Dakgangjeong — Sweet Crispy Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 1½ lb Chicken Thighs, in bite-size pieces
• ⅔ cup cornstarch
• Sauce: 3 tbsp gochujang + 2 tbsp honey + 2 tbsp soy + 1 tbsp vinegar + 2 cloves garlic
• Neutral oil for shallow frying
• Toasted sesame + scallions
• Pickled radish or cucumber, the crunch counterweight

Method

1. Toss the Chicken Thighs in the cornstarch until dusty-dry on every face.
2. Shallow-fry in 350°F oil until pale gold, 4 minutes; rest 3 minutes on a rack.
3. The Korean double-fry: back into the oil 2–3 minutes until deeply crisp and cooked through (165°F for chicken) — round two is what makes the shell survive the sauce.
4. Bubble the sauce ingredients in a wide pan 1 minute until glossy; toss the crispy pieces through fast, coating and escaping before sog sets in.
5. Sesame and scallions over, pickles alongside. The crackle-through-lacquer bite is the entire national argument for double-frying, and it wins.