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Crispy and crunchy fried chicken

Dakgangjeong 닭강정

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.

Posted on Sunday, January 26th, 2014. Last updated on December 31, 2022.
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294 Comments:

  1. laprovam Ottawa, Ontario joined 7/16 & has 2 comments
    Posted July 15th, 2016 at 11:16 am | or create a profile.

    Just tried this recipe. It was a big hit. It wasn’t too spicy. Good enough that my students who don’t like overyly spicy foods loved this. They even made sure that they had some for lunch the next day.

  2. laprovam Ottawa, Ontario joined 7/16 & has 2 comments
    Posted July 9th, 2016 at 12:23 pm | or create a profile.

    I really like your youtube channel. I am looking for Asian recipes because I have three students living with me. One is Korean, the other Chinese, and the other Vietnamese. I want to make some food that they are used to having back home so that they eat well. Our Canadian food is too strange for them. Thanks for making it easy to follow and also for listing the locations of Korean supermarkets around the world. I will go to the one located in Ottawa for the ingredients.

    We have a chinese supermarket here “T&T”, but my student tells me they cater mostly to Chinese.

  3. PointFiveKorean US joined 7/16 & has 2 comments
    Posted July 4th, 2016 at 10:22 am | or create a profile.

    Yum! I made this recipe — only instead of using fried chicken wings I baked some chicken nuggets and then coated them in the sauce.

    Hubby couldn’t get enough!

    Next time I want to use chili peppers — can you use pepper flakes or does it work best wtih chili peppers?


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  4. inSRQ Sarasota,FL joined 6/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted June 26th, 2016 at 4:21 pm | or create a profile.

    LOVE this recipe! LOVE your cookbook!
    I like the narrow,pointed tongs you are using in this (and many other) video; would you please tell me the maker or a link to were I can purchase a pair?
    Can’t wait for your new book,
    Thank you!

  5. Ellie.M Texas joined 6/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted June 16th, 2016 at 1:59 pm | or create a profile.

    This looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it for my family. What type of dried chili did you use? It looks yummy!

  6. midori_aizawa Canada joined 6/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted June 8th, 2016 at 12:58 pm | or create a profile.

    Hello Maangchi,

    Is it okay if we don’t put rice or corn syrup for this recipe ? Also, is it mandatory to put brown sugar for this recipe ?

  7. Mamegordy SINGAPORE joined 5/16 & has 2 comments
    Posted May 29th, 2016 at 8:00 am | or create a profile.

    Thank you maangchi…your receipe made my husband and boy love me to the Max…hahha…this is first and ever best chicken wing I made..


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  8. Valentina93 Ukraine joined 5/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted May 26th, 2016 at 5:33 am | or create a profile.

    Hi. I already made this dish for two times and everybody likes it. I once tried this crunchy Korean fried chicken in Korean restaurant and I loved it so much. When I made it with your recipe it turned out in a better taste than in that restaurant. No kidding) I also found your Yuja recipe and bought one jar of it in Asian shop which I’m in love with. I drink it every single day. Thank you so much!


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    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments
      Posted May 27th, 2016 at 3:57 pm | or create a profile.

      ” When I made it with your recipe it turned out in a better taste than in that restaurant” oh, I’m so happy to hear that! Your dakgangjeong looks very tasty! Good luck with your Korean cooking! : )

  9. kathycabrera Orange County, CA joined 5/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted May 23rd, 2016 at 1:20 am | or create a profile.

    Maangchi, I’ve tried this recipe (omitted the red dried chilies, though, because they are too spicy for my kids), and it came out PERFECTLY! The smell of cooking the sauce in my home just made everyone’s mouths water and when I finally mixed in the double fried wings to the pan and coated them–the family ate up EVERYTHING before I could take a photo to post. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!! I’m keeping it!!!

  10. Ykay417 London joined 5/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted May 18th, 2016 at 9:04 am | or create a profile.

    Hi maangchi,

    I can’t seem to find dried chilli peppers but just have chilli flakes. I eat spicy food and want these to have that chilli kick. Which chillies will be the best alternative to dried chilli peppers. Can I use chilli flakes instead?

  11. Moonie Vietnam joined 4/16 & has 4 comments
    Posted April 23rd, 2016 at 7:43 am | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi, I can’t find dried red chili, rice syrup and I don’t like mustard. What can I use to replace those ingredients? Thank you!

