Sorry Cornell Sanders, this is the only KFC that matters at our house! This Soy Garlic Korean Fried Chicken, or dakgangjeong, is epically crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and tossed in a sweet and savory sticky glaze that’s so good, it dares you to stop at one!
This soy garlic Korean fried chicken recipe is SUPER easy and the perfect base, so you could easily swap out the sauce! *ahem* like my sweet & spicy Korean fried chicken *ahem* lol. Making this recipe is basically saying tonight is going to be EPIC, so everyone come hungry! Serve it up with melty Corn Cheese, Crispy Kimchi Pancakes, and gooey Bulgogi Nachos!
🎥 Watch How to Make the Recipe
🥘 Ingredient Tips
- Chicken: This Korean fried chicken recipe uses chicken wings, but if you’re feeling boneless chicken for a less messy (and usually cheaper) option, chicken thighs are the way to go for juicier results compared to chicken breasts. Just cut the chicken thighs into 2-inch pieces & keep in mind the cook time will be faster, so keep an eye on them!
- Potato Starch: This is your secret weapon for that legendary CRUNCH Korean fried chicken is famous for! Find it at Asian markets or online. Cornstarch works as a backup, but keep in mind, you won’t get the same crunchy results – don’t come for me in the comments & say I didn’t warn you!
- Mirin: This is a sweet cooking wine that enhances the flavors in the sauce. Find it online or at your local Korean or Asian market. It’s become so popular, sometimes it’s even in the Asian section of local grocery stores too!
- Soy Sauce: This is the base of the sauce, so we’re using regular soy sauce (not light/low-sodium) for its salty & umami flavors.
- High Smoke-Point Oil: Deep frying? You’ll need oils that can handle the heat—think grapeseed oil (my fave!), avocado, canola, vegetable, or peanut oil. Skip low smoke point & flavored oils like olive or sesame oil unless you love loud smoke alarms and instant regrets!
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Marinate & Chill Chicken. In a large bowl or airtight container, toss the chicken wings with the marinade ingredients, then keep them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes—or overnight for extra flavor. Keeping the chicken cold until frying is key! That cold battered chicken hitting the hot oil helps create an extra crispy crust, so don’t let the chicken hang at room temperature while prepping ingredients.
Step 2: Make the Dredge. Grab a large bowl and mix potato starch with the seasonings (listed in the recipe card below). Add a drizzle of water, then use your fingers to mix and crumble it all together until you’ve got nugget-like bits of starch—these little guys turn your chicken SUPER crunchy after frying! Check the photo for the ideal dredge texture.
Step 3: Dredge Chicken. Pull the chicken out of the fridge, then mix in an egg and a bit of all-purpose flour until just combined. Drop a few pieces of chicken into the potato starch mix, press the starch into the chicken, then shake off the excess. Let the coated chicken rest for 10-15 minutes—this helps the coating stick like glue, so no flaking off mid-fry!
Step 4: Fry the Chicken (First Round). Heat a medium-sized pot with enough oil for deep frying over medium-high. To check if it’s ready, stick a wooden spoon or chopstick into the oil—if it sizzles, you’re good to go! Fry the chicken in batches (no overcrowding!) for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown and the oil bubbles turned from large & aggressive to small & calm lol. Cooking time may vary slightly depending on the size of the chicken.
Transfer the chicken to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Pro tip: an oil splatter screen will save your cleanup sanity 🙂
Step 5: Double Fry the Chicken. Scoop out any leftover bits in the oil with a skimmer or slotted spoon, then reheat the oil to medium-high. Give the chicken a second fry for 1-2 minutes, or until it’s extra golden and crisp & the oil has small bubbles.
This second fry is what keeps your chicken crunchy for hours! Drain chicken wings on a wire rack or paper towels.
Step 6: Make the Sauce & Toss. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, then heat a skillet over medium with a splash of oil. Add garlic and ginger, cook for a few seconds until fragrant, then pour in the sauce. Simmer for 1-3 minutes until it’s a thick, syrupy glaze – stirring constantly to prevent the sugars from burning.
If it gets too salty or thick, add a splash of water and adjust carefully (it’s HOT!). Toss in the chicken, mix well, and don’t panic if it looks like there’s not enough sauce—it’s a glaze, not a soak! This helps keep the chicken’s crispy texture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions if you’re feeling fancy, then enjoy!
👩🏽🍳 Key Tips
- Keep the Chicken Cold for Extra Crunch: Cold chicken + hot oil = the ultimate crispy crust! Keeping the chicken in the fridge until dredging prevents gluten from forming with the all-purpose flour and makes that crunch unbeatable. Let it chill while you prep!
- Let Chicken Rest After Dredging: Giving the dredged chicken a little downtime before frying allows the potato starch to really stick to the chicken. This means less mess at the bottom of your pot and way crispier chicken in every bite!
- Rest Again Before the Second Fry (Yes, It’s Worth It): After the first fry, let the chicken rest before frying round two. This lets the juices redistribute and moisture rise to the surface, so the second fry can seal the crunch for hours, without drying out your chicken. Use the downtime to tidy up the kitchen or set the table – because dinner is almost ready, promise!
