Pa-Dak Jeon (Korean Spring Onion Chicken Pancake)

He may not wear chef whites, but when Korean singer Lee Chan-won cooked this crispy chicken and green onion pancake on TV, the internet lost its mind—some even swore it beats fried chicken. What sets it apart? Juicy chunks of chicken and fiery chilies tucked into a golden pancake, crowned with a fresh sexy scallion “salad” for that cool crunch. Yes, I pour the sauce directly on top. I refuse to relegate it to the side like some sort of condiment afterthought. The pancake deserves better—and so do you. It’s light, punchy, and satisfying in every bite. Who says you can’t serve chart-toppers on a plate?

Ingredients

Serves 1-2

Dipping Sauce:

3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1⁄2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1⁄2 tsp white sugar
2 1⁄4 tsp roasted sesame oil
1 1⁄2 tsp garlic, grated
3⁄4 tsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)

Pancake:

65g (about 4) green spring onions / scallions
300g chicken thigh or breast (boneless and skinless), cut into 2cm / 3⁄4 inch sized pieces
1⁄4 tsp Kosher or sea salt
3-4 good grinds of fresh black pepper
1 1⁄2 Tbsp mirin
6 Tbsp potato starch or Korean pancake mix (Buchimgaru)
1 to 2 spicy green chilies, such as Thai bird, (optional– but, highly suggested!), thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil

Method

First, make the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and gochugaru. Set aside.
Next, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Shred the spring onions by cutting them into pieces around 5 cm long, then slice them thinly lengthwise. Soak them in the ice water for 5–10 minutes to make them curl up and remove any bitterness.
Place the chicken pieces into a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper and mirin, then leave to marinate for about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the potato starch and 4 Tbsp of water. Add the chicken and all of the marinade to this mixture and stir well to coat evenly. Mix in the sliced chilies. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste, and mix well.
Place a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add a generous amount of oil. Spread the chicken and batter out evenly in one layer, making a large round shaped pancake. Cook for about 3–4 minutes on one side until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side for the same amount of time. Add more oil as necessary.
While the pancake is cooking, drain the spring onions well, and pat dry using kitchen towels. Once the pancake is done cooking, transfer to a serving plate. Top with the spring onions and serve immediately with the prepared dipping sauce.

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