  12. Lea New Zealand joined 9/14 & has 4 comments
    Posted April 3rd, 2016 at 7:20 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi!

    I’ll be making this again (for like the 4th time now) and I’m just wondering since we’ll have our party on Saturday and I’d like to finish all the cooking by Friday – will it be okay to fry it once on the Friday and do the 2nd frying on the Saturday? Will it still be as crunchy? Or should the 2nd frying be done straight away?

    Thank you :)

  13. armymum Southern NH joined 2/16 & has 4 comments
    Posted March 21st, 2016 at 1:13 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi!!!! Made this again today for lunch & to take to work tonight for dinner… Love this chicken!!! Totally addictive!!!


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  14. HaHee Malaysia joined 3/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted March 16th, 2016 at 3:05 am | or create a profile.

    Hello! I wanted to make this but here, where I lived i couldn’t find any rice syrup or corn syrup. So what should i do? Or it is okay for me not to put the syrup? Thank you.

  15. riceball Singapore joined 3/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted March 11th, 2016 at 9:43 am | or create a profile.

    Hey Maangchi!

    Thanks for the recipe. I just made this today and it was great! However, the chicken was a little on the hard side. In the sense that the batter was crispy but almost borderline hard.

    I am wondering if it is because I used corn starch instead of potato starch? Or was it my frying method? Looking forward to receiving your reply!

    Thanks!

  16. miguk1981 San Francisco Bay Area joined 1/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted January 25th, 2016 at 4:24 am | or create a profile.

    I lived and worked in Incheon for 2 years and just made this. It was my first time having dakgangjung since I used to eat it at SK Wyverns baseball games. Absolutely INCREDIBLE recipe. Your cookbook is on my birthday wish list. Thanks, Maangchi! KFC = Korean Fried Chicken!

  17. Gattous maangchi01 joined 1/16 & has 1 comment
    Posted January 19th, 2016 at 9:58 am | or create a profile.

    I’ve tried the recipe with chicken wings but 12 minutes was a bit too long; chicken was a bit dry. I’ll try reducing the frying time to 9 minutes. Taste was amazing by the way!


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  18. linabrook joined 1/16 & has 2 comments
    Posted January 7th, 2016 at 8:08 pm | or create a profile.

    I was looking for a recipe for KanPoongKi and I’m guessing this is the closet to it


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  19. Sittie Sakhira joined 11/15 & has 2 comments
    Posted January 5th, 2016 at 5:58 am | or create a profile.

    Annyeonghaseyo! I made this yesterday and didn’t had the time to upload it. It turned out so well and so delicious. I’m the one who cooked our dinner and everyone loved this recipe. It took a lot of time frying the chicken but either way you gotta take time to make good food right? :) Thanks for this recipe Maangchi!


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  20. mel2232 joined 11/15 & has 2 comments
    Posted December 4th, 2015 at 11:51 pm | or create a profile.

    I am in love with this chicken! I usually don’t like sweet food but… this is the best! So yummy! I wanna try the sauce with fried tofu next time to see how it will turn out :)


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  21. Seri ikd joined 11/15 & has 3 comments
    Posted November 30th, 2015 at 1:23 am | or create a profile.

    I love your recipe maangchi. Here is a photo of my crispy chicken. Thank you again maangchi. Loving your blog


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  22. Eva M. joined 7/15 & has 1 comment
    Posted October 5th, 2015 at 11:37 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi! This method of frying chicken is awesome. I have tried to get really crispy chicken using flour and/or breadcrumbs but I never got the same results! I just made some drumsticks and they were perfect! I made a different sauce however. I made a sweet and spicy lemon sauce which is delicious over the chicken and topped it off with some toasted sesame seeds:) Your recipes always inspire, thank-you. Eva

  23. cmontelongo joined 8/15 & has 1 comment
    Posted August 15th, 2015 at 11:40 am | or create a profile.

    I tried to use this recipe but the oil in the pan burned the chicken before it was fully cooked. Do I just need to lower the heat and cook for longer? Also, the marinade wouldn’t stay on the chicken. It just slid off. I look forward to your advice!

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments
      Posted August 15th, 2015 at 7:47 pm | or create a profile.

