Let me be the first to warn you: you may be tempted to scrape off every bit of this classic Korean dish from your plate after eating it. Yes, it is that good. Dak Bokkeum Tang 닭볶음탕, Spicy Korean Chicken Stew is a timeless flavorful, hearty dish anyone can enjoy.

Dak 닭  means “chicken,” bokkeum 볶음 means “stir-fry” and tang 탕 means “hot soup.” Essentially it’s chicken stir-fry hot soup. A really good one. The combination of chicken and vegetables give this dish it’s rich, nutritious taste.

While some people may use the whole chicken, breast, or wings chicken to make this dish, I used filet chicken thighs. The meat is flat with skin.

Recently I realized I shared a blog post about Dak Bokkeum Tang in My Favorite Spicy Korean Sauce. I used the Beksul Dak-Bokkeum-Tang Yangnyeum Spicy Sauce for Braised Chicken. At the time, I thought this sauce was so delicious. It still is. But freshly made sauce is even better. To minimize the cooking time (total 45 minutes – 1 hour), I prepared and refrigerated everything the night before (except the potatoes and carrots). The next day, when I was ready to cook, I chopped the potatoes and carrots then transferred everything to the pot.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of boneless filet chicken thighs (chopped to 2 inch pieces)
• 2 small or medium potatoes (chopped to 2 inch pieces)
• 1 carrot (chopped)
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 1 – 2 green chili pepper (chopped)
• 1 stalk of green onion (chopped)
• 2 pinches of black pepper
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of milk
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds (for garnish)

Sauce:

• 3.5 – 4 tablespoons Korean hot pepper paste (고추장 gochujang)
• 2 – 3 Korean hot pepper flakes
• 1 – 1.5 tablespoon of garlic (minced) or more for a garlicky taste
• 1 tablespoon of Mirim 미림 – Korean cooking wine
• 2 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 2 – 3 tablespoons of rice Oligo syrup or sugar

Let’s Prepare

The chicken 

Chop the chicken in 2 ½  inch pieces. Place the pieces in a bowl. In the same bowl, add one teaspoon of milk, one tablespoon of Mirim, two pinches of black pepper, and one pinch of salt then mix. Cover the chicken and refrigerate for 30 mins to 2 hours. I cooked mine the next day.

The sauce

Add all your ingredients in a bowl and mix well. To make it more spicy, add an additional green chili pepper. For a sweeter sauce, add more Oligo rice syrup or sugar. For some, rice Oligo syrup is considered a healthier form of sugar.

Let’s Cook

In a large pot or deep pan, place the chicken on the bottom, add the onion, potatoes and carrots on top. (You can add the peppers now or ten minutes before turning off the heat.) 

Next add the sauce and 1 ½ cups of water then mix the sauce into all the ingredients. Cover the pot and set to medium/high heat. Let it cook for 30 – 40 minutes or until the potatoes and chicken have cooked thoroughly. Stir occasionally.

Let’s Eat

If you cooked in a pot, use a ladle to scoop all that goodness on to your serving plate. Heads up, this sauce is delicious so prepare a big bowl of rice, side dishes and get ready to happily eat your Dak Bokkeum Tang.

Mas-issge deuseyo 맛있게 드세요. Enjoy our meal!