Korean fried chicken tacos combines the goodness of sticky, spicy double-fried chicken bites with palette-cleansing homemade Korean coleslaw and kimchi. We'll be double-frying the chicken to get the crispiest crust and tossing the batch with a sticky, sweet yet spicy mixture. You'll want at least 3 of these tacos to fill you up.
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What is Korean fried popcorn chicken (dakgangjeong)?
Dakgangjeong is a fried chicken nugget glazed with a sweet and spicy sauce using gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) as the base. Because it utilizes small chunks of chicken thigh, it's an extremely popular street snack. I remember the first time I tried it was at a vendor in Myeongdong, served in a paper cup with a toothpick for easy snackability!
What is double-frying?
Double-frying or a twice fry helps to get the crispy outer layer and that amazing crunch. Usually, during the first batch of frying, moisture from the protein will migrate to the surface causing it to become soggy. The second fry helps to "boil off" the moisture. It's an effortless extra step that makes for better fried chicken, so don't skip it!
Ingredients
- Chicken thigh: Purchase boneless, skinless chicken thighs for easy preparation. You will need to chop these into small bite-sized pieces.
- Rice wine or Shaoxing wine: I always try to marinade my proteins in some type of rice wine as it imparts a delicious fragrant flavor.
- Garlic, ginger, salt, pepper: For the rest of the marinade
- Cornstarch: For the coating, however, if you want a lighter coating, you can use potato starch too, like I did with my Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings.
- Neutral oil: For frying, you'll want to use a neutral flavored oil such as canola, sunflower, vegetable or avocado with a high smoke point.
For the sauce:
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Gochujang: Korean red pepper paste is a necessity for this sauce and it's hard to provide an appropriate sub. You can purchase this at any Asian grocery store in their condiments aisle or online.
- Honey
- Sesame oil
- Garlic and ginger
To assemble:
- Corn tortillas: I'm partial to corn tortillas; however, you are free to use flour tortillas. Heat them up on a griddle or pan to soften before assembling the taco.
- Korean coleslaw: Follow my Korean Coleslaw recipe to make the quickest and freshest Korean coleslaw (no mayo needed!).
- Korean kimchi: Kimchi is fermented napa cabbage and tastes best when given time to actually ferment. However, I am still a fan of fresh kimchi if you choose to make this day-of with my Quick & Easy Homemade Kimchi recipe. If you'd like to make this easier, you can also buy kimchi online!
- White sesame seeds: Optional.
- Lime: For freshness and acidity.
Step-by-step instructions
- Make your slaw first and let it sit in the fridge for two hours. Follow my Korean coleslaw recipe.
- Slice chicken thigh into bite-sized pieces. Marinade in rice wine, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger for 30 minutes.
- In a pan, mix ingredients for the sauce on low-medium heat. Allow it to bubble and simmer until thick, keep stirring during the process. This should take about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit on the side.
- Coat chicken with corn starch. However, only coat what you will fry immediately. If you let the chicken sit too long in the starch, it will become a sludge.
- In a shallow pot, add in a neutral flavored oil (I use canola). Ensure the oil is hot (350 F) before you drop in your chicken. Don't crowd the chicken as it will cause the temperature to drop too quickly and you won't get a nice brown outer layer. I usually do this in 2 batches. Fry each batch for 3 minutes.
- After each batch, remove chicken with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.
- Once all the chicken has been fried a first time, put all the chicken back in for a second fry. No need to do this in batches. This time around, fry for about 2 minutes.
- Heat up the sweet and spicy sauce that you had set aside and add in the fried chicken. Mix well so each piece is evenly coated.
- Heat up tortillas on a griddle of a pan until softened. Add chicken and top with coleslaw, kimchi, and white sesame seeds (optional). For some creaminess, use a light drizzle of mayo (again, optional).
📖 Recipe
Korean Fried Chicken Tacos
Korean fried chicken tacos combines the goodness of sticky, spicy double-fried chicken bites with palette-cleansing homemade Korean coleslaw and kimchi.
