KOREAN STYLE POPCORN CHICKEN

KOREAN STYLE POPCORN CHICKEN

Are you ready to indulge yourself in this crunchy and sticky Korean style popcorn chicken? 

Korean style popcorn chicken (Dakgangjeong, 닭강정) is a popular Korean street snack in Korea. The boneless chicken nugget is deep fried and coated with Korea’s special sticky, spicy, tangy and sweet sauce.

I know it’s a mouthful to describe but because of these reasons, I think it’s totally worth making it! 😉 It’s crunchy and moreish and perfect as a party appetiser.

I used to eat it a lot after school on my way home. The street vendor I used to go to served it in a paper cup and they gave me a toothpick to eat it with, so it was very easy and convenient to eat while walking home.

I don’t know who invented this Korean style popcorn chicken and when, but I want to say to whoever you are, it’s BRILLIANT!

However, all these facts will be dependent on the cook’s choice in ingredients. Therefore, these two may result in the same outcome depending on who’s cooking it and how. 😉

I personally prefer Korean style popcorn chicken over typical Korean fried chicken because it’s easier and more neat to eat than typical Korean fried chicken.

Anyway, I hope you show some Korean fried chicken love this weekend! I’m sure your family and friends will appreciate this!

Korean style popcorn chicken recipe. It's a type of Korean fried chicken! It's crunchy and coated with sticky, sweet, tangy and spicy sauce! A perfect crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

MAIN

• 500 g chicken thigh fillets (18 ounces), rinsed under cold water, cut into bite sized pieces, or breast fillets
• 150 g fresh Korean rice cake (5.3 ounces), cut in half (if you’re not using fresh rice cakes, separate and soak them in warm water for 10 mins before cutting. Pat dry with some kitchen paper.)
• 1 Tbsp rice wine
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup potato starch or corn starch
• Some cooking oil , I used rice bran oil

SAUCE (MIX THESE IN A BOWL)

• 5 Tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic

OPTIONAL – TO GARNISH

• crushed nuts or seeds (e.g. walnut, peanut, pistachio, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, etc.)
• finely chopped green onion – if you want the nice colour contrast

Instructions

1. Place chicken pieces into a large mixing bowl. Add the rice wine, ginger powder, salt, and ground black pepper and mix them well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate the chicken for 30 mins in the fridge.
2. Coat each chicken piece with the starch powder thoroughly. (It’s best doing this in 4 to 5 batches so that they are well covered with the starch powder.)
3. - Pour some cooking oil into a deep saucepan/wok and boil until it reaches 175 C/ 347 F. 
4. - Deep fry the rice cakes in batches until the outer layer turns crispy (under 30 seconds to avoid possible rice cake explosion). Take them out and set aside onto kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Repeat this with the remaining rice cakes. 
5. - Deep fry the battered chicken pieces in batches until golden and cooked through (2 to 3 mins). Take them out and set aside onto kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Repeat this with the remaining chicken. (Don’t put too much chicken in one go as it can lower the oil temperature down.) To make the chicken extra crunchy, double fry them one more time. Set aside.
6. Pour the sauce into a heated skillet. Boil it on medium heat until the sauce thickens a little bit (1 to 2 mins). Stir constantly. Add the double fried chicken and coat with the sauce quickly and thoroughly. Garnish with your choice of toppings (e.g. crushed nuts, seeds and green onion). Serve.

Recipe Source:mykoreankitchen.com