Dakgalbi (Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken)
Local name: 닭갈비
In short: Chicken thigh pieces in a fiery gochujang sauce, stir-fried with cabbage, sweet potato and rice cakes in one big pan, a favorite from Chuncheon. It takes about 50 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Resting
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 585 kcal
Dakgalbi is the spicy chicken dish the city of Chuncheon is known for, and friends gather around a big pan of it to cook and eat together. Chicken thighs marinate in gochujang, chili flakes, garlic and a little sugar, then cook with cabbage, sweet potato and chewy rice cakes until the sauce clings. Many families finish the meal by frying rice in the leftover sauce in the same pan.
Instructions
- Mix the chicken with the gochujang, chili flakes, soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and pepper. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
- If the rice cakes are hard or frozen, soak them in cold water for 15 minutes and drain.
- Heat the oil in a large, wide, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook the sweet potato and onion for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Push the vegetables to the side, add the chicken with all its marinade and cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until the surface turns opaque.
- Add the cabbage, rice cakes and water. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken reaches 74°C (165°F) and the sweet potato is tender.
- Uncover and add the perilla leaves and scallions. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and clings to everything.
- Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve straight from the pan with rice and lettuce leaves for wrapping.
Tips
- Use thighs, not breast. They stay juicy in the hot sauce, while breast meat dries out quickly.
- To finish the traditional way, add 2 cups of cooked rice, a drizzle of sesame oil and shredded seaweed to the leftover sauce, then press and fry until the bottom is crisp.
Questions and answers
What is dakgalbi?
Dakgalbi is spicy stir-fried chicken with vegetables and rice cakes, a specialty of Chuncheon. The name means chicken ribs, but today it is usually made with boneless thighs.
How spicy is dakgalbi?
Medium-hot. For a milder version, use 1 tablespoon of chili flakes and an extra teaspoon of sugar, and leave the gochujang quantity as it is.
What do you serve with dakgalbi?
Steamed rice, lettuce leaves for wrapping and pickled radish. Many people end the meal with fried rice made in the leftover sauce.
How long does it take to make Dakgalbi (Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken)?
About 50 min in total: 25 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Dakgalbi (Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken)?
About 585 kcal per serving, with 38 g of protein, 62 g of carbohydrates and 21 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 585 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 38 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| Fat | 21 g |
| Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 17 g |
| Sodium | 950 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
