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You are here: Home > Archives > Crispy Korean Chicken Nuggets, Dakgangjeong

Crispy Korean Chicken Nuggets, Dakgangjeong

March 16, 2021

5 from 3 votes
21 Comments

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Crispy, sticky, tangy, and sweet! These Korean chicken nuggets (dakgangjeong) are coated with a mildly spicy glaze made with chili sauce and gochujang. They will maintain their crispiness all the way through.

Crispy Korean chicken nuggets are tossed in sticky glaze

Who wouldn’t enjoy munching on these little crispy Korean chicken nuggets that are sticky, sweet, and tangy? The nice thing about this recipe is that the chicken will stay crisp even after it gets coated with sauce. It has a tiny bit of spiciness due to the Korean chili paste, but not the kind of spicy that kills your senses.

This particular Korean chicken appetizer is called Dakgangjeong (닭강정). Yes, these crispy Korean chicken nuggets are deep-fried, which makes this chicken so tasty and irresistible.

As long as you don’t eat them by a bucketful, a few pieces will calm your craving and won’t hurt you too badly. As you can see, they are small pieces.

My recipe is a different take on dakgangjeong that you will not find elsewhere. I assure you that you will love the crisp texture and the delectable glaze that goes with the chicken.

And the sauce? Well, you’ll have to try it yourself!

Tips On Making Crispy Korean Fried Chicken

  • Cake flour and Potato Starch: The mixture of both flours will form a light, yet almost crunchy coating texture to the chicken. The crispiness will maintain even after the chicken pieces are glazed with sauce.
  • Egg White and Oil: Beaten egg white will give the proper amount of moisture to the chicken so that it grabs the coating mixture. A little oil will help chicken pieces not to stick to each other.
  • Deep-fry Twice: For any deep fried dishes that need crispiness, you need to deep fry twice or even three times. The reason is that moisture in the deep fried food moves to the surface and the surface gets soggy when the food cools. Then you cook off that moisture again on the second fry.
  • Chicken Breast or Thigh? The answer is… whichever you prefer. I like to use chicken thigh parts for this recipe. The fattiness of chicken thighs maintains moistness better than breast meat.
Korean Dak-gangjeong is coated with sticky chili sauce and garnished with chopped peanuts

Korean Rice Syrup (jocheong, 조청): It’s a natural sweetener extracted from rice into a liquid form. It is also known as a malt syrup. It adds a subtle sweetness and shine–literally–to the dish. Korean rice syrup has a darker shade than Korean corn syrup (mulyeot). If unavailable, you can use dark corn syrup as a substitute.

What You’ll Need To Make Crispy Korean Chicken Nuggets

Chicken thighs, garlic, Korean chili paste (gochujang), Korean chili flakes, chili sauce, chili oil, sugar, ginger puree, rice vinegar, ketchup, Korean rice syrup (or dark corn syrup), rice wine.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Cut chicken thighs into small bite size chunks.

For the coating mixture, combine cake flour, potato starch, onion powder, and salt; mix well. Take away 2 tablespoons from the mixture.

For the chicken, Add the 2 tablespoon of coating mixture to the chicken along with ginger, salt, pepper, beaten egg white, rice wine, and oil. Mix them all together.

Put the coating mixture in a zip bag and add the chicken; shake well to coat evenly.

Deep-fry chicken in small batches, about 2-3 minutes, until they are lightly golden. As you deep-fry, stir them with metal tongs or a strainer to keep them from sticking to each other. Shake off excess oil as you take the chicken pieces out of the oil.

After the first frying is over, do the second frying until they get deep golden brown; about 2 minutes. Keep them on a wired rack to prevent them from getting soggy.

Meanwhile, combine chili sauce, Korean chili paste, ketchup, Korean rice syrup, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, and rice wine in a skillet.

Bring the sauce to boil over medium high heat until it thickens to a glaze consistency, stirring constantly.

