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Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

Adapted from Dakkangjung: Sweet & Crispy Chicken from Maangchi I made a few changes to the original recipe. One was that I used the corn syrup, which I buy at Ace Mart, the Korean shop in Paris. I divided her recipe in half, since it made a lot of wings. So if you’re having more people over, feel free to double the recipe.
  • 1/4 cup (35g) flour
  • 1/4 cup (35g) cornstarch or potato starch
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground red chili pepper
  • 10 chicken wings, tips removed, then each wing cut into two pieces
  • 1 tablespoon frying oil, (I use colza or peanut)
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) water or beer
  • three inch (7cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup (160g) light corn syrup or rice syrup
  • 1/3 cup (35g) roasted peanuts, very coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • In a large bowl, mix together the flour, starch, egg, salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground chili pepper until it’s a thick paste. Add the wings and mix with your hands until they’re thoroughly coated.
  • Put the coated wings in the actifry and drizzle with the oil. Close the lid and cook for 35 minutes, until brown and crispy.
  • Or the deep-fry the wings in a pot of hot oil (Maangchi recommends 350º-380ºF, 177º-193ºC) twice, in batches. Then drain well.
  • In a large pot or wok, bring to a boil the water, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and corn or rice syrup. Let cook until the mixture becomes syrupy and thick, and starts to foam. It should be about as thick as honey.
  • Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked wings, peanuts, sesame seeds, and chili flakes, until completely coated.