Name: Dakgangjeong (닭강정 / Korean Sweet, Crunchy Fried Chicken)
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 ½ pounds chicken wingettes or dumettes or small pieces of chicken (see headnote); ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; ½ cup potato starch; Vegetable oil; ⅓ cup toasted peanuts (optional); ½ cup rice syrup or honey; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons brown or white sugar; 2 teaspoons white vinegar; 2 teaspoons yellow mustard; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 3 garlic cloves, mined; 1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger; 8 small dried red chili peppers; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds; 2 to 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Korean fried chicken going from a colander into a pan of bubbling sauce.

Fried chicken has been incredibly popular in Korea since the 1970s, and there are many fried chicken shops around the country. There are also countless styles and variations. This version is crunchier than any fried chicken you’ve probably ever eaten. It’s quite sweet, a little tangy, with just a whisper of heat (the dried red chili peppers are more fragrant than spicy), and a bit sticky. The yellow mustard in the recipe is not a traditional Korean ingredient: Just as Korean chicken shop owners do, I like to add my own twist.

If you can’t find wingettes or drumettes, use a cleaver to cut regular drumsticks into two pieces each, 2 to 2 ½ inches long.

The fried chicken will stay crispy for hours. Covered and refrigerated, it will even stay audibly crispy until the next day.