Add chicken and toss well to coat with the glaze. To garnish, sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

More Korean Fried Chicken Recipes

  • Korean Fried Chicken, KFC vs KFC
  • Korean Fried Chicken 2, the spicy version
This Korean fried chicken nuggets keeps its crispiness even after it cools down

If you like this post or have tried this recipe, please rate it below by clicking stars in the comment section. Stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest updates.

Crispy Korean chicken Nuggets

Crispy Korean Chicken Nuggets (Dakgangjeong)

Holly Ford
Crispy, sticky, tangy, and sweet! These Korean chicken nuggets (dakgangjeong) are deep-fried twice and coated with a mildly spicy chili sauce and gochujang glaze. They are irresistible!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Comment
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Korean
Servings 8

Equipment

  • wire skimmer

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb chicken thighs diced into bite size pieces
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped peanut optional
  • oil for deep-frying

For the chicken coating

  • 1/2 cup cake flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

For the chicken seasoning

  • 2 tsp ginger puree
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp sweet rice wine (mirim)
  • 1 egg white beaten
  • 1 tbsp oil

For the chili glaze

  • 6 tbsp chili sauce
  • 2 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 6 tbsp Korean rice syrup or dark corn syrup
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp chili oil
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sweet rice wine (mirim)

Instructions
 

To make the chicken coating

  • Mix all the ingredients well. Reserve 2 tablespoon of the mixture on the side. Put the rest of coating mixture in a zip bag and set aside.

To season the chicken

  • Put chicken in a large mixing bowl, add reserved 2 tablespoon of chicken coating, ginger, salt, pepper, rice wine, egg white, and oil. Mix with your hand to coat evenly.

To deep-fry

  • Heat oil to 340˚F. Add chicken into the coating mixture in a zip bag; shake well to coat evenly. Shake off the excess coating from chicken pieces.
  • Deep-fry chicken in small batches, about 2-3 minutes, until they are lightly golden. As you deep-fry, stir them with metal tongs or a wire skimmer to keep them from sticking to each other. Shake off excess oil as you take the chicken pieces out of the oil.
  • After the first frying is over, do the second frying until they get deep golden brown; about 2 minutes. Keep them on a wired rack to prevent them from getting soggy.

To make the chili glaze

  • Combine chili sauce, Korean chili paste, ketchup, Korean rice syrup, sugar, garlic, chili oil, rice vinegar, and rice wine in a skillet.
  • Bring the sauce to boil over medium high heat until it thickens to a glaze consistency, stirring constantly.
  • Add chicken and toss well to coat with the glaze. To garnish, sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Serve hot.

Video

Keyword chicken nuggets, chicken thigh, chili sauce, cornstarch, crispy chicken nuggets, crispy Korean fried chicken nuggets, dak-gangjeong, dakgangjeong, deep-fry, fried chicken, gochujang, Korean chicken nuggets, Korean chili paste, Korean fried chicken, Korean fried chicken nuggets, Korean spicy chicken nuggets, spicy chicken nuggets, spicy fried chicken
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Archives, Korean Recipes, Main Dishes, Recipes Tagged With: Chicken

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Comments

  1. afastpacedlife says

    April 6, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    It looks delicious. I can’t stand mayonnaise (or sour cream). Can I just omit it, or do I need to sub it with something, like Greek yogurt?

    Reply
    • Holly says

      April 6, 2015 at 2:56 pm

      You can skip the mayonnaise.

      Reply
  2. Djinnia says

    April 6, 2015 at 2:33 pm

    And that is how I found your awesome blog!

    Reply
    • Holly says

      April 6, 2015 at 2:57 pm

      Great! I am glad that you found my blog.

      Reply
  3. mekko says

    April 6, 2015 at 7:20 pm

    I’ve been reading your blog (and making some of the delicious recipes, especially the dakgalbi, as my parents are in love with it) for a couple of years, and am excited to see you in partnership with Dramafever, my go to place for dramas! A good pairing, I say. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Nagi@RecipeTinEats says

    April 7, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    Oh man! Check out that glossy sauce!! I can just imagine the sweet, salty, sticky flavour. TOTALLY my kind of food!! I love Korean food! I have never had anything Korean I haven’t absolutely love!!

