Korean Popcorn Chicken

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• Chicken
• 18 oz. boneless chicken thighs, rinsed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup corn starch
• Oil for frying
• Sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 5 tbsp gochujang sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Noodles
• 1 package dangmyeon (sweet potato) noodles
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped
• 1 tbsp unagi sauce
• Sriracha Mayo sauce
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 2 tbsp Sriracha
• White rice, prepared
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
• Sesame seeds

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, rice wine, ginger, salt, and pepper.  Toss to coat.
2. Dredge the chicken in corn starch.  Make sure they're well coated.
3. Heat oil to 400°F for frying.  Fry the chicken in batches.  Let rest on paper towels when done frying.
4. For the sauce, combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring it to a boil and let thicken for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Toss together the chicken with the sauce to coat.
6. To prepare the noodles, bring a large pot of water to a boil  Add the noodles and cook according to package directions.
7. Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan.  Saute the onion until tender.  Add the bell pepper and broccoli, and cook until just becoming tender, but still a little crisp.
8. Drain the noodles and add to the vegetables in the frying pan, along with the unagi sauce.  Toss together and remove from the heat.
9. For the Sriracha mayo, mix the two ingredients together.  Put in a squeeze bottle for easier servings.
10. To assemble the bowls, put a scoop of rice at the bottom of the bowl.  Top with lettuce, followed by a serving of the noodles & vegetables.  Top with some popcorn chicken, drizzle with Sriracha mayo, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Adapted from My Korean Kitchen and Every Day Jenny.