Dakgangjeong
Dakgangjeong grew out of the street kitchens and fried-chicken bars of modern Korea, where competition for the crunchiest recipe pushed cooks toward double-frying: once at moderate heat to cook the meat through, a second time at higher heat to drive out the last of the moisture and lock in a crust that stays tight for hours, even under sauce. Unlike many gochujang-based Korean glazes, the heat here stays quiet, coming from whole dried chiles and optional flakes, letting the sweetness of the rice syrup and the tang of the vinegar lead. Toasted peanuts add texture and a nutty note that plays against the softness of the chicken. Serve it at once, while the sauce is still warm and the crust still crackles under the tooth — dakgangjeong left standing too long turns soft.
Bite-sized chicken pieces
Cut small and double-fried
Crunchy toasted peanuts
Scattered over the glossy glaze
Balanced sweet-spicy
Rice syrup, soy sauce and dried chiles
Stays crunchy for hours
Double-frying locks in the crust
Ingredients 4 servings
- 600 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 3 cm pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 100 g potato starch
- Vegetable oil, for frying (at least 4 cm in the pan)
- 50 g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons rice syrup or honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for the sauce)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 8 small dried red chiles, whole
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
How to make it
- 1PREP THE CHICKEN: toss the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper, then coat them in the potato starch, shaking off the excess — a thin starch coating gives a finer crust than flour would.
- 2FIRST FRY: heat the oil to 170°C in a deep pot, fry the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes until lightly golden, then lift onto a rack; do not crowd the pot.
- 3SECOND FRY: bring the oil back to 180°C and fry all the pieces together again for 2-3 minutes, until deep golden and very crisp — the second pass through hot oil drives out the remaining moisture and locks the crust in place.
- 4FRY THE PEANUTS: drop the peanuts into the hot oil for just 20-30 seconds, until lightly toasted, then lift out quickly so they don't burn.
- 5MAKE THE SAUCE: in a small bowl, stir the vinegar, mustard and sugar together until the sugar has mostly dissolved.
- 6Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and cook the garlic, ginger and dried chiles just until you can smell them, about 30 seconds — any longer and the garlic turns bitter.
- 7Pour in the rice syrup and soy sauce, then the vinegar mixture, and keep stirring over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes; you're looking for a syrup thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without running straight off.
- 8TOSS AND SERVE: add the crisp chicken and peanuts straight into the sauce, toss quickly with a wooden spoon so every piece is evenly glazed, then scatter over the toasted sesame seeds and serve at once, while the crust is still tight.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