      “Do I just need to lower the heat and cook for longer?” Yes, lower the heat a little bit. “the marinade wouldn’t stay on the chicken. It just slid off.” When the chicken is still hot, you have to coat with the hot sauce. Otherwise the chicken won’t coat well.

  24. kakadu plum joined 8/15 & has 1 comment
    Posted August 4th, 2015 at 8:45 pm | or create a profile.

    I made this dish last night. My first attempt at Korean food and… absolutely delicious!! It was the crunchiest crunch I have ever crunched on. 10/10, will make again.Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and introducing me to an exciting new cuisine.

  25. samanthatotalyrules joined 8/15 & has 1 comment
    Posted August 1st, 2015 at 7:35 pm | or create a profile.

    I tried your recipe Maangchi! Thank you for this, I really enjoyed the sauce it was so quick to make! I have done a blog post on this recipe and how I found making it http://aokiitriedntested.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/korean-fried-chicken-new-generation-of.html

  26. Buttershark joined 7/15 & has 1 comment
    Posted July 27th, 2015 at 5:50 am | or create a profile.

    I made this amazing fried chicken and sauce today, and ate it all up! Luckily it was ALL I ate today, or I’d feel even more guilty. But because I followed your simple directions, the chicken turned out looking and crunching just as yours seemed to! Thank you so very much for imparting your cooking wisdom upon my humble self~ <3

    Question! My boyfriend likes spicy chicken. Is there a way I can make these spicy without making the sauce taste too different? Thank you!

  27. irisirisiris Singapore joined 6/14 & has 1 comment
    Posted July 26th, 2015 at 6:55 am | or create a profile.

    I just made this with my mum for dinner today, very crunchy crunchy haha, can’t wait to eat it! Thank you Maangchi~


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  28. Zorfildor joined 7/15 & has 2 comments
    Posted July 24th, 2015 at 1:10 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi! UK calling…loving your recipes and blogging!
    We’re having a BBQ for about a dozen friends in about 2weeks time and I’m looking at doing this recipe.
    A couple of questions though…..Can I freeze the wings once fried and cooled then reheat in the oven and add the sauce once heated through?

    I’ve also a tub of gochujang in the fridge, can I use as part or all of the sauce, and if so what quantity would you recommend?
    Thanks very much!
    Keep cookin’ n bloggin’

  29. jeanaseah joined 7/15 & has 1 comment
    Posted July 24th, 2015 at 5:51 am | or create a profile.

    Dear Maangchi,

    Thank you for posting such Yummy chicken…I’ve tried to fry it for my family and everyone loves it.

    Love,
    Jeana

  30. livelylife joined 7/15 & has 1 comment
    Posted July 8th, 2015 at 9:57 am | or create a profile.

    Can you use any syrup or honey for sauce with fried crunchy chicken?

  31. missbhavens joined 7/15 & has 1 comment
    Posted July 7th, 2015 at 11:30 am | or create a profile.

    Oh this was so incredibly good! It tasted exactly like my favorite Korean fried chicken in New York! I haven’t made fried chicken in years because it can be so tricky and it never seems to turn out right, but your instructions were perfect. And it’s STILL crunchy the next day (I had to have some for breakfast!). Thank you for this wonderful recipe!


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  32. docpark US joined 5/10 & has 17 comments
    Posted July 4th, 2015 at 6:08 pm | or create a profile.

    Amazing recipe! I modified the sauce a bit but amazing. Now I can have this anytime I please instead of flying to NYC.


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  33. meganlane joined 6/15 & has 2 comments
    Posted June 29th, 2015 at 8:56 pm | or create a profile.

    One other question — I am going to be using a deep fryer — what temp do you suggest I set it to?

    Thanks again!!

  34. meganlane joined 6/15 & has 2 comments
    Posted June 29th, 2015 at 8:53 pm | or create a profile.

    These look so tasty, going to attempt them for a friendly cook-off competition this weekend. Wanted to use a healthier oil for frying — was wondering if you thought coconut oil would work well? Otherwise – avocado oil, ghee or pork fat? Would love to know your thoughts. Also was curious as to how many this recipe serves.

    Thank you!!

  35. rhostam joined 6/15 & has 4 comments
    Posted June 28th, 2015 at 7:11 pm | or create a profile.

    Wow, such a pleasantly simple recipe. Thanks! Also, it’s great to see such a happy person always on camera. It cheers us up!

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