Hi everybody! Today I’m going to show you how to make dakgangjeong, a crispy and crunchy Korean fried chicken (aka “kfc”).

Many of you probably know that I posted it once already, years ago, but the version I’m showing you today is a little easier than the last one, and will be faster to make: I don’t mix a batter, I just coat the chicken in potato starch powder. I also skipped the ginger slices so we can cook the sauce faster. It has an incredible crunch!

In this recipe, both the peanuts and the chilis are optional.

Both versions are delicious in their own way, and both of them are authentically Korean, they’re just two ways of making the same dish, kind of like there are many ways to make pizza. Take this chicken to a party and everyone will give you compliment. “Whoo ah~ this crispy chicken is crunchy crunchy like candy!”

If you love fried chicken, I strongly advise you to try this recipe and my other Korean fried chicken recipes like dakgangjeong with ginger slices (including a vegetarian version), and my yangnyeom-tongdak recipe (aka yangnyeom chicken) which has also been incredibly popular on YouTube! You’ll love all of them. And all Korean fried chicken should be enjoyed with pickled radishes (aka chicken-mu)! If you drink alcohol, it also goes great with beer (“chi-maek” in Korean, which means “chicken and beer”).

dakgangjeong (닭강정)

Steps:

  1. Mix chicken with seasonings and cover in starch.
  2. Fry in hot oil for 7 to 8 minutes.
  3. Shake off, let sit, then fry for another 12 to 15 minutes.
  4. Coat in seasoning sauce.
  5. Sprinkle sesame seeds over top and serve immediately.

Ingredients

  • 3½ pounds chicken wings (about 1.6 kg), washed and drained
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • ⅔ cup potato starch or corn starch
  • ⅓ cup peanuts (optional)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 to 4 large dried red chili peppers, seeded, cut crosswise into ⅓ inch pieces (optional)
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup rice syrup or corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon mustard (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • Grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil, peanut oil)

Directions

Prepare the chicken

  1. Cut off the tip of each wing and chop the wing in half. After this is done you should have about 3 pounds of chicken, with 24 to 26 pieces.Dakgangjeong (닭강정)chicken wings
  2. Put the chicken in a large bowl and mix with salt, ginger, and ground black pepper by hand.
  3. Put the potato starch in a bowl and dip each wing in the powder to coat it, one by one. Squeeze each wing to press the coating to it tightly.
    crispy crunchy chicken

Make the sweet, spicy, and sticky Korean fried chicken sauce:

  1. Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons cooking oil, minced garlic, and the dried red chili pepper (if used). Korean fried chicken (pepper)
  2. Stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant for about 30 seconds.
  3. Add soy sauce, rice syrup, vinegar, and mustard sauce (optional). Stir with a wooden spoon and let it bubble for a few minutes.
  4. Add the brown sugar and continue stirring the mixture. Remove from the heat. Set aside.Korean fried chicken sauce

First fry:

  1. Put 4 cups of cooking oil in a frying pan or pot and heat it up for 7 to 8 minutes over high heat.
  2. See if the oil temperature is ready by dipping a test wing into it. If the oil bubbles, it’s hot enough to start frying. Slide the coated wings one by one into the hot oil and deep fry for about 12 to 13 minutes, turning over a few times with tongs. Korean fried chicken_frying
  3. Take the wings out of the oil and shake them off in a strainer or let them drain on a wire rack. Turn off the heat, and let the wings sit for a few minutes. Korean fried chicken_frying

Second fry:

  1. Reheat the oil and fry the wings again for another 12 to 15 minutes until they all look golden brown and feel super crunchy through the tongs. If your frying pan or pot is not large enough to fry all the chicken at once, divide it into batches like I do in the video. If you use a larger frying pot to deep fry them all at once, you’ll have to use more cooking oil. Dakgangjeong (Korean fried chicken)crispy-fried-chicken
  2. If using the peanuts, place them in a slotted spoon or a small mesh strainer, carefully dip them into the hot oil, and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, just until light golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl.

