Dakgangjung is a very popular traditional Korean dish and is usually made with chunks of chicken from a whole chicken. I’m using chicken wings in this recipe, but you could use chunks.
Each piece of chicken wing is coated with sweet and crispy sauce. Of the ingredients, thinly sliced ginger will turn into something like candy which has not only its own special chewy taste but also influences the whole flavor of chicken. Peanuts turn it into an amazingly crispy snack!
I also posted an easier version of dakgangjeong where you don’t need to mix a batter or slice ginger. It’s just as delicious as this one, so check it out!
Ingredients
- 40 pieces of chicken wings
- 2 ts kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 ts ground pepper
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup starch powder
- vegetable oil
- 1 cup ginger, sliced thinly
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup corn syrup (mulyeot)
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 1 cup peanuts
- ½ cup toasted sesame seeds
- ½ tbs dried and crushed red hot chili pepper
Directions
- Prepare 40 chicken wings or chunks of chicken, rinse them off in cold water and drain them.
- Transfer the chicken into a big bowl.
- Add kosher salt, ground pepper, eggs, and a mixture of the flour and the starch powder. Mix it by hand.
- Deep fry the chicken wings in vegetable oil 2 times at about 350” to 380”F.
Make sauce:
- Prepare a big wok or pan.
- Place 1 cup of water in the wok and heat it up.
- Add the ginger to the boiling water.
- Add soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and boil it over medium heat.
- 5 minutes after, add corn syrup and keep boiling over low medium heat about 30 minutes.
- Raise a spoon of the sizzling sauce above the wok in the air and drop it until the sauce starts to stop halfway down. Then turn off the stove.
Mix it up:
- Reheat the sauce.
- Add the deep fried chicken, peanuts (or any kind of nuts), dried red hot chili pepper, and the toasted sesame seeds into the sizzling sauce and mix it with a spatula. The amount of sticky sauce will decrease while you are stirring. Then turn off the heat and you are done!
*tip: Before the chicken cools down, separate each piece of chicken to prevent them from sticking to each other.
For the spicy food lover
You can sprinkle 2 tbs of dried and crushed red chili pepper instead of ½ tbs.
For vegetarians
Just make the sauce following the recipe above, and then add whatever dried ingredients you like and make candy! You can use sliced ginger, nuts (almond, walnuts, pine nuts, and peanuts), or sesame seeds.
- Place plastic wrap on your cutting board
- After mixing all the dried ingredients with the sticky sauce, spread it on the plastic wrap. Wait a few minutes for it to harden.
- Cut into bite size pieces and enjoy!
Maangchi's Amazon picks for this recipe
It's always best to buy Korean items at your local Korean grocery store, but I know that's not always possible so I chose these products on Amazon that are good quality. See more about how these items were chosen.
hi i don’t have sesame seeds what can i use instead?
Forget about sesame seeds then. It will still be delicious! : )
Hello maangchi! I tried this chicken dish and it’s soooo good! But.. I think I overdid the batter! The texture’s like bread with chicken in the center but the sauce made it excellente(since I’m a ginger lover!)!
Hi Maangchi, love your recipes.
One question, i cannot really eat deep fried stuff, do you think i could bake the wings? any advice or variation so that the chicken will be crispy even though you bake it?
thanks!
Leave your question here please. My other readers may give you good advice. https://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/general-discussion
My mom bakes her chicken instead of frying it, but it has a similar texture. First, coat the chicken in a little flour then roll in beaten egg. Then, coat with oatmeal and bake until golden brown. It turns out crispy as if you’d fried it, but is a little bit healthier. Hope that helps! (:
OMG! The dakkangjung was a big hit at the potluck party thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe. People could not get enough of them and to be honest I believe that cooking these wings got me a date for next Saturday so thank you again. Looking forward to trying out your Japchae recipe you make cooking Korean food look really, really easy thank you again…lol
OMG! I’m very happy to hear about that! “I believe that cooking these wings got me a date for next Saturday so thank you again” awesome! Good luck with your date!
