Cross-Cultural · Korea

Kkanpunggi (깐풍기)

Name: Kkanpunggi (깐풍기)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (230g); 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced; 1 tsp soy sauce, for marinade; 1/4 tsp ground black pepper; 1 egg white; 1/2 cup potato starch; 1/4 cup vegetable oil, for garlic-leek oil; 1/2 cup leek, thinly shredded; 4 garlic cloves, halved; 1 tbsp gochugaru; 1 cup cooking oil, for frying; 1 tbsp soy sauce, for sauce; 2 tbsp water; 2 tbsp rice syrup; 1 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tsp potato starch, for sauce; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Double-fried crispy chicken tossed in a spicy garlic-leek oil with sweet and sour sauce, a Korean-Chinese classic

koreankorean-chinesechickenfriedcrispyspicygarlicsweet-sour

Jump to Recipe

Kkanpunggi is a Korean-Chinese dish, part of the "Han-Jung" cuisine that developed in Chinese restaurants in Korea, adapted to Korean tastes. The name comes from Chinese: kkan means dry, pung means stir-fry, gi means chicken. The dish is chicken pieces coated in potato starch, double-fried until shatteringly crispy, then tossed in a spicy garlic-leek oil and a sweet-sour sauce that glazes each piece.

What sets kkanpunggi apart from other crispy chicken dishes is the garlic-leek oil. Sliced garlic and shredded leek are fried slowly in oil until golden and crispy, then removed. Gochugaru goes into the still-hot oil, infusing it with chili flavor. This flavored oil becomes the base for the final toss. The fried garlic and leek chips go back in at the very end, adding crunch and concentrated allium flavor.

The sweet-sour sauce is a quick mixture of soy sauce, water, rice syrup, vinegar, and a little potato starch. It thickens in the wok into a glossy glaze. The double-fried chicken, the crispy garlic and leek, the chili oil, and the glaze all come together in one final toss. The result is chicken that is crispy, spicy, garlicky, slightly sweet, slightly sour, and deeply satisfying. It is one of the most popular delivery foods in Korea.

At a Glance

Yield

2 to 3 servings

Prep

30 minutes

Cook

25 minutes

Total

55 minutes

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

2 to 3 servings

1/2 lbchicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (230g)
1/2 tspfresh ginger, minced
1 tspsoy sauce, for marinade
1/4 tspground black pepper
1egg white
1/2 cuppotato starch
1/4 cupvegetable oil, for garlic-leek oil
1/2 cupleek, thinly shredded
4garlic cloves, halved
1 tbspgochugaru
1 cupcooking oil, for frying
1 tbspsoy sauce, for sauce
2 tbspwater
2 tbsprice syrup
1 tbspwhite vinegar
1 tsppotato starch, for sauce
1 tsptoasted sesame oil

Method

1
Marinate chicken with ginger, soy sauce, and pepper 10-20 min. Add egg white and potato starch, coat well.
2
Mix sauce: soy sauce, water, rice syrup, vinegar, potato starch.
3
Make garlic-leek oil: fry garlic and leek in 1/4 cup oil until golden and crispy. Remove. Add gochugaru to hot oil, stir. Strain oil, reserve.
4
First fry at 170°C (335°F) about 5 min until light golden. Drain.
5
Second fry 3-5 min until very crispy and deep golden.
6
Stir-fry onion, peppers in chili oil. Add sauce, stir until glossy. Add chicken, fried leek and garlic, sesame oil. Toss and serve.