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Milk Street Bowtie Korean Fried Chicken (Dakgangjeong)

Korean Fried Chicken (Dakgangjeong)

4 to 6 Servings

40 minutes plus marinating

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In Seoul, we learned that South Korea is home to multiple styles of fried chicken. Of them, we were especially smitten with dakgangjeong—two-bite pieces of crisp, well-seasoned chicken coated with a sticky, garlicky, sweet-salty, umami-rich glaze. Our recipe is based on versions shown to us by chefs Ryan Phillips and Donill Keum. As they taught us, we briefly marinate our chicken in a soy-based mixture to guarantee that each bite is thoroughly seasoned. We then remove the chicken but reserve some of the marinade to combine with flour, cornstarch and water, creating a slurry for coating the pieces before slipping them into the hot oil. The slurry fries into a light, crisp crust. But the real trick to dakgangjeong is double-frying the chicken, with a few minutes of rest between stints in the hot oil. This creates a superlative crispness—one that holds its texture even after saucing—without overcooking the chicken. Finally, we toss the golden-brown, just-fried pieces with a simple no-cook gochujang-honey sauce that clings deliciously and makes this fried chicken all the more enticing.

4 to 6

Servings

Tip

Don’t marinate the chicken for longer than 45 minutes or the chicken will be too salty. Also, to avoid overcrowding the pot, which will cause the oil temperature to drop, fry the chicken in batches. For the first round of frying, cook it in three batches; for the second round, cook it in two batches.

40 minutes

plus marinating

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
Ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut crosswise into 2- to 3-inch sections
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons gochujang
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
2 medium garlic cloves, finely grated
1 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 quarts peanut or canola oil, plus more if needed
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Sesame seeds, toasted, to serve
Ingredients
  • ½

    cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided, plus more if needed

  • 1

    tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

  • Ground black pepper

  • 2

    pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut crosswise into 2- to 3-inch sections

  • ¼

    cup plus 2 tablespoons gochujang

  • 3

    tablespoons honey

  • 2

    tablespoons white sugar

  • 1

    tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

  • 2

    medium garlic cloves, finely grated

  • 1

    cup cornstarch

  • ¾

    cup all-purpose flour

  • 2

    quarts peanut or canola oil, plus more if needed

  • 4

    scallions, thinly sliced

  • Sesame seeds, toasted, to serve

Directions

Korean Fried Chicken (Dakgangjeong)

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Reviews
Vanessa J.
July 24, 2023
SO delicious!
This is such an awesome recipe! I made it gluten free by subbing the flour and the texture was incredible. Light, perfect crunch, not too much breading. And the sauce...absolute heaven. My husband rated it a restaurant quality meal.
Sherrie P.
July 9, 2023
Korean Fried Chicken
Addictively spicy, slightly sweet, amazingly crispy—even leftovers the next day were spectacularly crispy!
Kris K.
June 11, 2023
Super Tasty
Loved it. Mine turned out a little darker than the photo, but still very good. Recipe is written very clearly making it easy to execute.
Galen S.
May 21, 2023
WHat fun to make this
I loved these flavors and it was fun to serve it and see my family enjoy the change from my usual pace. The gochujang paste I got from the Milk Street store had both flavor and heat. I will make this again.
JUSTIN J.
May 17, 2023
Absolutely scrumptious
This is just a heavenly recipe. We had some extra cauliflower so we steamed it and then used the same batter and fried it up and that was also to die for. Can’t wait to make for a crowd!