Dakdoritang is one of my favorite Korean comfort meals. It’s a spicy chicken stew that is very easy to make and it’s SO good with rice and potatoes.

This dish is a family favorite, especially with the men in my family. My husband and dad both LOVE Dakdoritang, because it is such a hearty, filling, tasty meal when served with a fresh bowl of rice.

What is dakdoritang?

Dakdoritang is a Korean spicy chicken stew that is traditionally made with a whole chicken, cut up into pieces. It it sweet, spicy, savory, and has potatoes and carrots that are beautifully braised in the delicious sauce.

Dakdoritang is also known as dakbokkeumtang. The name “dakdoritang” is somewhat controversial since it is believed to use a loan word from the Japanese language (“dori”), but this is still highly debated today. I grew up calling it Dakdoritang so that’s what I will continue to call it.

My tips for the best Dakdoritang

To take Dakdoritang to the next level, I like to add Buldak ramyun sauce. This ingredient is not required but highly recommended!

You can buy this at most Asian supermarkets. If you can’t find it, you can also order it on Amazon. I use the extra 2x spicy one available here, but you can opt for the mild version here if your spice tolerance isn’t that high (affiliate).

This sauce is SO tasty. It really adds some depth of amazing flavor and kicks up the spice as well. I started adding this to my dakdoritang a few years ago and now its the only way I will make it. It really reminds me of the super delicious flavor from the dakdoritang you get at restaurants in Korea.

Another tip is to use chicken stock instead of just water for the braising sauce. This just adds a little more flavor and trust me, it’s worth it! I use Knorr chicken bouillon (affiliate). This is my go-to ingredient for extremely delicious chicken.

Ingredients

• Chicken- a cut up whole chicken is traditionally used for this dish, but I prefer to use medium sized drumsticks. You can remove the skin to make it a bit healthier but I keep it on for the flavor. I also make 2-3 slashes into the meatiest part of the drumstick.
• Braising Sauce– I use a mixture of soy sauce, gochugaru, gochujang, garlic, ginger, dwenjang, and sugar. It is thinned out with chicken stock, and I also add diced onions and the white parts of a green onion. For the chicken stock, I just mix 1 tsp of Knorr chicken bouillon with 1 1/4 cups of hot water. 
• Potatoes & Carrots – these are arguably the best parts of Dakdoritang to me. The veggies become so soft and are SO delicious when absorbed in the braising sauce! I add one each but feel free to add more or less of whatever you prefer. 
• Peppers- I’m using Serrano peppers because I like the flavor and the added spice, but you can use milder peppers if you prefer. Jalapeños or Korean peppers are common options.
• Finishing-  some people like their Dakdoritang with sesame oil while others do not. Either way, it should be added last when the dish is pretty much done cooking. It’s important not to add too much- sesame oil is very strong in flavor and can overpower everything. Before serving, I also garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onion. 

How to make dakdoritang

One thing I really love about dakdoritang is that it is extremely easy to make, and you can have dinner on the table in less than an hour. It also has so much flavor that you don’t really even need banchan to accompany your meal- this is great just with rice.

All you have to do is toss the chicken in the seasoning sauce, put it in a pot with chicken stock and cook it for roughly 45 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, & peppers about halfway through the cooking process, then drizzle some sesame oil, sesame seeds, & chopped green onion at the end.

Where to buy the ingredients for this dish

If you don’t have an Asian supermarket near you, try looking in the international aisle at your local grocery store. If they don’t carry it, you can purchase them on Amazon: 

Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) 

Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

Dwenjang (fermented soybean paste)

2x Spicy Buldak sauce

Spicy Buldak Sauce

The shelf life for all of these ingredients is very long, in case you are wondering if it is even worth it to buy. I’m confident you will use them up before they go bad.  

Helpful tips

• Be careful not to let the bottom burn. I check on the chicken occasionally and stir to make sure that doesn’t happen. Since this dish has sugar in the sauce, it can burn quickly if you don’t watch it.
• Whenever I’m making dishes that require a thick sauce that sticks to the container, I collect the leftover sauce by adding a bit of liquid to it and mixing/scraping until it is clean. You can use the chicken stock for this then add it into the pot.