    Reply
    • Holly says

      April 7, 2015 at 8:46 pm

      Yes, they are truly sticky delicious. I agree with you on Korean food. I myself never met any Korean food that I don’t like either. Ha ha ha!

      Reply
  5. Sarah @ Savoring Spoon says

    April 8, 2015 at 2:24 am

    These look so saucy and delicious! I really enjoy chicken nuggets (whether they are frozen, from McDonald’s, I like them all!) and I think these crispy ones will be better than anything I can buy from a store or eatery. I like that you used gochujang and honey in the sauce ~ what a delicious combination!

    Reply
  6. Julie Kim says

    April 8, 2015 at 10:32 am

    Can I make this with beef meatballs?

    Reply
    • Holly says

      April 8, 2015 at 1:28 pm

      The sauce is good enough to coat beef meatballs, too. Be very gentle when you coat them not to break apart.

      Reply
  7. Shannon says

    October 30, 2015 at 5:53 am

    Hi Holly! I love your recipes so much. These korean chicken nuggets are absolutely my favorite food now! I start craving them after a few days! So I had to think of a way to make them into a meal for my partner and I. There is a japanese “fast food” in food courts in New Zealand called Katsubi Donburi where you choose various fresh vegetables, sauces and meat dishes (like teriyaki) to have over rice. I thought this would work very well with these nuggets and I was right!

    I start with steamed rice seasoned with a little soy sauce and sesame oil then sliced red cabbage and quick steamed broccoli. Top that with a bit of japanese mayonnaise and bbq or chilli sauce and then the delicious sticky nuggets. It’s so delicious and we’re always very excited for korean chicken nugget night at home! Thank you Holly!

    Reply
    • Holly says

      October 30, 2015 at 8:42 am

      Hi Shannon

      Glad to hear from you that this chicken nuggets are well loved by your family. I like to idea of serving with steamed broccoli and cabbage. That will make a very nice meal. You go girl! Thanks so much for this comment. It does make me happy.

      Reply
  8. Andy says

    October 25, 2016 at 5:50 am

    Can I grill those chicken balls instead of frying them?

    Reply
    • Holly says

      October 26, 2016 at 4:24 pm

      Well, they might not hold their shape very well, but you can certainly try.

      Reply
  9. Leslie says

    January 25, 2017 at 2:21 am

    Can someone please tell me how to pronounce the name of this dish?

    Reply
  10. plasterers bristol says

    February 9, 2017 at 1:12 pm

    Yummy i love this recipe. thanks for sharing. Simon

    Reply
  11. Sarah says

    February 2, 2019 at 4:45 pm

    So DramaFever is sadly no more. Is there a way you could post the recipe here on your website?

    Reply
  12. David @ Spiced says

    March 17, 2021 at 7:08 am

    5 stars
    Holy cow! This chicken looks and sounds amazing. I’ve used the cornstarch trick on baked chicken wings, and it works great…but I’ve never thought about using it on regular fried chicken. I need to try that out now! Also, that sauce is making my mouth water…and I’m still working on my morning coffee right now!

    Reply
    • Holly Ford says

      March 17, 2021 at 11:49 am

      Thanks David. Cornstarch makes the coating very crisp. It is widely used in deep-frying in Korean cuisine.

      Reply
  13. Michelle | Sift & Simmer says

    March 19, 2021 at 2:49 pm

    5 stars
    Wow, these chicken nuggets look so good! And what a great tip using cake flour to keep them crispy! Mmm, my boys would definitely love this. Can’t wait to try it out!

    Reply
  14. Neil says

    March 22, 2021 at 6:45 am

    5 stars
    I make my own chicken nuggets but I must admit they’re pretty boring and not a patch on these crispy Kerean ones. Can’t wait to give these a try instead! Thanks!

    Reply

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Welcome to Beyond Kimchee!

Welcome to Beyond Kimchee

Hi and welcome!

I am Holly, a native Korean mother and a wife whose favorite place in the house is the KITCHEN. I hope you find lip-smackingly delicious Korean recipes and beyond in my site.

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