; onions should be nice and translucent.
  8. Lower the heat, add in the sauce mixture, and simmer it on low – medium heat until it thickens slightly, around 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
  9. Add chicken and peanuts into the sauce mixture and coat each piece evenly.
  10. Plate it up and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and scallions.