Dakgangjeong - Soy Garlic Fried Chicken

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4.94 from 16 votes

Dakgangjeong - Soy Garlic Fried Chicken

Super delicious and crunchy Korean soy garlic fried chicken recipe!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Appetizer, Main

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: dakgangjeong, soy garlic chicken, soy garlic fried chicken

Servings: to 6

Calories: 549kcal

Author: Sue

Ingredients

CHICKEN & SEASONINGS

900 g boneless chicken thigh fillets (2 pounds), cut into bite size pieces
2 Tbsp rice wine
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp ginger powder
A few cracks ground black pepper

OTHER

1.5 cups corn starch
cooking oil for deep frying (I used rice bran oil)

SOY GARLIC SAUCE

1/4 cups soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp rice wine
1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
A few cracks ground black pepper
3 dried chilies (optional)
2 green onions (optional), white part

SLURRY

2 tsp corn starch
2 tsp water

GARNISH

toasted sesame seeds
green onions , thinly sliced

Instructions

Deep Frying Method

In a large bowl, place the chopped chicken and add rice wine, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, ginger powder, and ground black pepper. Combine them well. Set aside.
Place the corn starch in a large bowl. Dredge the seasoned chicken pieces in the corn starch and evenly coat them.
In a deep saucepan (or fryer) add a generous amount of oil and heat it until the oil temperature reaches 175 C / 347 F. Start adding the chicken carefully and fry them until they cook. (It takes 4 to 5 mins depending on the size of chicken). Do not overcrowd the pan, and cook in batches if needed. (It might be useful to use a grease splatter screen if you have one as it minimises oil splatter.)
Take out the cooked chicken and place them onto some kitchen paper to soak up excess oil. Quickly scoop out any floating debris from the oil using a skimmer. Deep fry the chicken again when the oil temperature reaches 175 C / 347 F. Fry them until the batter is golden and crisp. (The second time frying is shorter than the first time, 2 to 3 mins.) Set aside.
In a separate pan, combine all the sauce ingredients. Bring it to boil over medium low heat while stirring often. Once the sauce starts bubbling, take out the chilies and green onion pieces. In a separate bowl, combine and mix the slurry ingredients then pour it over the sauce. Stir often. Once the sauce thickens or turns to glaze (within 1 – 2 mins), remove from the heat and cool down for 5 mins.
Place the double fried chicken onto the lined baking sheet, then using a cooking brush, gently baste the chicken with the sauce. Once all the chicken is coated with the sauce, garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve.

Air Fryer Method (Frying Only)

Spray cooking oil on air fryer basket.
Place the chicken pieces, without overlapping, onto the basket. Spray some oil lightly over the chicken pieces. (While it is optional, chicken browns better with extra oil coating.)
Cook at 200 C / 390 F for 6 to 7 mins. Turn them over and spray oil lightly to cover the dried white spots (from corn starch). Cook for another 6 to 7 mins, or until golden brown.

Notes

1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml
Dried chilies give a very subtle dose of spiciness, so you may omit it if you can’t tolerate it.
If you want to know more about Korean ingredients, check my essential Korean ingredients list.
Since small chicken pieces are dredged in corn starch, the outcome is superior when you actually deep fry rather than air frying them. I just put up the air fryer instructions above for those who still prefer the air frying method regardless of the outcome.
Dakgangjeong will go well with coleslaw, corn cheese, Korean macaroni salad or pickled radish.
Leftover chicken can be refrigerated for a day or two and eaten cold or reheated.

Nutrition