Korean Style Popcorn Chicken (2024)

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

Korean 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 was a bit 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!

Korean Popcorn Chicken (Dakgangjeong, 닭강정) vs. Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Tongdak, 양념통닭)

You might be wondering what’s the difference between Korean popcorn chicken and Korean fried chicken? Frankly, I don’t think there’s much difference. In fact, some Koreans use these two names interchangeably.

However, as the name suggests, the popcorn chicken is bite-sized fried chicken and is typically made with boneless chicken fillets. (I prefer thigh over breast as it’s more moist.)

On the other hand, Korean fried chicken is typically made with larger chunks of any chicken cuts. It usually includes bone-in chicken but you can also make them with boneless chicken as well.

Also, I find that Korean popcorn chicken are more tender and sweeter, less spicy and less garlicky.

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 popcorn chicken over typical Korean fried chicken because it’s easier and more neat to eat.

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

P.S. Here’s my Korean Fried Chicken recipe if you’d like to try it as well!

Ingredients for Korean Popcorn Chicken (2 to 3 servings)

Main

• 500g/ 18 ounces chicken thigh fillets (or breast fillets), rinsed under cold water, cut into bite sized pieces
• 150g/ 5.3 ounces fresh Koreanrice cake, 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 for deep frying (I used rice bran oil)

Sauce (mix these in a bowl)

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

*1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml

**If you want to learn more about Korean ingredients, check my essential Korean cooking ingredients!

How to Make Korean Popcorn Chicken

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 heat until it reaches 175 C/ 347 F (or boiling).

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.

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 absorbany excess oil. Repeat this with the remaining chicken. (Don’t put too much chicken in one go as it can lower the oil temperature too much.) To make the chicken extra crunchy, double fry them one more time. Set aside.

4. Pour the sauce into a heated skillet. Bring it to boil on medium heat until the sauce thickens a little bit (1 to 2 mins). Stir constantly. Add the fried chicken and rice cakes then coat with the sauce quickly and thoroughly. Garnish with your choice of toppings (e.g. crushed nuts, seeds and green onion). Serve.

Tips

• If you can’t find the Korean rice cakes, it’s OK to leave these out. I included them here because that’s how a Korean street food stall or a restaurant serves these popcorn chicken. If you’re leaving these rice cakes out, maybe add more chicken to match up with the sauce quantity.
• It tastes best when served immediately after cooking. (The crunchiness of chicken is at its peak then.) However, it can be served cold as well. Any leftover meat can be refrigerated in an airtight container for the next day. It might not be as crispy as the first day but it still tastes really good!
• For a little bit of variety, you can set aside some un-sauced double fried popcorn chicken and serve them like that. As the chicken is marinated with ginger powder, salt and black pepper during the initial process, it has a really nice taste on its own. People who can’t eat spicy food really appreciate this!

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