Korean Popcorn Chicken
Crispy bite-sized chicken tossed in a sticky, sweet and spicy gochujang glaze – better than takeaway.
- Time
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Effort
- Medium
Ingredients
For 4 servings
For the chicken
- 600 g Chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 60 ml Soy sauce (4 tbsp)
- 1 Large egg
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 80 g Potato starch
- Neutral oil for frying, e.g. sunflower
For the sauce
- 60 g Gochujang (¼ cup)
- 40 g Honey (2 tbsp)
- 1 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp Ketchup
- 1 tbsp Sesame oil
- 5 Garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp Water
To serve
- Cooked rice
- Spring onions, sliced
- Sesame seeds
Method
-
Put the chicken pieces into a bowl with the soy sauce, egg, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix well and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
-
Add the potato starch and mix until every piece is coated. The coating should look a little dry and shaggy – that is what makes it crispy. If it is still wet, add another spoonful of starch.
-
Heat about 3 cm of oil in a deep pan or pot to 170–175 °C. Fry the chicken in batches for 4–5 minutes, turning, until golden and cooked through, then drain on a rack or kitchen paper. For extra crunch, fry everything a second time for 1–2 minutes.
-
No deep-frying? Spray the coated chicken with a little oil and air-fry it at 200 °C for 12–15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
-
For the sauce, heat the sesame oil in a large pan over medium heat and fry the garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the gochujang, honey, rice vinegar, ketchup and water and let it bubble for 1–2 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened.
-
Take the pan off the heat, add the crispy chicken and toss until every piece is coated in the glaze.
-
Serve straight away over rice, topped with spring onions and sesame seeds.
