Spicy Garlic Dakgangjeong.
This is a must-try chicken recipe!
Dakgangjeong is Korean-Style Fried Chicken that is glazed in either (1) Sweet & Tangy Soy Sauce or (2) Spicy Gochujang Sauce.
It’s a popular street-food in Korea and often sold in small cups – for around $3-4 per serving (like below).
I do crave this delicious chicken from time-to-time. But I get apprehensive about cooking it at home - as I know it involves deep-frying!
Deep-frying means using up a whole lot of oil. Oil splattering over the stovetop. And it's not too healthy.
So I thought: why not make a version that’s simple and easy for homecooking?
A non-fried dakgangjeong that can be paired with rice for a simple weekday dinner.(Note: For our original fried style, click here)
That’s exactly the inspiration for today’s Spicy Garlic Dakgangjeong!
To add extra flavor to our chicken breasts, we’ll stir-fry it with a handful of whole garlic cloves – I mean a lot!
About 15-20 cloves!
Now, rest assured – I won’t have you eating raw garlic. We’ll semi-boil the cloves first – before we stir-fry the chicken – to get them soft and more importantly, to remove the harsh pungent flavor.
Via this step, the garlic become as soft as boiled potatoes – perfect for eating with rice!
(Actually, it may taste even better than the chicken!)
I also want some veggies on the side.
Let’s finely shred green cabbage and toss it in a special Perilla Honey Salad Sauce.
Perilla oil is very popular in Korean homecooking as it contains the highest amount of Omega-3 of any plant-based source. (it's great for your heart & overall health).
[Can't find perilla oil? Try the one we use from Gwangju - click here]
This healthy oil has a strong nutty aroma – similar to that of sesame oil. This flavor will be balanced out with Honey and Dijon Mustard (or Whole Grain Mustard).
The 3 ingredients mix marvelously. In fact, I think this Perilla Honey Dressing could win awards (heh!)
Now - for extra umph - I recommend adding-in a Tablespoon of Perilla Seed Powder.
[Can't find perilla seeds? Try the one we use - click here]
Makes it tastes like its Michelin-Starred!
Cooking Notes for Spicy Garlic Dakgangjeong:
You can swap out the chicken breasts with chicken thigh for more flavor. However, I recommend wiping out the excess oil in the frying pan with a few paper towels - before adding-in the spicy marinade.
Or else, you’ll end up with a very oily glaze (no good!)
On a similar note, don’t add too much oil into the pan when pan-frying the chicken. Just a small coating on the pan.
You can always add in a few more dashes if the pan looks too dry as it cooks.
Before glazing the chicken, reduce to a medium-low heat. That way, the spicy marinade doesn’t burn.
Bon Appetit ya’ll!
Tag us on IG with a pic – we love scrolling through them in the morning! It gives us an extra skippity step to start our day!
-Daniel out 🕺
(P.s. If you’re cooking alone, don’t get bored. Consider listening to our latest podcast episode while you cook!)
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- ½ whole Cheongyang Chili Pepper (Or Jalapeno)
- 15-20 cloves Garlic
- 3-4 Tablespoons Potato Starch Powder (Or Corn Starch Powder)
- ¼ cup Water
Chicken Pre-Seasoning
- ½ Tablespoon Minced Garlic (2 garlic cloves)
- 1 Tablespoon Mirim
- 2 pinches Salt
- Few cracks Black Pepper
Spicy Marinade Glaze
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Gochujang Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Oligodang (or Mulyeot) (Or Use Honey!)
Instructions
Pre-Season Chicken
- Chop chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.
- Place the chicken pieces into a mixing bowl. Add Minced Garlic (½ Tablespoon), Mirim (1 Tablespoon), Salt (few pinches), Black Pepper (few cracks). Mix it all together with your hands. Then set it aside for at least 15-20 minutes.
Make Spicy Marinade Glaze
- Dice ½ a chili pepper into small pieces.
- Take out a bowl and mix: Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon), Gochujang Paste (1 Tablespoon), Ketchup (1 Tablespoon), Oligodang Syrup or Honey (1 Tablespoon). Give a thorough mix.
- Add-in the diced chili pepper to the marinade as well. Then give a final mix.
Prep Garlic
- Cut-off the stem parts from the garlic cloves. If there are any large cloves, cut them in half as well.
Coat Chicken
- Place the marinated chicken pieces into a plastic or Ziploc bag. Add in Starch Powder (3-4 Tablespoons). Twist the bag and give it a thorough shake. Make sure all the pieces get an even coating.
Make Dakgangjeong
- Place the frying pan on a MEDIUM heat. Once the pan is hot, place in the water (¼ cup). Then add in the garlic cloves. Stir-fry around until the water in the pan evaporates.
- Once the water is almost gone, reduce to a MEDIUM-LOW heat (important!)
- Move the garlic cloves to one side. Add some vegetable oil in - not too much.
- Now add the chicken pieces onto the frying pan (you can add a few more dashes of oil as needed).
- Let the chicken pieces fry until they start to get golden browning on one side. Then use a spatula and stir-fry the chicken around until they get cooked through.
- Now add in the spicy marinade sauce. Stir-fry the chicken in the spicy glaze until it is well coated (about 1 minute!)
- Bon Appetit y'all - Serve with Rice!
Ingredients
Perilla Honey Salad Dressing (4 Person Serving)
- 5 Tablespoons Whole Grain Muustard (Or Dijon Mustard)
- 5 Tablespoons Honey
- 3 Tablespoons Perilla Oil
- Few cracks Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Perilla Seed Powder (Optional)
Simple Cabbage Salad
- Some Green Cabbage
Instructions
Make Salad Dressing
- To make the salad dressing, mix together: Whole Grain Mustard (5 Tablespoons), Honey (5 Tablespoons), Perilla Oil (3 Tablespoons), Black Pepper (few shakes). Give it a thorough mix.
- If you have Perilla Seed Powder, add in a Tablespoon of it as well. Give it a final mix.
- Use a mandolin (or a knife) and thinly slice a section of green cabbage.
- Spread a few spoonfuls of the salad dressing over the thinly sliced cabbage pieces. Give it a thorough mix.
- Bon Appetit!
Rebecca says
I don’t usually cook the same recipes multiple times in a short time because I get „bored“ with food relatively easy. That’s why I am always looking for new recipes to try and to broaden my horizons.
But THIS, my man, is so freaking delicious that I have already made it 4 times in the last month. Thanks for posting it!
K MCD says
Hello from Greece! I know nothing about Korean food and I’ve been watching you both on your lovely YouTube channel. I’m really lucky we have a really good Asian food supermarket nearby so I go in with the list of ingredients needed and they help me find them as I’ve no clue.
Your recipe was easy to follow and incredibly delicious! My son lives in LA and we’ve not seen him this year due to covid but he loves Korean food so I sent him a photo to show when we will eventually get together sometime I’ll be an expert in Korean food and will cook for him. ❤️