Tender yet crunchy, sweet yet savoury. Korean popcorn chicken has always been a popular street snack and a never-ending craving. The chicken is deep-fried then coated with a Korean special sauce. With every bite, you are guaranteed a burst of sweet, spicy, salty and tangy flavours.
There are many ways to eat this tasty dish! For instance, it’s a perfect appetiser for parties or social gatherings. If you are in a hurry, the boneless meat and small, bite-sized pieces make it easy for snacking while walking on the streets or parks. In several street stalls, the popcorn chicken is also served with Korean rice cake.
This dish is super easy, super convenient! It tastes best when consumed immediately after cooking. However, you can also store some in the fridge to be enjoyed the next day. Don’t worry, it will still taste as good!
Ingredients (2 servings):
- 500g chicken fillets (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- 2 tsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 200g potato starch or corn starch
- 500ml cooking oil
(Ingredients for sauce)
- 5 tbsp tomato sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp minced garlic
(Garnish -optional)
- Crushed nuts ( e.g. peanut, walnut, sunflower seeds or sesame seeds)
- Finely chopped green onions
Directions:
- Marinate the chicken: Place the chicken pieces into a large mixing bowl and add rice wine, ginger powder, salt, and ground black pepper. After mixing them well, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Add starch: Once marinated, coat each chicken piece with starch powder evenly.
- Deep fry: Heat cooking oil in a deep wok. Deep fry the coated chicken pieces in batches for about 3 minutes or until it turns golden. Take them out and place on top of kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Repeat this with the remaining chicken pieces.
- Sauce: Mix all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Then, let the sauce to sit under medium heat. Make sure to stir the sauce constantly for 2 minutes or until it thickens.
- Mix: add the fried chicken into the sauce and mix them well.
- Garnish: Serve them on a plate, and sprinkle in some crushed nuts and green onions on top.
Easy, right? You can set aside some plain popcorn chicken for children or those who can’t eat spicy food. It is a great dish that can be enjoyed by many.
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