I tried your recipe and it was yummy!!! How do I keep the chicken crispy if I cook in the morning and won’t eat until night time even if I don’t mix the sauce with the chicken? Any suggestions.
In my experience, the crispness of this dish will last up to 6-8 hours, so I think it will be ok.
This recipe is so delicious…I cooked it for my brothers and my mom they loved it… Thanks Maangchi!!! :)
very nice!
I failed to make this once, but I’ve learned my mistake, and I’m going to try it again >:]
curious about the mistake! hope your next one turns out delicious! : )
Maangchi,
If I want to use chicken breasts instead of wings, how many pounds of chicken should I use for one recipe?
Thank you!:)
I don’t know the exact answer, but maybe 1-1.5 kilograms of chicken breast?
maangchi, is it okay for me to use corn starch?D:
yes, you can use corn starch, potato starch, or sweet potato starch. good luck with making delicious dakkangjung!
I made this dish last night and it was soooo good!! My husband loved it <3 I am so happy that this website is up, it is hard to find a korean recipe and video in English… Thank You!! I can't wait to try all the other recipes! :o)
Amie, I’m very happy for you! Congratulations on your successful Korean cooking!
I just made these wings…WOW they were amazing!!! Best wings I have had in a very long time!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Congratulation on your successful dakkangjung making!
Gah!Looks soooo good. Definitely goingto make dakkangjung for dinner and dukbokki for lunch(since it is a rainy day >_<).
That just looks so good, I’ll be making it tomorrow for lunch! Thanks for sharing this with us!
ooh hee! My fingers are crossed!
Maangchi,
How long can you keep this for after you’ve made it? I would like to make this for a potluck lunch, but not sure if I want to get up at 0430 to make it! Perhaps I can make it the night before and it’ll still be crispy and taste good?
Thanks,
Anna
Anna,
It could be ok up to several hours, but I wouldn’t recommend keeping it in the fridge overnight. I usually make this a few hours before serving. Start making it at about 8:00 am for your potluck lunch. Give me your feedback later! : )
I made this for the first time and took it to a potluck (I was bold for taking something I’ve never made before). It was a complete success and I came home with an empty dish. I only got 2 pieces. Thank you!!!
wow, great news! Thank you for your update!
Oh my god! This looks so good! I think I have some chicken wings in the freezer. I’m gonna go shopping for other ingredients tomorrow!! haha
do you serve this hot or cold?
Hi Maangchi! I have never tasted Korean food before, much less tried to cook it. I just made Dak Kang Jung and it was AWESOME! Thank you so much for your recipe and for your site. I’m looking forward to making more. I have some leftover ginger so I’m going to make Su Jung Gwa. My husband is sick, and this should make him feel better. Thanks again!
“I have some leftover ginger so I’m going to make Su Jung Gwa. ”
Brilliant idea!
Hi Maangchi,
do you have to put peanuts on the dish if you don’t want to?
no, skip them if you don’t like. It will still be delicious!
hi maangchi! im a filipina but my family realy love korean food. i want to try dakkangjung. can i omit ginger and chili for my kids to like it? because they don’t like spicy food, me neither i don’t like the taste of ginger. but my husband will surely like it. tnx for this recipe, i will try this soon. tnx! :)
yes, you can omit ginger and chili! It will still be delicious!
thanks a lot. my kids will surely enjoy it, they love chicken so much. i will try this tomorrow. wish me luck…. :)
Hello, I just wanted to say I LOVE UR RECIPES!!!
they all look sooooooooooooooooooo YUMMY !!! lol whenever I watch them, they make me hungry!:p
and u r beautiful!!!:D
BTW I am planning to make this chicken wings for my parents this weekend! wish me luck!:)
My fingers are crossed! hope your dakkangjung turns out great!
