The key to essentially good popcorn hen is to fry it twice. As you’re utilizing small chunks of hen, it solely takes a couple of minutes to prepare dinner. For this recipe, I first marinate the hen in rice wine, garlic, ginger and soy sauce after which toss it in potato flour, earlier than frying it twice for not more than two minutes every time.Â
You’ll adore the crispy flavourful batter, particularly when it’s glazed with my lovely candy and spicy sauce. Should you wouldn’t have any potato flour, you possibly can simply use cornflour as a substitute. The one ingredient you shouldn’t skip although is the gochujang. I’ve repeatedly waxed lyrically about this attractive Korean chilli sauce earlier than on this column, when you’ve got not but tried it, it’s essential to. It’s my favorite chilli sauce, and really versatile. It’s wonderful on a steak, nice on a grilled cheese sandwich, improbable in stir fry sauces, I may go on and on, however you get the concept.
You should buy gochujang from most Asian supermarkets, although it’s also very simple to make at dwelling.Â
My popcorn hen is an ideal snack in entrance of the TV on a Friday night time, however if you wish to make a meal of it, serve it with some plain boiled white rice and steamed inexperienced greens. They’re good accompanies to the candy and sticky hen.Â
Should you fancy being additional indulgent, have it with some golden roasted cubes of potatoes, a type of Korean tackle patatas bravas. Peel a couple of potatoes per particular person and lower them into two-centimetre cubes. Toss the potatoes in a bit of olive oil and roast them in an air fryer or oven at 200°C till golden brown. Make a gochujang mayo by stirring some gochujang by some mayonnaise, style as you go to get the spice degree you want, and spoon some over the roast potatoes. End your potatoes off with some grated cheddar and chopped spring onions and you may be in carb heaven.
Korean-style popcorn hen
My popcorn hen is an ideal snack in entrance of the TV on a Friday night time, however if you wish to make a meal of it, serve it with some plain boiled white rice and steamed inexperienced greens
Preparation Time
 10 minutes
Elements
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500g boneless, skinless hen thigh and/or breast fillets
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30ml rice wine or sherry
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2 cloves garlic
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1 tbsp grated contemporary ginger
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Contemporary floor black pepper
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1 tbsp soy sauce
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150g potato flour
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 To fry the hen:
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1 litre sunflower oil
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For the sauce:
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2 tbsp Gochujang chilli sauce
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3 tbsp ketchup
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1 tbsp brown sugar
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1 clove garlic
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50g honey
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1 tbsp sesame oil
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2 tbsp soy sauceÂ
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To serve:
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Chopped spring onion
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Some toasted sesame seeds
Methodology
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Grate two cloves of garlic right into a mixing bowl. Add the grated ginger, rice wine and a superb grind of black pepper. Combine nicely to mix. Lower the hen into two to a few centimetre sized chunks, add to the bowl and stir nicely to coat the hen. Let the meat marinade for about thirty minutes.
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Whereas the hen is marinading, make your sauce. Grate the garlic, pop it into one other bowl together with all the opposite substances and whisk all of it collectively. Set it apart for now. Toast a couple of tablespoons of sesame seeds in a dry pan till the are golden brown. As soon as they’re prepared, take them off the warmth, pop them right into a bowl and put aside till you’re able to serve.
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When your hen has marinated for no less than thirty minutes, warmth the sunflower oil to 180c in a big saucepan or wok. Place a wire rack over a baking tray or line it with kitchen paper. Put the potato flour or cornflour onto a large plate or pasta bowl. Dredge the hen items a couple of at a time within the flour. Rigorously decrease them into the recent fats, once more, a couple of at a time. Don’t crowd the pan, you will have to fry the hen in batches, about three batches needs to be sufficient to prepare dinner all of it.  Fry the hen for 3 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to fastidiously take away it from the pan. Place them on the wire rack or kitchen paper to empty as you give the remainder of the hen its first fry.
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Examine the temperature of the oil between batches as it will probably settle down a good bit because it cooks the hen. Be sure to carry the temperature again as much as 180°C earlier than your fry one other batch. That is essential if you’d like crispy hen. When all of the hen has had its first fry, and you’ve got let the final batch drain for about 5 minutes, you may give the hen its remaining fry. In case you are utilizing a decent-sized pan you need to be capable to end frying all of it on the identical time this time. Once more, make certain the oil is at 180°C earlier than you place the hen in. Fry it for not more than one other two minutes till it’s golden and crispy. Take away it from the pan and let it drain in your wire rack or some contemporary kitchen paper for only a few minutes.
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Wash and thinly slice a couple of spring onions. Heat your sauce by. Put the recent popcorn hen in an enormous bowl, pour over the nice and cozy sauce and toss the crispy hen to coat it nicely. Serve the hen right away in heat bowls, with some spring onion and toasted sesame seeds scattered excessive.Â
