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Sweet Crispy Chicken

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dak-gangjeong

Crispy fried chicken bites coated in sticky sweet-spicy sauce.

Hard50 min4 servings🌶️🌶️★ 84Contains glutenContains soyContains sesame
Sweet Crispy Chicken

History & culture

Dakgangjeong is bite-sized fried chicken coated in a sweet-spicy glaze, distinct from plain fried chicken by its sticky sauce and crunch. Food industry histories often date its nationwide popularity from the 1980s–90s alongside Korea's fried-chicken shop boom. Together with beer, it helped shape chimaek culture in cities, while earlier glazed poultry dishes in markets may have influenced local versions without a single inventor.

Servings
4

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Ingredients & steps

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Ingredients

  • Boneless chicken thigh
    700 g, bite-size pieces
  • PotatoOptional
    1 medium, optional for starch
  • Toasted sesame seeds
    1 tbsp
  • Neutral cooking oil
    2 cups, for shallow frying

Seasonings

  • Gochujang (Korean chili paste)

    Substitutemiso + chili paste (approximate)

    1 tbsp
  • Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)

    Substitutecoarse red pepper flakes (adjust heat)

    1 tsp
  • Soy sauce

    SubstituteTsuyu (diluted) 6 tsp (2 tsp per 1 tbsp) or Tamari 3 tbsp

    3 tbsp
  • Sugar
    1/4 cup
  • Salt
    1/2 tsp
  • Rice wine (mirim / cooking wine)

    Substitutedry sherry or water + pinch of sugar

    2 tbsp

Steps

  1. 110 min

    Pat chicken dry. Season with salt and rice wine; rest 10 minutes.

    • Boneless chicken thigh
    • Salt
    • Rice wine (mirim / cooking wine)
  2. 2High heat8 min

    Coat chicken lightly in potato starch if using. Shallow-fry in hot oil until golden, about 8 minutes. Drain on a rack.

    • Boneless chicken thigh
    • Neutral cooking oil
  3. 3Medium heat3 min

    Simmer soy sauce, gochujang, gochugaru and sugar in a pan until sticky, then toss fried chicken to coat.

    • Soy sauce
    • Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
    • Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
    • Sugar
    • Boneless chicken thigh
  4. 4

    Sprinkle sesame seeds and serve immediately while crisp.

    • Toasted sesame seeds

Storage & reheating

Best eaten immediately. Sauce softens crunch within an hour.

Troubleshooting

  • ⚠️ Coating not crispy

    → Fry at 170°C; do not crowd the pan; coat in sauce just before serving.

  • ⚠️ Sauce too hard

    → Remove pan from heat once sugar bubbles; toss quickly.