Can I substitute brown sugar with white sugar?
yes, you can.
what is the difference when you substitute white sugar for brown sugar?
is the color not as dark?
Do I have to use flour for this recipe? Can I just do the chicken using only corn starch like the sweet and sour recipe?
Yes, no problem, you can use only corn starch or potato starch
Is it necessary to put in corn syrup I didnt buy it because in the ingredients u didnt put that in there only on how to make it please reply ASAP thanks
omg,I’m sorry! I forgot to write that in the recipe! Yes, you need corn syrup to make it shiny! I am going to update it. Thank you for pointing it out. Happy Holiday!
i reali like the sweet and crispy chicken. thanks for the recipe. I tried to find the korean spicy uncooked crab on your website but i didn’t find it. are you gona share the recipe in the future?
Yes,it’s one of my upcoming recipes. Thank you very much!
Love your cooking on youtube! I just bought your two cookbooks vol I and II. I can’t wait to get them. I have a question about the starch used in your Dakkangjung…is it corn starch or potato starch? What kind is it? Thank you! Lee
it is corn starch she said it in the video =)
It doesn’t matter much. You could use corn starch, potato starch, and sweet potato starch.
Maangchi~ I love your site. I especially like that you include the names of the recipes and some of their ingredients in Korean. I live in Korea and it is sometimes difficult to read an English recipe but to try and find out what those ingredients are in Korean…
If you use a whole chicken, do you cut it up but leave the bone in before frying it or do you just cut off the meat and fry that.
Also, what is starch powder (in Korean)? I can’t seem to find it.
When I use a whole chicken for fried chicken, I leave the bone in.
Starch powder is called 전분 (jeonboon). https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/potato-starch
Maangchi,
Hi! Plan on making this for a workplace potluck on New Year’s Eve. Are the peanuts raw or roasted before adding to the recipe?
Thanks,
Anna
roasted peanuts! I hope your dakkangjung turns out great!
Hi,
I just want to say how my wife and I love your website. She is half Korean but grew up outside of the country in a family not much fond of food, and now we are both so curious to learn to prepare these wonderful dishes. In Europa, there is fairly little culinary literature focusing on Korea, so your site is a real cultural contribution!!
Thanks,
Tom
thanks a lot for this recipe it is sooo good!
what brand of vinegar and soy sauce did you use? Kikkoman and Heinz apple cider vinegar good enough? Thanks
I’m no Maangchi, so maybe she has another opinion, but I personally always use regular white vinegar. It has turned out very well the 4 or 5 times I’ve made it now. You could use apple cider vinegar, but that has such a distinct taste – it would be a different flavor than the usual dakkangjung, maybe. Kikkoman soy sauce should be fine. :)
I just wanted to say thank you! this recipe looks amazing :)
Maangchi, when I tried your this recipe my end product, all the chickens stick to each other and the sugar coating actually harden. It was so hard to chew inside the mouth because the coating will stick to the teeth. May I know what goes wrong with my end product?? Cause I really want to taste how good your recipe can be. Thanks.
I’m sorry to hear that the sauce turned out too sticky! It must have been sizzled too long. Next time you make it, don’t boil it so song. cheers! : )
Ok. I will take note during my next attempt. :D Thanks alot.
I made this and it turned out fine. Thank you!
I just wanted to say that I found your website by accident and that I am totally glad that I did…I’ve been trying to find good “home-made” recipies for the korean food that I love. I’ve always asked my mom or my older sisters (they’re full korean and I am half) to teach me but they are always to busy. Thank you so much!
Also can you just use chicken breast?
My boyfriend doesnt like chicken wings and i made him these and he just looovvvesss it! He ate all of it lol.
Please, please tell me how to make Yang Yum chicken. It is so delicious with the pickled radish. I’m so happy that I found your site. I lived in Korea for four years and I miss it so much. It is so helpful to have your video and the recipe at the same time.