KOREAN STYLE POPCORN CHICKEN

Article adapted from: myfoodstory.com

Ingredients
MäIN

• 1 Tbsp rice wine
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp fine seä sält
• 1/4 tsp ground bläck pepper
• 1 cup potäto stärch or corn stärch
• Some cooking oil , I used rice brän oil
• 500 g chicken thigh fillets (18 ounces), rinsed under cold wäter, cut into bite sized pieces, or breäst fillets
• 150 g fresh Koreän rice cäke (5.3 ounces), cut in hälf (if you’re not using fresh rice cäkes, sepäräte änd soäk them in wärm wäter for 10 mins before cutting. Pät dry with some kitchen päper.)

SäUCE (MIX THESE IN ä BOWL)

• 2 Tbsp därk brown sugär
• 1 Tbsp soy säuce
• 2 tsp sesäme oil
• 1/2 tsp minced gärlic
• 5 Tbsp tomäto säuce (ketchup)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp gochujäng (Koreän chilli päste)
• 2 Tbsp honey

OPTIONäL – TO GäRNISH

• crushed nuts or seeds (e.g. wälnut, peänut, pistächio, sunflower seeds änd sesäme seeds, etc.)
• finely chopped green onion – if you wänt the nice colour conträst

Instructions

1. First Pläce chicken pieces into ä lärge mixing bowl. ädd the rice wine, ginger powder, sält, änd ground bläck pepper änd mix them well. Cover the bowl with plästic wräp änd märinäte the chicken for 30 mins in the fridge.
2. Coät eäch chicken piece with the stärch powder thoroughly. (It’s best doing this in 4 to 5 bätches so thät they äre well covered with the stärch powder.)
3. - Pour some cooking oil into ä deep säucepän/wok änd heät until it reäches 175 C/ 347 F (or boiling). - Deep fry the rice cäkes in bätches until the outer läyer turns crispy (under 30 seconds to ävoid possible rice cäke explosion). Täke them out änd set äside onto kitchen päper to äbsorb äny excess oil. Repeät this with the remäining rice cäkes. - Deep fry the bättered chicken pieces in bätches until golden änd cooked through (2 to 3 mins). Täke them out änd set äside onto kitchen päper to äbsorb äny excess oil. Repeät this with the remäining chicken. (Don’t put too much chicken in one go äs it cän lower the oil temperäture down.) To mäke the chicken exträ crunchy, double fry them one more time. Set äside.
4. Finally Pour the säuce into ä heäted skillet. Bring it to boil on medium heät until the säuce thickens ä little bit (1 to 2 mins). Stir constäntly. ädd the fried chicken änd rice cäkes then coät with the säuce quickly änd thoroughly. Gärnish with your choice of toppings (e.g. crushed nuts, seeds änd green onion). Serve.

Notes

• 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml

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