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Korean Fried Chicken (Dakgangjeong)
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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
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
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½
cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided, plus more if needed
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1
tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
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Ground black pepper
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2
pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut crosswise into 2- to 3-inch sections
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¼
cup plus 2 tablespoons gochujang
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3
tablespoons honey
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2
tablespoons white sugar
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1
tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
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2
medium garlic cloves, finely grated
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1
cup cornstarch
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¾
cup all-purpose flour
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2
quarts peanut or canola oil, plus more if needed
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4
scallions, thinly sliced
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Sesame seeds, toasted, to serve
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01In a medium bowl, stir together ½ cup of the soy sauce, the ginger and 2 teaspoons pepper. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, gochujang, honey, sugar, vinegar and garlic; set aside. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a double thickness of paper towels.
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02Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet, letting excess marinade drip back into the bowl. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade (if the amount comes up short, make up the difference with additional soy sauce); discard the remainder and reserve the bowl. Pat the chicken dry with additional paper towels.
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03In the reserved bowl, whisk together the reserved marinade, cornstarch, flour and 1¼ cups water; set aside. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven to reach a depth of about 1½ inches. Heat over medium-high to 350°F. Meanwhile, add one-third of the chicken to the slurry and turn to coat.
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04When the oil has reached 350°F, working quickly and using tongs, one at a time remove the chicken pieces from the slurry, letting excess drip back into the bowl, and carefully add to the oil. Fry the chicken, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to the prepared rack. Return the oil to 350°F. In 2 additional batches, coat the remaining chicken in the slurry and fry in the same way, allowing the oil to return to temp between batches.
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05After removing the third batch of chicken from the pot, return the oil to 350°F. Add the first batch of chicken plus half of the second batch to the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes; the oil will sizzle at first, but as moisture evaporates, the sizzling will subside. Return the chicken to the rack. Return the oil to 350°F and fry the remaining chicken in the same way.
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06Transfer the hot chicken to the gochujang mixture in the large bowl. Using a silicone spatula, toss until evenly coated. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with the scallions and sesame seeds.