Korean Soy Chicken Wings
Aaaaand I’m back! The past weeks have been crazy, but it does not mean to say that The Gourmand’s Table has not been cooking. The pull of the kitchen is simply irresistible—and thus, I have a number of recipes lined up to share.
Let me kick off with a pair of incredibly simple dishes that take no sweat to make. Those who know me well can attest to my fondness of Korean cuisine—so much so that I frequently populate my kitchen cupboard with ingredients from the concealed and unassuming Korean grocery stores scattered around the Ortigas business district. One of these precious finds is corn syrup or mulyeot. Sweet to the taste, mulyeot renders a nice glaze to any dish, which makes it perfect for today’s recipe: Dakgangjeong, or simply, Korean fried chicken.
There are many ways of preparing dakgangjeong. Think Bonchon: there is the well-loved spicy version, but there is also the non-spicy sweet variant. Others marry these two together and create a sweet and spicy variety, as if to temper the kick that the full spicy version makes. In all of these iterations, mulyeot is a key ingredient, if you are to go after that nice glaze that coats your chicken.
Dakgangjeong is not just your typical fried chicken. Korean fried chicken is well known for being crispy on the outside and very juicy and tender on the inside. They seem to hold a long-lasting crisp, too. I learned that this can be achieved by double frying your chicken. Chicken pieces are deep fried in medium heat for around 12 minutes, taken out, and fried again. This way, the chicken is crisp, cooked through, and doesn’t become soggy.
Does this recipe sound very familiar to you? You might have stumbled upon Maangchi, a YouTube sensation well-known for her easy and authentic Korean homecooking. Most of my Korean recipes are inspired by hers, so do subscribe to her YouTube channel! Mine is a simpler, non-spicy version of hers, because I often pair this with kimchi fried rice. You may find the recipe here.
No time for a trip to the Korean grocery store? No problem. The ingredients are classic to any Asian kitchen. As for mulyeot, you may create your own syrup by heating equal parts sugar and water. The goal is to just dissolve the sugar into the water, so make sure that it does not boil! Start with low fire and remove from the heat once the sugar is dissolved and the sides start to bubble.
- 1 kilogram chicken wings, cut into half
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup corn syrup (mulyeot)
- 1 tablespoon red cane vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Season the chicken pieces with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Dredge each piece with cornstarch.
- Deep fry in oil for 10 minutes under medium heat, turning occasionally to cook all sides evenly and so that each piece won’t burn.
- Place the cooked chicken in a strainer. Allow the excess oil to drain.
- After five minutes, fry the chicken wings again in the same oil for another 10 minutes. This is what Maangchi calls double frying. 🙂
- Start preparing the sauce in a separate pan. Start by sautéing the garlic for a minute.
- Add the soy sauce, mulyeot, vinegar and sugar.
- Mix well to make sure that everything is incorporated.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and turn off the heat.
- Toss the chicken pieces into the sauce, coating as much of the chicken pieces as possible.
As with many other food bloggers out there, I am no chef. I come with no culinary training whatsoever, and so it’s not at all surprising that my kitchen adventures are punctuated by frequent mishaps and blunders. Yet, there are recipes that I seem to make much better than others. And so, after years of prodding from family and friends, here I am, sharing the little that I know.
Why “gourmand,” you ask? Simply because I like making and eating good food. I can eat a lot, too—so there you go!
Hello! Do you use Twitter? Id like to follow you if that would be okay. Im undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
Hi! No Twitter at the moment. Will consider. 🙂