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Dakgangjeong. Here it is - our own Dakgangjeong Fried Chicken Recipe!

Dakgangjeong is crunchy, crispy fried chicken that is glazed in a sticky, sweet sauce. It's one of the most-ordered chicken dishes in Korea.

Now, I am not much of a sauce guy.

9 times out of 10, I will stare at a menu and end up ordering classic fried chicken (no sauce) - heh!

But if Dakgangjeong is on the menu, it's an easy choice!

The street vendors in Seoul are famous for their Dakgangjeong and offer two versions: Soy Garlic or Spicy Yangnyeom.

Today, I'll show you how to make the BEST versions of both - so you can replicate that street-style flavor!

Can I get a woot-woot? 🙃 🙌

Cooking Notes:

For Dakgangjeong, it’s important to get a crispy and crunchy coating that can withstand the glazing process (i.e. not turn soggy). To achieve this, we’ll use starch powder.

Next, you'll also see an ingredient called Oligodang Syrup (aka Oligosaccharide Syrup). It’s a sweet extract syrup made from fruits and vegetables.

Oligodang Syrup is used by Korean homecooks as a substitute for honey (as it’s much cheaper than honey). Furthermore, it has a neutral after taste - no floral scent or after taste that honey has.

Now, in most Korean recipes, Honey and Oligodang Syrup work as substitutes – because they are used in small amounts.

But for this recipe, we'll use ⅓ cup of Oligodang Syrup - that’s a lot!

Thus, if you substitute the neutral flavor of Oligodang Syrup with floral honey, the glaze will taste terrible – trust us, we've tried!

Conclusion: Don’t use honey!

Get a bottle of Oligodang Syrup at a Korean market.

At the Korean market - if they don't have Oligodang Syrup - you can also ask for Korean Rice Syrup (which is known as Mulyeot or Ssalyeot in Korean). This syrup is also sweet and neutral in taste.

Now, if you don't have a Korean mart in your vicinity, you can get Oligodang Syrup at Gochujar.

Finally, we will double-fry our chicken pieces! This second fry helps to remove all of the moisture from the skin - turning it extra crispy and less greasy!

During the first fry, cook in the oil for 3-5 minutes (its okay if it still looks white on the outside like the image above).

On the second fry, raise the heat and fry it again for 15-20 seconds - until it turns a golden brown color!

Since we are deep-frying, be extra careful about water droplets accidentally dipping into the oil! Make sure you dry your hands off completely and wipe down any cooking utensils before using in the pot.

Note: If you want to both sauces, use 800 grams of chicken breast! For one type, just use 400 grams of chicken breast.

That's it folks - I'm so excited for you to give it a try!

Let me know what you think of the recipe – tag us on IG with your chick-kennn! We love flipping through your pics in the morning

-Daniel out 🕺

P.s. If you're cooking (or eating alone) at home - don't get too lonely! Play our latest discussions in the background and enjoy some food-for-thought 🙉:

Dakgangjeong Chicken Recipe

4.70 from 30 votes

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Ingredients

400 grams Chicken Breast

Base Seasoning

5 pinches Salt
5 cracks of Black Pepper
½ teaspoon (!) Minced Ginger
1 Tablespoon Mirim

Sauce 1: Soy-Garlic Glaze

1.5 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
0.5 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
2 Tablespoons Water
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon (!) Minced Garlic
⅓ Cup Oligodang Syrup (Or Rice Syrup)

Sauce 2: Spicy Yangnyeom Glaze

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
½ Tablespoon Gochujang
2 Tablespoons Ketchup
1.5 Tablespoons Sugar
½ Tablespoon Minced Garlic
2 Tablespoons Water
1 pinch Cinnamon
⅓ Cup Oligodang Syrup (Or Rice Syrup)
½ whole Sliced Mild Chili Pepper (Optional)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil (FOR FRYING) (Add right before frying)
½ Tablespoon Gochugaru (FOR FRYING) (Add right before frying)

Wet Wash

¾ Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Potato Starch Powder (or Corn Starch Powder)

Dry Coating

¾ Cup Korean Frying Mix (or Tempura Mix or All-Purpose Flour)
½ Cup Potato Starch Powder (or Corn Starch Powder)

Instructions

Prep Steps

Cut up 400 grams of chicken breast into 3-4 cm pieces and place them into a large mixing bowl. Season with Salt (5 shakes), Black Pepper (5 shakes), Minced Ginger (½ teaspoon!) and Mirim (1 Tablespoon). Use your hands and mix it around together. Let the pieces marinate for at least 1 hour.

Make Marinade

Select a marinade to make - either Soy Garlic or Spicy Yangnyeom. Then mix all of the stated ingredients under either marinade. (Note: For the Spicy Yangnyeom, add-in everything EXCEPT for the last two ingredients - vegetable oil & gochugaru. We'll use those two later in the process)

Prep & Batter Chicken

Back to the marinating chicken. After 1 hour of marinating, empty out any residual liquid (if any) that's pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Then add in ¾ cup of water into the bowl. Followed by 2 Tablespoons of potato starch powder. Give it all a good mix with your hand. Set it aside.
Take out another mixing bowl and now let's make the dry batter: Place-in Frying Mix (¾ cup) and Potato Starch Powder (½ cup). Mix it together with a whisk.
Now take out a plastic bag. Open it up. Use your hands and carefully scoop-out the wet chicken pieces and place them into the plastic bag. Then add-in the dry batter mix (from the step above). Twist the bag a few times and give it a very good shake. Open the beg and check that each of the pieces are well coated. Now we're ready to fry!

Double-Fry Chicken Pieces

Place in a good amount of vegetable oil into a large pot or wok. Place the pot on a medium-heat and wait until the oil gets hot. Place a wooden chopstick into the oil to check if bubbles rise (reference video). If it does, carefully place each of the battered chicken into the oil. Fry the pieces for 3-4 minutes. After 4 minutes, scoop-out the chicken. The chicken will still be white on the outside (that's ok). We're going to fry once more. Repeat this steps until all of the chicken pieces are fried.
Now scoop-out any loose batter from the oil. Raise the heat slightly - we want the oil to get hotter. Check to see the temperature by dropping in one of the chicken pieces and seeing if it sizzles alot. If it does, this means its good to go! Carefully, add in the chicken pieces and let them fry until the exterior turns a light golden brown (reference video). Then scoop them out onto a rack or paper-towel lined bowl.

Soy-Garlic Glaze.

Take out a separate pot. Place it on medium heat. Once the pot is hot, give your Soy-Garlic Sauce a good stir and add it into the pot. Stir-it around for about 20 seconds - or until the sauce begins to bubble up. Once it does, add in the fried chicken pieces. Stir it around in the sauce until the sauce reduces into a glaze. Turn off the heat - plate and enjoy!!

Spicy Yangnyeom Glaze

Take out a separate pot. Place on low heat. Once the pot is hot, add in 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil. Then add-in ½ Tablespoon of Gochugaru. Once the gochugaru starts to bubble-up and dissolve into the oil, add in the Spicy Yangnyeom Sauce. Stir-it around for about 20 seconds - or until the sauce begins to bubble up. Once it does, add in the fried chicken pieces. Stir it around in the sauce until the sauce reduces into a glaze. Turn off the heat - plate and enjoy!!

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