Korean Popcorn Chicken

What could be better than popcorn chicken? I’d say it’s this crunchy and sticky KOREAN style popcorn chicken! If you’re looking for a summer party starter that’s all fire and crunch then you have just gotten super lucky! Because this sticky, spicy, tangy and crunchy Korean popcorn chicken is where it’s all at!

Inspired by the hyper-famous Korean street snack, Dakgangjeong (my favourite summer discovery), this deep-fried boneless chicken nugget is a bite-sized fireball that’s bound to get the party rolling! And boy, don’t we know all about it! We served these crunchy Korean style popcorn chicken balls at game night when Denver had the boys over. And believe me, it took them just 11 minutes to wipe it clean and ask, no, beg, for the next batch of tangy, sticky crunchy awesomeness!

Made from boneless chicken fillet, this easy-peasy full-of-crackling fried chicken gets that Korean zing because it is tossed with tangy and spicy seasoning and Bira’s new hot sauce to amp up the heat and make these super-crunchy balls really POP!

Korean Popcorn Chicken
I love Korean style food but have yet to try and make it at home. It looks like it has that perfect crispy outside. Pinned the recipe!

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

MAIN

• 500 g chicken thigh fillets (18 ounces), rinsed under cold water, cut into bite sized pieces, or breast fillets
• 150 g fresh Korean rice cake (5.3 ounces), 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.)
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 Tbsp rice wine
• Some cooking oil , I used rice bran oil
• 1 cup potato starch or corn starch
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

SAUCE (MIX THESE IN A BOWL)

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

Instructions

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 absorb any excess oil. Repeat this with the remaining chicken. (Don’t put too much chicken in one go as it can lower the oil temperature down.) 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 double fried chicken and coat with the sauce quickly and thoroughly. Garnish with your choice of toppings (e.g. crushed nuts, seeds and green onion). Serve.

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