Korean Popcorn Chicken (Dakgangjeong) is the ultimate snack or appetizer for after school, parties, game day, and more! Bite-sized nuggets are tossed with plenty of seasoning and fried until golden and crispy. Choose to coat them in the sweet and spicy gochujang sauce or simply serve it on the side - no wrong choices here!
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🍗 What Is Korean Popcorn Chicken?
Korean Popcorn Chicken, also known as dakgangjeong (닭강정), is a popular Korean street food enjoyed by kids and adults alike. In Korean, “dak” means chicken and “gangjeong” refers to a type of hollow Korean confectionary made out of deep-fried rice puffs coated with honey, nuts, seeds, and beans. Korean-style popcorn chicken uses a similar method of preparation by deep frying chicken pieces and coating them in a spicy sauce.
When purchased from the street carts, Korean Popcorn Chicken is typically made out of boneless chicken and served in a paper bowl with disposable forks for super easy eating and clean-up. Luckily, it’s super simple to make at home too!
Korean Popcorn Chicken vs Korean Fried Chicken
Although similar and often referred to interchangeably, Korean Popcorn Chicken and Korean Fried Chicken are not quite the same. Korean-style Popcorn Chicken or Korean chicken nuggets are smaller and made from boneless fillets. Meanwhile, Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) is usually made from all the parts of a chicken (including the drumstick, breast, thigh, etc.) and coated in a thicker batter that's double-fried.
Both are absolutely delicious and honestly, I'm never one to turn down any form of fried chicken! However, Korean Popcorn Chicken is my absolute favorite because it's easy to make and eat. The light crispy coating reminds me of Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken but the sweet and spicy gochujang sauce kicks it up a notch. It'll be hard not to eat them up as they come out of the fryer!
Why You'll Love It
- Extra crispy: This simple recipe uses rice flour for a light yet perfectly golden and crispy coating. I'll also show you a great tip to create more nooks and crannies with the dredge for even more texture.
- Easy: Homemade fried chicken can be intimidating, but Dakgangjeong is super simple to make at home. As long as you set up an organized dredging and frying station, this recipe is a breeze!
- Party favorite: I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love popcorn chicken! It’s perfect for a satisfying snack, appetizer, or main course. Even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy it!
🧂 Ingredients
- Chicken: Feel free to use skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs. Just make sure to chop them into evenly sized nuggets so they fry evenly.
- Garlic powder: I don’t suggest using fresh garlic, because it can easily burn during the fry.
- Soy sauce: The base of our marinade. I always recommended using low-sodium soy sauce so as not to overpower your dish.
- Mirin: A type of rice wine that’s very similar to sake but with a sweeter taste and less alcohol.
- Rice flour: Used in tempura recipes to achieve a light and super crispy breading.
- Baking powder: Once the batter hits the oil, the baking powder creates several miniature bubbles for a super textured coating. It'll also help with browning since it's a short cook time.
- Gochugaru: A type of Korean ground chili flakes that come in a variety of textures and spice levels. I like to use finely ground powder for homemade Korean Popcorn Chicken.
- Frying oil: Make sure to use a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point for frying. Avocado, peanut, or canola oil would work for Dakgangjeong.
For The Sauce
- Soy sauce: Adds salt and umami.
- Gochujang: Fermented Korean chili paste that provides a smoky, sweet flavor. There are varying levels of spice so choose one that fits your preference.
- Honey: Essential for making a sweet, sticky sauce that clings to the meat.
- Sesame oil
- Chicken broth: I cook exclusively with bone broth. It's rich in collagen, supports digestion, and has anti-inflammatory components. Use low or no-sodium when possible.
- For garnish: Sesame seeds and green onion.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have rice flour, substitute it with an equal amount of all purpose flour, corn starch, or potato starch.
- To make this less spicy, cut the amount of gochujang sauce used in half. Also make sure to start with a mild spice level for both the gochujang and gochugaru.
