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4.9 from 90 votes

Korean Fried Chicken (Dakgangjeong)

This soy garlic Korean fried chicken recipe is crispy sweet, spicy, and sticky—perfect with cold beer and definitely worth breaking out the frying oil!

Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 652 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

For the chicken & marinade:
  • 3 pounds chicken tenders, wings, drumsticks and/or thighs (we used: 1¼ pounds chicken breast and 1¾ pounds chicken wings
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (toasted)
  • 2 tablespoons water
For the coating & frying:
  • 1/3 cup Potato Starch
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 4-5 cups vegetable oil (for frying, can also use canola or peanut oil)
For the soy garlic glaze:
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 small shallot (finely minced)
  • 7 cloves garlic (minced
  • 3 dried chili peppers (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2/3 cup mirin
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Gochujang
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

Marinate and dredge the chicken:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Add the chicken to a large mixing bowl along with the salt, white pepper, ginger, sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix thoroughly and set aside for 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, make the coating. In a shallow bowl, combine the potato starch and panko. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water over the top, and mix with your hands. This creates some clumps in the dry mix to give more texture to the coating.
  3. Toss the chicken in the marinade once more to ensure the pieces are evenly moist. Dredge chicken pieces until they’re completely coated.
Fry the chicken for the first time:
  1. Heat 4-5 cups of oil in a deep pot to 325°F/163°C. The oil should ideally fill the pot about halfway, so hot oil won’t overflow or splatter too much while frying.
  2. Fry the chicken in batches until lightly golden, 2-3 mins for nuggets, 3-4 mins for tenders, 6-8 mins for whole wings, 4-6 mins for drumettes and flats, and 9-11 mins for drumsticks or bone-in thighs. Drain on a cooling rack placed over a sheet pan, and between batches, remove any particles left in the oil using a strainer.
Make the glaze:
  1. In a saucepan over medium low heat, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, along with the shallot, garlic, and dried chili peppers (if using, for optional spice). Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the shallots are translucent. If using the dried chili peppers, you can de-seed them and chop them, or simply chop and include the seeds for an extra spicy kick. If you’d like to keep your sauce more mild, omit them entirely.
  2. Next, add the soy sauce, water, mirin, rice vinegar, light brown sugar, gochujang, and dijon mustard.
  3. Stir and bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring continuously (4-5 minutes). When the sauce has come to a simmer, remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to keep warm.
Re-fry chicken and toss in sauce:
  1. For the second and final fry, bring the oil temperature up to 375°F/190°C. Fry the chicken in batches—1 minute for bone-in pieces and 30 seconds for boneless pieces. Drain on a cooling rack.
  2. Once you’ve fried all the chicken for the second time, add it to a large bowl, and pour the sauce over the top. Toss the chicken in the sauce until the pieces are well-coated. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top if desired, and serve!

Notes

  • Nutrition information calculated based on using 3 pounds of whole chicken wings. 
  • See tips in post on what to do with leftover frying oil, as well as alternative cooking instructions for oven-frying. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 652kcal (33%) Carbohydrates 29g (10%) Protein 25g (50%) Fat 50g (77%) Saturated Fat 29g (145%) Cholesterol 94mg (31%) Sodium 906mg (38%) Potassium 351mg (10%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 11g (22%) Vitamin A 246IU (5%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 62mg (6%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 652

% Daily Value*

Calories 652kcal 33%
Carbohydrates 29g 10%
Protein 25g 50%
Fat 50g 77%
Saturated Fat 29g 145%
Cholesterol 94mg 31%
Sodium 906mg 38%
Potassium 351mg 7%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 11g 22%
Vitamin A 246IU 5%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 62mg 6%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.