Name: Dakgangjeong Chicken Wings (닭강정)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1000 g chicken wings; 0.5 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp ground black pepper; 3 clove garlic; 2 tsp ginger; 1 tbsp rice wine; 120 g all-purpose flour; 80 g cornstarch; 180 ml cold water; 1 l vegetable oil; 2 tbsp gochujang; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 3 tbsp honey; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tbsp rice vinegar; 4 clove garlic; 1 tsp ginger; 2 tsp sesame oil; 60 ml water; 3 tbsp roasted peanuts; 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Dakgangjeong Chicken Wings (닭강정)

Crunchy double-fried Korean chicken wings tossed in a glossy sweet, spicy, garlicky glaze and finished with crushed peanuts. Stickier and crispier than yangnyeom chicken, and built to stay crunchy long after it leaves the pan.

🇰🇷 South Korea ·Asia · $$

30 min Prep

35 min Cook

65 min Total

4 portions

Dakgangjeong is the snacky, sticky cousin of Korean fried chicken, and the wings version is pure finger food. The wings are seasoned with garlic and ginger, dipped in a loose batter of flour and cornstarch, then double-fried so the coating turns deeply golden and stays shatteringly crisp. While they fry, you cook down a glaze of gochujang, soy sauce, honey, vinegar and garlic until it is thick and shiny. The fried wings get tossed in that warm glaze so every piece is lacquered, then showered with crushed peanuts for extra crunch. It is battered, double-fried crispy, and only mildly spicy and sweet, so it pleases a whole table rather than just the chili lovers. Serve it hot with cold beer or with rice and pickled radish, and watch the platter empty fast.

Ingredients

Chicken

1000 g chicken wings split into drumettes and flats, tips removed

0.5 tsp salt

0.5 tsp ground black pepper

3 clove garlic minced

2 tsp ginger grated

1 tbsp rice wine mirin or cooking sake

Batter

120 g all-purpose flour

80 g cornstarch or potato starch

180 ml cold water

1 l vegetable oil for deep frying

Glaze

2 tbsp gochujang Korean red chili paste

2 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp honey or corn syrup or rice syrup

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp rice vinegar

4 clove garlic minced

1 tsp ginger grated

2 tsp sesame oil

60 ml water

Finish

3 tbsp roasted peanuts crushed

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Ingredients

4 portions

Chicken

1000 gchicken wings split into drumettes and flats, tips removed

0.5 tspsalt

0.5 tspground black pepper

3 clovegarlic minced

2 tspginger grated

1 tbsprice wine mirin or cooking sake

Batter

120 gall-purpose flour

80 gcornstarch or potato starch

180 mlcold water

1 lvegetable oil for deep frying

Glaze

2 tbspgochujang Korean red chili paste

2 tbspsoy sauce

3 tbsphoney or corn syrup or rice syrup

1 tbspbrown sugar

1 tbsprice vinegar

4 clovegarlic minced

1 tspginger grated

2 tspsesame oil

60 mlwater

Finish

3 tbsproasted peanuts crushed

1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

Season the wings

1

Pat the wing pieces very dry with paper towels. In a bowl, toss them with the salt, black pepper, minced garlic, grated ginger, and rice wine until evenly coated. Let them sit while you prepare the batter and oil.
~15 min

Make the batter and heat the oil

1

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and cornstarch with the cold water into a loose, pourable batter, a little thinner than pancake batter. It should coat a spoon but drip off freely.
~3 min
2

Pour the frying oil into a deep heavy pot to a depth of about 5 cm and heat it to 165 C (330 F). Use a thermometer, as steady temperature is what keeps the coating crisp.
~8 min

First fry

1

Dip the seasoned wings into the batter, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Fry in batches, without crowding, for about 8 to 10 minutes until light golden and cooked through. Lift them out and rest on a rack. Let the oil come back up to temperature between batches.
~10 min

Make the glaze

1

In a large skillet or wok over medium heat, warm the sesame oil and gently cook the minced garlic and grated ginger for under a minute, until fragrant. Add the gochujang, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and water.
~2 min
2

Simmer the sauce, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes until it turns glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat to low while you finish frying.
~3 min

Second fry and glaze

1

Raise the oil to 190 C (375 F). Fry the rested wings a second time, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes until deeply golden and very crisp. Drain well on a rack.
~8 min
2

Add the hot wings to the warm glaze and toss quickly over low heat until every piece is shiny and evenly coated. Work fast so the crust stays crunchy.
~2 min
3

Tip the wings onto a serving plate, scatter the crushed peanuts and optional sesame seeds over the top, and serve right away while hot and sticky.
~1 min

Credits & Inspiration

Korean Bapsang
Authentic dakgangjeong with a gochujang, honey and vinegar glaze and a double-fry for a crisp coating.
Chef Julie Yoon
Wings-based dakgangjeong using a potato starch coating, garlic-ginger marinade, and a two-stage fry.
America's Test Kitchen
Tested wings recipe with a loose flour and cornstarch batter and a sweet-spicy gochujang sauce.
10000recipe (만개의레시피)
Korean-language dakgangjeong using a frying flour and starch coating, gochujang glaze, and crushed peanut finish.

Dakgangjeong Chicken Wings (닭강정)

Ingredients

Chicken

Batter

Glaze

Finish

Ingredients

Chicken

Batter

Glaze

Finish

Instructions

Season the wings

Make the batter and heat the oil

First fry

Make the glaze

Second fry and glaze

Credits & Inspiration

More from 🇰🇷 South Korea

Baechu-Doenjangguk

Yangnyeom Chicken Wings (양념치킨)