- Add thawed rice cakes (tteok) to the frying pan for a crispy chewy addition to the homemade Korean style popcorn chicken. Fry them for no longer than 30 seconds, or they will explode!
- To make this Korean Popcorn Chicken gluten free, replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos or tamari and use a gluten-free gochujang.
👩🏻🍳 How To Make Korean Popcorn Chicken
⬇️ Please scroll down to the recipe card to see full ingredient amounts and instructions.
STEP ONE: First, marinade the chicken. Whisk together garlic powder, soy sauce, mirin, salt, and pepper.
STEP TWO: Mix in the nuggets and let marinade for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If marinating for more than 2 hours, cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge. Let come to room temperature before frying.
STEP THREE: Next, prepare the dredge. In another bowl, whisk together rice flour, baking powder, gochugaru, salt, and pepper. When the meat is almost finished marinading, pour in 2 tablespoon water.
Use a fork to mash the dredge, breaking up larger pieces into several pebbles. The mixture will still be on the dry side with several tiny beads resembling sand. This creates more nooks and crannies aka more texture!
STEP FOUR: Take a marinaded chicken nugget and press all sides into the flour mixture. Shake off any excess and set aside. Repeat with all the remaining nuggets.
STEP FIVE: To fry, heat 1-2 inches of frying oil to 350ºF. I recommend using a heavy bottomed pot like a Dutch oven and frying thermometer. Meanwhile, set up a resting station with a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or paper towels. Then place a wire rack inside.
Carefully add the popcorn chicken into the oil, making sure to not overcrowd the pot. Fry for 3-4 minutes or until internal temperature of the meat is 150-155ºF. Then transfer to the cooling rack and let rest 5-10 minutes. Repeat until all the meat has been fried.
STEP SIX: To make the sauce, add gochujang, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, broth, and salt and pepper to a skillet. Bring to a light simmer over medium-high heat, constantly stirring. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until dark red with a runny syrup consistency.
Serve the sauce on the side or add the Dakgangjeong to the sauce and toss. Option to garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion.
💭 Top Tips
- If marinating the chicken for more than 2 hours, store it covered in the fridge, and let it come to room temperature before frying.
- To prevent cross-contamination, make sure to have two separate baking sheets or large plates ready. Use the first to place the dredged, raw meat. Then line the second with paper towels and a wire rack, and use it to rest the cooked chicken and help drain any excess oil.
- Don’t add too much chicken to the oil at once! Instead, work in batches so as not to overcrowd the pot, which will drop the temperature of the oil too low and cause excess steaming.
- While you're frying, adjust the heat as needed to keep the temperature of the oil between 325-350ºF. It will naturally drop in temperature when you add the chicken, but you also want to make sure it doesn't get too hot or else the coating with brown too quickly but it'll be raw in the middle.
- The nuggets cook quickly due to its small size. You’ll know it’s done when a meat thermometer reads 155°F. Or, if you aren’t using a thermometer, you can tell the chicken is done frying when the juices run clear and the coating is golden brown.
- If you want to toss the Korean Popcorn Chicken in the sauce, make sure both are warm. This will ensure even coverage.
- To make Korean chicken nuggets in the air fryer, first preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Generously spray the basket, add the breaded chicken (making sure to not overcrowd), and air fry for 5 minutes. Then lightly shake, spray with oil again, and bake for another 5 minutes or until an internal temperature of 155ºF is reached.
- To bake your Korean Popcorn Chicken, place a wire rack inside a foil-lined baking sheet. Generously spray the rack with oil and place breaded chicken on it, leaving space between each one. Spray the chicken with oil, then bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes. If you don't have a wire rack, bake it directly on a foil-lined baking sheet but spray the foil with oil and flip halfway.