Dakgangjeong (fried chicken: peanuts)

Coat the fried chicken with the sauce:

  1. When the chicken is done, reheat the sauce until it bubbles.
  2. Add the hot chicken and peanuts (if using) and mix well with a wooden spoon to coat.dakgangjeong (댥강정)
  3. Remove from the heat and transfer the coated chicken to a large platter. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over top and serve immediately. This chicken won’t lose its crunchiness, even by the next day, and you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. You don’t need any dipping sauce, but it goes well with white kimchi (baek-kimchi) and pickled radishes (chicken-mu) are the perfect garnish.

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296 Comments:

  1. vivastar singapore joined 6/22 & has 1 comment

    i know its optional, but what do we do with the peanuts? Its listed as an optional ingrediants but there are no steps how to prepare it.

  2. Msteuber St Louis MO joined 3/22 & has 1 comment

    I have used the recipe for the sauce for regular stir fry! AMAZING! But the sauce could be a little thicker. What can I do to make it thicker without compromising the flavor and recipe? Thank you!

  3. sarahtqr Singapore joined 3/22 & has 1 comment

    Hi maangchi!

    Can i use King oyster mushrooms to coat with corn flour and fry as well?
    I just tried this recipe yesterday and it was divine
    Thank you!

  4. djenner Scotia, NY joined 1/22 & has 2 comments

    This recipe scales nicely. There are only two of us; I’ve made this recipe three times, in different “sizes” (allowing for leftovers in two instances). Because you do a great job with technique, the scale-down/scale-up is pretty straightforward. I’ve also worked out some substitutions: I used simple syrup in place of rice syrup. I used standard crushed red pepper in a bottle. I used apple cider vinegar (I was tempted to Zhejiang vinegar, and probably will next time; I suspect the flavor might really pop!). I suspect I will also make a “bigger” batch of the coating, then cook it down to hard-crack stage (I’ve only gotten to “soft ball” so far). On the other hand, the soft coating over the crispy (still there — interesting) is special. And all this flavor from fairly inexpensive chicken — very welcome in the face of inflation. In short, I like this dish and I note some others I’m anxious to cook. Kudos!

    • ronniekaiju NM joined 3/23 & has 1 comment

      I’ve made this recipe multiple times for years now! it’s a great recipe. I’ve made it both with chicken wings I breakdown myself and just with chicken thighs or breaststroke that I cut into cubes and then make it. Both are great, I recommend making this

  5. joonieyah Christchurch, New Zealand joined 5/19 & has 5 comments

    i made a vegan version of this today using homemade seitan (wheat protein), it’s SO good!! thank you maangchi!


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  6. MisisC California joined 7/21 & has 1 comment

    I loved and enjoyed watching your cooking video. So fun, specially when you are about to drink a beer,,,hahaha so cute!
    Keep on cooking!

  7. Calliope Denmark joined 4/21 & has 1 comment

    I made this yesterday and my sauce was really good until I reheated it. I made it before frying the chicken (as it’s described in the written recipe) and it had a great consistency, but when the chicken was fried and put in the reheated sauce, the sauce became a hard caramel, which was very weird texture-wise. There was nothing wrong with the taste though, but I think I’ll make the sauce while the chicken is frying next time :)

  8. Juron256 Mississauga, Ontario CANADA joined 7/20 & has 1 comment

    What are the temperature for first and second fry do you recommend??

  9. AyaChi236 Brampton, Ontario Canada joined 5/20 & has 3 comments

    My Kids love your Dakgangjeong recipe! Its so crunchy and soft inside! It’s perfect to go with beer and soda for kids. I made it without the peanuts because not into nuts but still the taste is perfect!

    Thank you! ♥️♥️♥️


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  10. Virginieqh London joined 5/20 & has 3 comments

    I made it today!!! I love it. thank you so much for the recipe ☺️

  11. ilovepastry Toronto, Canada joined 5/20 & has 18 comments

    Thanks Maangchi!

    Tasty recipe indeed~ Much more delicious than some places that sell Korean Fried Chicken even!

    :)

    Cynthia


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  12. Irene.hong INDONESIA joined 4/20 & has 2 comments

    Everyone loves this until I have to cook another batch!!!
    Thank you, Maangchi!!!


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  13. SNLZ13 belgium joined 4/20 & has 1 comment

    is it okay to use chicken breasts instead of chicken wings since my family and i like the boneless version?

