Korean Dakdoritang Spicy Chicken Stew
Dakdoritang Chicken Stew
A hearty Korean dakdoritang with bone-in chicken, potatoes, carrots, onion, and a spicy-sweet gochugaru sauce simmered until rich and glossy.
Dakdoritang, also called dakbokkeumtang, is a Korean chicken stew built around a bold red pepper sauce and sturdy vegetables. The chicken simmers with potatoes, carrots, and onion until the sauce thickens enough to coat every piece.
Bone-in chicken gives the broth more body and stays juicy through the simmer. Cutting the potatoes into large chunks keeps them from falling apart, while the carrots bring enough sweetness to balance the heat from gochugaru and gochujang.
The sauce should taste spicy, savory, slightly sweet, and garlicky before it goes into the pot. As it cooks down with the chicken juices, it becomes glossy and concentrated; a final splash of sesame oil rounds out the chile heat without making the stew heavy.
Serve dakdoritang with steamed rice and something crisp or fermented on the side, such as kimchi or cucumber salad. The leftover sauce is excellent spooned over rice, so keep the stew saucy rather than reducing it completely dry.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
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1
Place the chicken pieces in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes, then drain, rinse the chicken, and wipe out the pot to remove scum.
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2
Whisk the garlic, ginger, gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, rice syrup, mirin, sesame oil, and 2 1/2 cups water in a bowl until the gochujang loosens into a smooth sauce.
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3
Return the chicken to the clean pot and pour the sauce over it. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer.
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4
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, turning the chicken once so the pieces season evenly.
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5
Add the potatoes, carrots, and onion. Stir gently, cover again, and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are nearly tender.
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6
Uncover the pot and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes more, spooning sauce over the chicken, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce looks glossy but still spoonable.
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7
Stir in most of the scallions and cook for 1 minute. Taste the sauce and adjust with a little more soy sauce or honey if needed.
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8
Transfer the stew to a deep serving dish, scatter with the remaining scallions and sesame seeds, and serve hot with steamed rice.
Ingredients
- Bone-In Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks, trimmed:3 lb
- Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks:1 1/4 lb
- Carrots, cut into thick pieces:2 medium
- Yellow Onion, cut into wedges:1 large
- Scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces:4
- Garlic Cloves, minced:6
- Fresh Ginger, grated:1 tbsp
- Korean Gochugaru:3 tbsp
- Gochujang:2 tbsp
- Soy Sauce:1/3 cup
- Rice Syrup or Honey:2 tbsp
- Mirin:2 tbsp
- Toasted Sesame Oil:1 tbsp
- Water:2 1/2 cups
- Toasted Sesame Seeds:1 tsp
- Steamed Rice, for serving:4 cups
Tips & Notes
- Parboiling the chicken first gives the finished sauce a cleaner taste and clearer color.
- Use Korean gochugaru rather than generic crushed red pepper; it has a fruitier heat and better color for this stew.
- If the sauce reduces too quickly before the potatoes are tender, add a splash of water and keep simmering.
- For a milder stew, reduce the gochugaru to 2 tablespoons while keeping the gochujang for body.
