Korean Popcorn Chicken
Dive into a crunchy delight with our Korean-style popcorn chicken, perfectly air-fried to golden perfection! Tossed in a zesty blend of garlic and ginger, each bite bursts with flavor, and when paired with our spicy gochujang dipping sauce, you’ll be craving more! Get ready to elevate your snacking game!
Prep
10
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- grated garlic
- pepper
- potato starch
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- chicken thighs
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- butter
- an egg
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- brown sugar
- a squeeze of honeyoptional
- rice vinegar
- sesame oil
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- garlic powder
- salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(3)
- gochujang
- ketchup
- soy sauce
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
498
Protein
30g
Carbs
23g
Fat
31g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
To a bowl of chicken thighs, add soy sauce, an egg, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- 2
Give it a mix and then pour in potato starch.
- 3
Add to an air fryer at 400 for 20 minutes, shaking it halfway through.
- 4
For the sauce, mix gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, a squeeze of honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, and grated garlic.
- 5
Let it simmer for a few minutes, then finish with some butter.
- 6
Once glossy, pour in your chicken and give it one last good mix.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cube chicken thighs into 1-1.5 inch pieces and let them marinate in the soy sauce mixture for 30-45 minutes before coating, allowing the egg's proteins to partially denature and create a stickier surface that helps potato starch adhere better.timing30-45 minutes
- ✓Use a 1:1 ratio of potato starch to flour (or pure potato starch at 100g per 500g chicken) because potato starch gelatinizes at 149-167°F, creating a crispier, shattering crust compared to cornstarch which gelatinizes at higher temps.ingredient1:1 ratio | 149-167°F gelatinization
- ✓Air fry at 390°F for 18-20 minutes instead of 400°F, shaking at the 10-minute mark; this prevents the exterior from burning while the interior reaches 165°F, and frequent shaking every 5 minutes ensures even crisping on all sides.technique390°F | 18-20 minutes | shake every 5 minutes
- ✓Simmer the gochujang sauce for exactly 3-4 minutes at 180-190°F to mellow the gochujang's raw fermented bite without breaking down its umami compounds, then finish with cold butter (off-heat) to create a glossy emulsion through heat-shock emulsification.timing3-4 minutes | 180-190°F
- ✓Toss the cooked chicken in the sauce for no more than 2 minutes and serve immediately; prolonged contact allows the starch coating to absorb sauce moisture and lose crispness through starch swelling.timing2 minutes maximum contact time
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