Kkanpunggi is crispy chicken stir-fried in a spicy-garlicky sauce. This is a type of Korean Fried Chicken where it is coated with a succulent sauce that is sticky and has a great kick!
Spicy garlic fried chicken is a Chinese dish that was adopted by Koreans, just like Black Bean Noodles (Jajangmyeon) and Sweet and Sour Pork (Tangsuyuk) among other things. While the condiments are pretty much the same in Asian countries, what sets the Korean version apart is that we like it crispy even after coating the chicken in the sauce.
The Secret to Crispy Fried Chicken: Potato Starch
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For this Kkanpunggi recipe, you can use either thigh or breast fillets as long as you cut them into bite-size pieces. Season it with garlic, salt, and pepper then leave to brine for 30 minutes to 24 hours. This lets the chicken be good on its own and the sauce is just the cherry on top!
I’ve shared this quite a few times on my other chicken recipes like General Cho Chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken Wings, and Sriracha Chicken Wings: Use potato starch and double fry for the extra crisp. If all else fails, you can replace it with equal parts flour and cornstarch.
- First fry: 350F for 4-5 minutes
- Rest for 2 minutes, give it a little bang or shake
- Second fry: 375F for 2-3 minutes
Any oil that has a high smoke point is okay to use in frying. I personally use vegetable oil or canola oil. After frying, it can be re-used 2-3 more times. Just make sure to clean out any food debris and store it in a clean container. Dispose of them properly once discolored (turned brown or black) and have a fishy odor (if used in fish).
Kkanpunggi Sauce
The spicy garlic sauce is lightly sweet and sour, but mainly savory and sticky all at the same time!
You need to combine the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, plum sauce, and water then cook it down for a bit. This helps make the sauce come together, especially by letting the taste of the garlic come through.
TIP #1: Plum sauce is a unique Korean condiment that is sweet with a bit of acidity. If it is not available, replace it with sugar.
The sauce needs to cool off before placing the chili oil and vinegar otherwise the vinegar might evaporate. After you put the last two components, you need to be as quick as possible to add the vegetables, add the starch slurry, let the sauce thicken, and then stir fry the chicken.
TIP #2: You can use any chili oil you prefer. It can be homemade or store-bought, that’s up to you! Use as much chili oil according to your spice tolerance~
TIP #3: The starch slurry helps make the sauce stick to the chicken, and being quick at the latter part of cooking keeps the vegetables and chicken stay crispy.
Serving Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken
There are many ways you can go about having Kkanpunggi. You can eat it as an appetizer or game day snack, you can serve it with rice, or you can do it the Korean way: pair it with Black Bean Noodles or Jjampong!
Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!
Korean Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken (Kkanpunggi)
Ingredients
- 500 grams Chicken Thigh Fillet Cut to bite-size pieces
- 1 tbsp Garlic
- 1 tsp Salt
- Black Pepper To taste
- 1 pc Egg
- 1 cup Potato Starch
- 1/3 cup Water
- Vegetable or Canola Oil For frying
Kkanpunggi Sauce
- 4 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 4 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Garlic
- 1 tbsp Plum Sauce
- 1/2 cup Water
- 4 tbsp Chili Oil
- 2 tbsp Vinegar
- 1 tsp Potato Starch
- 1 tsp Water
Vegetables
- 25 grams Onion Diced
- 25 grams Red Bell Pepper Diced
- 25 grams Green Bell Pepper Diced
Instructions
- Cut the chicken to bite size pieces.
- Let it brine in garlic, salt, and pepper for 30 minutes to 24 hours.
- For the batter, add egg, potato starch, and water. Mix thoroughly and check for consistency. It should not be too thick that you can lift the bowl, add water as needed. It should not be too thin that it drips, add potato starch as needed.
- In a deep pot, heat up the oil until 350F.
- Do the first fry for 5-6 minutes, then rest the chicken for 2 minutes.
- Lightly beat the chicken to create air holes, then fry again at 375F for 2-3 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, garlic, plum sauce, and water to create the sauce. In another bowl, combine potato starch and water to create a slurry.
- In a pan, bring the sauce to a boil and cook it down to half.
- Let the sauce cool before adding chili oil and vinegar to prevent the vinegar from evaporating.
- After adding chili oil and vinegar, simmer the sauce again then add the vegetables and potato starch slurry. Mix thoroughly.
- Immediately toss the chicken in the sauce. Make sure all chicken pieces are coated thoroughly.
- Plate, garnish with fried garlic and sesame seeds, and enjoy!
Love your food. Thank you
Thank you so much Jo!!!
Super!
What is your favorite brand of plum sauce?
Thanks!
Hi Shawn! I’m not really specific with brands but Ottogi and CJ Beksul are great!
Had to make a couple substitutions due to missing ingredients but this came out delicious!
Glad it worked out for you and you enjoyed the recipe!!
Thank you so much cause that’s a good looking dish I want to try
Go for it!! Hope you enjoy the recipe!!