Servings 6 tacos
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thigh cubed
- 2 tablespoon rice wine or Shaoxing wine
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ inch ginger minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- ½ cup cornstarch
- Neutral oil fill pot for frying
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1½ tablespoon gochujang
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ inch ginger minced
To assemble
- 6 corn tortillas sub flour tortillas
- 1 cup Korean coleslaw
- ½ cup kimchi cut in bite-sized pieces
- Lime
- White sesame seeds optional
- Kewpie mayo optional
Instructions
- Make your slaw first and let it sit in the fridge for two hours. Follow my Korean coleslaw recipe.
- Slice chicken thigh into bite-sized pieces. Marinade in rice wine, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger for 30 minutes.
- In a pan, mix ingredients for the sauce on low-medium heat. Allow it to bubble and simmer until thick, keep stirring during the process. This should take about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit on the side.
- Coat chicken with corn starch. However, only coat what you will fry immediately. If you let the chicken sit too long in the starch, it will become a sludge.
- In a shallow pot, add in a neutral flavored oil. Ensure the oil is hot (350° F) before you drop in your chicken. Cook in separate batches. Don't crowd the chicken as it will cause the temperature to drop too quickly and you won't get a nice brown outer layer. Fry each batch for 3 minutes.
- After each batch, remove chicken with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.
- Once all the chicken has been fried a first time, put all the chicken back in for a second fry. No need to do this in batches. Fry for about 2 minutes.
- Heat up the sweet and spicy sauce and add in the fried chicken. Mix well so each piece is evenly coated.
- Heat up tortillas on a griddle of a pan until softened. Add chicken and top with coleslaw, kimchi, and white sesame seeds (optional). For some creaminess, use a light drizzle of mayo (optional).
Jerika says
I want to try this unique recipe soon!:) I'm so excited! Thanks!:)
Alexandra says
This chicken is so crispy and delicious!
Gwynn Galvin says
I'm always looking for new ways to make tacos. Cannot wait to give this recipe a try!
Amanda Dixon says
These tacos were wonderful! The chicken was so crispy, and the sauce was absolutely delicious.
shelby says
Wow! This is just incredible, I love the sweet and spicy sauce and double fried popcorn chicken!
Chef Dennis says
Yum! This is making me crave!
Jean says
I never had Korean tacos but I know its a thing in Korean food being being sweet and spicy at the same time! looking forward trying this.
Oscar says
This was the best korean fried chicken tacos recipe. Loved it.
Marta says
Crispy & spicy in every bite. Great meal!
Cathleen says
My tacos look so boring compared to yours!! I am so excited to make these, bookmarked to make this weekend. Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Elizabeth says
So delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Kathryn says
These tacos are spectacular and perfect for dinner! They have so much flavor and loved the crunch from the chicken, thanks for the recipe!
Linda says
I love KFC and turning them into tacos is a delicious idea!
Kayla DiMaggio says
Oh my goodness, my husband absolutely loved these tacos! We enjoy Korean food so much and loved all the flavors!
Priya Maha says
Truly love these tacos! I am definitely going to make them again!.
Debra says
Awesome taco recipe....and we just loved the kimchi on top too.
Lucy says
I love your version of chicken tacos. The balance of sweet and spicy flavours is perfect. I love the inclusion of kimchi, which I've been trying to eat more of for gut health. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Lilly says
I love the flavors of the fried chicken! so good! Thanks for the recipe!
Luca says
Always looking out for new ways of making tacos. The flavors are so great!
Veronika says
I just made this recipe and it's absolutely delicious! So much flavor and it was easy to make!
Aya says
This looks so good! I love the idea of double frying the chicken. I plan to make this next weekend and was wondering can I omit the wine?
Julia says
You can omit the wine, I do highly recommend stocking your kitchen with Shaoxing for any Asian recipes in the future though 😉
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
I was looking for a chicken tacos recipe and landed here. I love, love, love this recipe. And the name of your blog got me. I'll come back soon for more.
Marie says
What a scrumptious dish! Bursting with flavors and textures. The kimchi topping is a must!!
Lisa says
Seriously amazing! Love love love these - wish I cld post a pic!