Korean fried chicken with spicy gochujang sauce - dakgangjeong
Lovers of sweet and savory and spicy food, this recipe is for you! We love the Asian flavours and crunch of these bite-sized chicken Dakgangjeong. The gochujang will warm your heart and take you on a trip to Korea, where fried chicken is usually served with beer, yes yes :-) In Korea, we call it "chimaek" (치맥), a combination of "chi" for chicken and "maek" for beer (in moderation, of course!). Here, we love to accompany it with basmati rice, for a complete, gourmet meal ;-) Follow the recipe steps below:
Ingredients
1st marinade:
2nd marinade:
Breadcrumbs:
Sauce:
Toppings (your choice):
Materials
- 1 deep fryer / 1 saucepan
- Paper towels
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Korean style mushrooms - shiitake mushrooms with gochujang sauce
Preparation
Cut chicken into medium-sized pieces.
Place chicken pieces in a container filled with milk. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Drain chicken. Save a little milk. Mix chicken with salt, pepper, crushed garlic and ginger, and spoonful of milk. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare the sauce:
Pour the sesame oil into a frying pan over medium heat, add the soy sauce, mirin, cider vinegar, honey and brown sugar. Add the garlic, crushed ginger, gochujang and pepper. Mix well.
Bring the sauce to the boil. When it begins to bubble, lower the heat and thicken the sauce, stirring regularly for a few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cover chicken pieces with cornflour. Coat well, then place on a plate (the cornflour will absorb the chicken's moisture and adhere better).
Heat oil in a saucepan or deep fryer. The oil should reach 170°C.
Dip the chicken pieces in the oil for 3 minutes (don't put all the pieces in at once, and watch out for splatters).
Remove pieces when golden and place on a plate with paper towels.
Fry the pieces again for 1-2 minutes. This time you can fry more in one go. Return to paper towels.
Coat chicken pieces in sauce. For added flavor, sprinkle with crushed almonds, sesame seeds and chopped chives. Enjoy!
Observations
How do I store fried chicken pieces?
You can freeze them without worry, or store them in an airtight tin in the fridge and reheat them in a frying pan, air fryer or oven.
What accompaniments are recommended?
Dakgangjeong can be served with a bowl of plain rice and pickled vegetables. Take inspiration from our bibimbap recipe to create your own side dishes (called banchans)!
Fried chicken is often eaten as it is in Korea, accompanied by beer (beware: alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, and should be consumed in moderation). It's called "chimaek" (치맥), a combination of "chi" for chicken and "maek" for beer.
What sauce to serve with Korean fried chicken?
Here we've prepared the sauce specific to the recipe, but you can also baste your chicken with a soy sauce-based sauce: thicken soy sauce and brown sugar with a little cornflour in a frying pan.
I don't want to fry the chicken, what should I do?
We tried air-frying and it was a disaster!
Instead, we recommend adding cornflour to the second marinade, then frying the chicken pieces in a pan with a little oil. Pour the sauce directly into the pan and sauté for a few minutes over medium-low heat. You can use our teriyaki chicken recipe as inspiration for this variation.
What toppings should I add?
You can of course add the toppings of your choice, or leave them out.
Replace the almonds with roasted peanuts or hazelnuts.
Replace blond sesame with black and white sesame.
Replace chives with green onion/ spring onion/ leek.