  14. Chocu55 Germany joined 9/18 & has 11 comments

    I cooked this korean fried chicken and my family really loved it. Its really so delicious. I will definitely cook it again.


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  15. eugenea_nita California, US joined 11/19 & has 1 comment

    Hello Maangchi, you are so right about people will love this when you bring this food to a party. Sure enough! People LOVE this so much. Some of them asked if I can make this with the cheese coating like BBQ Chicken has (the cheeseling?). Do you have recipe for that? Please advise. Thank you so much.

  16. AEvvy.10 Brunei Darussalam joined 9/19 & has 1 comment

    Hello maangchi. I’ve been following your blog for years. and wanna try this receipe korean spicy crispy chicken but its hard to find rice syrup or corn syrup here. and the halal one its hard to find. i havent see corn syrup or rice syrup at store. any suggest to replace rice syrup ?

  17. Kchoi87 Hiram,GA joined 7/19 & has 2 comments

    I’ve been following your blog for years and your recipes are wonderful and authentic. My husband is a Korean citizen that moved to the US in 2007 and we have lived in Seoul for a couple of years and your recipes taste just like the Korean food in Korea. My husband ask me to make your crunchy chicken at least once a week :) The Korean government should give you an award for promoting Korean food so well! Take care!

  18. Blessed Singapore joined 4/10 & has 18 comments

    Hi Maangchi, this is a wonderful recipe which I can prepare for home party. May I know long will the crispiness last so I can time myself to make this.

    Can I use air fryer instead? If possible, Im concern on the double frying on how to achieve it with air fyer? Will it be burnt?

  19. BattleBoop USA joined 5/19 & has 1 comment

    Hi!

    I’ve made this recipe twice now and I love it! I used chicken drumsticks instead of wings. This recipe is now my absolute favorite fried chicken recipe. It was absolutely amazing with rice, cucumber salad, kimchi, and of course a beer. Thanks so much! I will be making this again and again.


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  20. StrangeChef Western Australia joined 5/19 & has 2 comments

    I’m planning on making this dish for my family and I was wondering how many this serves?

  21. Ixj3ivivxi Oakland joined 12/18 & has 8 comments

    Yummy yummy!!!


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  22. Ixj3ivivxi Oakland joined 12/18 & has 8 comments

    Ymmy yummy!!!


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  23. NickanM Sweden joined 2/19 & has 2 comments

    Total success!
    Made a big batch of this, and I’ve never fried anything like this before. I used honey instead of rice syrup, and it worked perfectly. The whole batch disappeared in 10 minutes, consumed by my husband & two teenaged sons. Fortunately, I did hid away some pieces for myself, because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have got any. Thank you for the receipt!
    :D

  24. LottieEmoha Philippines joined 1/19 & has 1 comment

    This is totally yummy!
    I have a small resort in Cebu & would like to put this on our snack menu. However, the preparation time is a bit long.
    My question is: can I do the first frying, then vacuum pack when cool. Keep in the chiller. Then re-fry/ bake & finish at a later time?
    Or, pack away only with the batter on, do both frying in one go?
    Any suggestion please?
    Thank you!

  25. dough5b6 Michigan joined 1/19 & has 9 comments

    Made this for the first time for my family tonight and it’s all gone. I used corn starch instead of potato starch. Also, i used my xl philips Air Frier instead of deep frying. 360F for 25 minutes. Shook the basket every 5 minutes. Then I cooked them at 390F for 15 min and shook basket every 5 minutes. I also used raw honey instead of rice syrup.

    I plan on using rice syrup next time. I ordered some online.

  26. Pong Philippines joined 12/18 & has 1 comment

    Maangchi can I remove the rice syrup?? I can’t find any of those in my nearest local grocery shop.. Cause I want to cook this for this New Year ^^Thank You :)

  27. darlene0512 Philippines joined 12/18 & has 1 comment

    Thank you for this recipe. My family loves it so much.. Looking forward to cook this again on New Year.


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  28. Mattias.A Australia joined 12/18 & has 2 comments

    Just made this for my dad and I and we were both extremely pleasantly surprised on how good this tasted!


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  29. Papa_kulit Houston, Texas joined 9/18 & has 7 comments

    I forgot the sesame seeds. :(


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