- Constantly Stir the Sauce: Keep a close eye when you’re simmering the soy garlic sauce and stir constantly so the sugars don’t burn. If they do, the sauce will turn hard and taste burnt, then you’ll have to start over. Sadness.
- Coat, Don’t Soak, in the Sauce: The soy garlic glaze is here to cling to the chicken, not drown it. A light, glossy coat locks in flavor and keeps the chicken crispy, not soggy!
💭 Recipe FAQs
🍚 More Easy Korean Recipes You’ll Love!
Create a feast at home that’s fun, shareable, and customizable!
- Small Sides (Banchan):
- Serve up refreshing Korean Cucumber Salad or sweet & sticky Korean Braised Potatoes —because eating in your 30’s means eating for fun & fiber lol.
- Tteokbokki is the ultimate triple threat: sweet, spicy, and irresistibly chewy.
- Heartier Sides:
- Korean Fried Rice is the ultimate crowd-pleaser—cheap, filling, and endlessly delicious! Throw together a quick Bacon Kimchi Fried Rice or Tuna Kimchi Fried Rice for a quick side everyone devours!
- Rabokki is like the party where all the fun is at – noodles, dumplings, rice cakes, cheese, spam – who would say no to an invite like that??
- If you’re craving something light and comforting, throw together a bowl of Kimchi Soup in under 20 minutes!
- Protein:
- Turn dinner into a KBBQ feast with a bulgogi platter featuring Chicken Bulgogi, Beef Bulgogi, and Spicy Pork Bulgogi. If you want to go the extra mile, toss in some Kalbi that cooks in only 15 minutes!
- If you have spicy lovers, you could serve a mix of soy garlic Korean fried chicken & spicy Korean fried chicken!
Let’s get cooking!
Get into my secret stash of Goody-Packed Newsletters with meals planned for you & time-saving tips! Want step-by-step videos of how to make my recipes too? I gotchu over at my youtube channel. Aight, enough chatting, more eating!
Soy Garlic Korean Fried Chicken (Dakgangjeong)
Ingredients
MARINADE:
SAUCE:
- 3 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 ½ tablespoons mirin
- 3 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 ½ tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
DREDGE:
- 1 ¼ cup potato starch
- 1 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons water
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or cornstarch
- 10 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger grated
Instructions
- In a large bowl or airtight container, combine the chicken and marinade ingredients – chicken, minced garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce, mirin, & black pepper. Massage the marinate into the chicken until it’s fully absorbed. Cover & marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Keep the chicken cold in the fridge until dredge is ready.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients – soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, honey, water, rice vinegar, & sesame oil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, prep the dredge by combining potato starch, garlic powder, baking powder, onion powder, & black pepper. Drizzle in water then use your fingers to mix and create crumbles in the starch.
- To the marinated chicken, mix in egg and all purpose flour until just combined. Add a few pieces of chicken to the dry dredge, pressing or scrunching the dredge & its crumbles into the chicken so it really sticks. Repeat for remaining chicken & let chicken rest for 10-15 minutes while preheating your frying oil.
- In a wok, heat enough oil to deep fry on medium-high heat. You’ll know it’s hot enough if you stick a wooden chopstick or spoon in the oil & it starts to sizzle. Add chicken in the oil, working in batches to avoid overcrowding. Best practice is you should be able to see the bottom of the pot. Gently stir the chicken so they don’t get stuck together while cooking. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown and oil is producing small bubbles instead of large violent bubbles lol. Remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. Repeat for remaining chicken then rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Allow oil to re-heat up to medium-high, then once hot, add chicken back in batches. Again, don’t overcrowd otherwise your chicken won’t get to maximum crispiness! Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until a slightly darker brown & only small bubbles are showing in the oil. Remove, drain on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate.
- Heat a cleaned wok or large skillet on medium heat with about a tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and ginger & cook for a few seconds, just until they soften and become fragrant – keep a close eye so they don’t burn. Pour in the sauce and simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until it turns into a thick sticky glaze. If it’s thickened too much or turned too salty, you can add a splash of water. When tasting, be VERY careful because the sugars make the sauce molten hot. Once the glaze is your desired consistency, turn off the heat & combine with chicken until fully coated. It may look like it’s not enough, but keep tossing! Remove & garnish with toasted sesame seeds if you’re feeling fancy. Enjoy!
Notes
- Potato Starch: This is key to creating that iconic crunch in Korean fried chicken! Find it at your local Korean or Asian market, or online. Cornstarch is nowhere as crispy, so it’s definitely worth the extra effort grabbing it!
- Gochujang: This Korean chili paste comes in various spice levels, so make sure to grab the one that suits your spice tolerance.
- Key Tips:
- Maximize Crispiness: Avoid overcrowding the pan to maintain high oil temperature & double fry for maximum crispness.
- Easy Cleanup Setup: Use an oil splatter screen to prevent messy oil splatters for faster cleanup. No extra time spent on kitchen cleaning!
Nutrition
Exact calculations may vary. For the most accurate nutritional information, use your preferred nutrition calculator, actual ingredients, and quantities used for the recipe. Please consult with your physician or registered dietitian if more precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