What To Serve With Korean Popcorn Chicken
Serve it with all your favorite snacks, sides, and appetizers! Some of my favorite pairings include:
- Classic Milk Tea Boba for a satisfying sweet and savory snack
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries or Air Fryer Parmesan Potato Wedges for a classic take-out style meal
- Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings, Vietnamese Shrimp Toast, and Air Fryer Crab Rangoons for a complete game night spread
🥡 Storing & Freezing
Storing: If you have leftover Korean Popcorn Chicken, let it cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. If possible, I recommend keeping the chicken and sauce separate to retain as much of the crispy texture as possible.
Freezing: Let cool completely, then place Dakgangjeong on a baking sheet spaced 1 inch apart. Par freeze for 20-30 minutes, then place into a freezer-safe zip-top bag or air-tight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Fried chicken that hasn't been covered in sauce will freeze and reheat better than pieces with sauce.
Reheating: Reheat the nuggets in the oven, toast oven, or air fryer for best results. Cook at 325ºF for 3-6 minutes or until warm. If covered in sauce, keep an eye on it as the sauce can quickly burn.
To reheat from frozen, let thaw overnight in the fridge first.
Make Ahead: You can marinade and/or dredge the chicken up to 1-2 days in advance. Then fry day-of for best results. For parties and large gatherings, keep the chicken warm in the oven at 200°F and serve the sauce on the side.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Popcorn chicken gets its name from the small, bite-sized chunks of chicken that resemble kernels of popcorn and can easily be popped into one’s mouth like the classic salty snack.
The methods of breading and frying used differentiate Korean style popcorn chicken from American popcorn chicken. The Asian frying technique used helps render out the fat in the chicken, resulting in a light breading that is crispy and thin.
They're very similar! However, popcorn chicken is usually made out of smaller pieces of breast meat. Meanwhile, nuggets are larger and made out of ground chicken shaped into nugget form.
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📋 Recipe
Korean Popcorn Chicken
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch nuggets
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon mirin
- ½ cup rice flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon gochugaru
- 2 tablespoon water
- Salt and pepper
- Frying oil
Spicy Gochujang Sauce
- 2 tablespoon gochujang
- ½ tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup low sodium chicken broth
- Salt and pepper
- Sesame seeds and green onion for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together garlic powder, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, mirin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and mix well. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- In a separate bowl, mix together rice flour, baking powder, gochugaru, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Drizzle in 2 tablespoon water and use a fork to whisk it in. Press any large pieces up against the sides of the bowl with the fork to break it up. Continue until the mixture consists of several tiny beads and resembles sand.
- Set up a large plate or baking sheet for the dredged chicken. One by one, let excess liquid drip off chicken nugget and transfer to flour mixture. Lightly press to coat in flour, then transfer to plate or baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been coated.
- Pour 1-2 inches of frying oil into a heavy-bottomed pot and heat oil to 350ºF. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes or until deeply golden brown with an internal temperature of 155ªF. Don't overcrowd the pot and fry in batches. Adjust heat to maintain an oil temperature of 310-350ºF. Transfer fried chicken to a wire rack inside a paper towel lined baking sheet to rest.
- To make the sauce, add gochujang, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken broth, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper to a skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until lightly thickened and dark red. Serve sauce on the side or toss Popcorn Chicken in it.
Notes
- Servings range from 4-6.
- If marinating the chicken for more than 2 hours, store it covered in the fridge, and let it come to room temperature before frying.
- Substitute rice flour with an equal amount of all purpose flour, corn starch, or potato starch.
- To make it in the air fryer, first preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Generously spray the basket, add the breaded chicken (making sure to not overcrowd), and air fry for 5 minutes. Then lightly shake, spray with oil again, and bake for another 5 minutes or until an internal temperature of 155ºF is reached.
- To bake, place a wire rack inside a foil-lined baking sheet. Generously spray the rack with oil and place breaded chicken on it, leaving space between each one. Spray the chicken with oil, then bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes. If you don't have a wire rack, bake it directly on a foil-lined baking sheet but spray the foil with oil and flip halfway.
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