Kkanpunggi

Kkanpunggi is a traditional Korean dish made with chicken breast. It has an intensely flavourful sauce which is savoury, sweet, and spicy.

Kkanpunggi is a Korean-Chinese dish of crispy fried chicken, garlic, leeks, and a sauce that balances savory, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. Fry the chicken until golden, then toss it in the sauce with aromatic vegetables.

It works just as well for a weeknight dinner as it does for a meal shared with family and friends. Kkanpunggi originated in Chinese cooking traditions and became a popular dish in Korean-Chinese restaurants. It is often served alongside noodles, rice, and other dishes. What sets it apart is the way the sauce coats the chicken without drowning the crispy exterior.

For this kkanpunggi recipe, I use chicken breast cut into small cubes. The coating is made with flour and cornstarch, with a few drops of water added to create little clumps that turn crunchy when fried.

The sauce combines oyster sauce, rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Each ingredient serves a purpose: oyster sauce adds savouriness, vinegar provides acidity, and sugar balances the saltiness and spice. Toss everything together at the end and serve the chicken while it is still crisp.

What Does Kkanpunggi Taste Like?

Kkanpunggi tastes savory from oyster sauce and soy sauce, balanced by sugar’s sweetness and rice vinegar’s acidity. Gochugaru adds a gentle chili warmth, while garlic, ginger, and leek provide a fragrant, savory base.

The finished dish should have a crisp exterior with a light sauce coating. It shouldn’t be swimming in liquid, and the sweetness should balance the other flavors rather than overpower them. For a milder dish, reduce the amount of gochugaru. For more heat, add extra chili flakes or dried red chilies.

Ingredients

Chicken Breast, Gochugaru, Cooking oil, Leek, Onion, Garlic cloves, Fresh ginger, Oyster sauce, Rice vinegar, Dark soy sauce, Ground white pepper, Sugar, Water, All-purpose flour, and Cornstarch.

Gochugaru are mild red pepper flakes that add a gentle heat to the dish. Onions and garlic add crunch. The leeks are the unexpected part of this dish that adds a savoury flair. The flavour of this dish comes from the sauce that coats the chicken, which is made with oyster sauce, rice vinegar, and dark soy sauce. White pepper and sugar balance the dish’s flavours.

Instructions

Slice the onion, garlic, and leeks; mince the ginger and cut the green onions. Wash three dried red chilies. Mix oyster sauce, vinegar, dark soy sauce, sugar, and water to make the kkanpunggi sauce. Cut chicken into half-inch cubes, pat dry, and marinate with soy sauce.

Heat cooking oil in a wok over medium-low heat and sauté the leeks and garlic until caramelized. Set aside. For chili oil, add 1 tbsp of gochugaru to the cooking oil in the wok and fry on low heat for 30 seconds.

Korean gochugaru adds a mild, fruity flavor to chili oil, but other red pepper flakes can be used—just start with a small amount if unsure of their heat. Lightly fry the chicken in medium-low oil. Coat the chicken with flour while adding drops of water to create clumps for extra crispiness.

Preheat the cooking oil to a medium-low temperature of around 170 °C to 180 °C (338°F to 356°F). Gently place one chicken at a time on the pan, whilst spreading them out to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Fry the chicken for four minutes on each side. While the chicken is frying. After the chicken is fried, remove it from the oil and set it aside. Add the onion and ginger to the wok with chili oil and cook for 8 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring continuously.

Add the sauce made earlier in the process. Add the chicken to the wok after the onions have caramelized. Mix everything until the chicken is evenly coated with sauce and all the ingredients are well combined. Stir-fry everything for two minutes on medium-high heat, stirring continuously. 

Drizzle sesame seed oil for aroma and garnish with black sesame seeds. Serve warm. Kkanpunggi is a delicious, crispy Korean fried chicken with a spicy, mildly sweet sauce, known for its unforgettable flavor and crunch. Enjoy immediately!

What can you Serve with Kkanpunggi?

Steamed rice is a classic accompaniment to kkanpunggi, adding volume and balancing the sauce’s flavour. Any type of kimchi, or Korean pickled vegetables like jangachi, adds tangy or vinegary zing that cuts through the richness of the kkanpunggi and balances the overall flavour.

How to Store and Reheat Kkanpunggi?

Allow the kkanpunggi to cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. Kkanpunggi can be stored in the fridge for up to four to five days. Reheating the kkanpunggi in a frying pan.