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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)
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.
Korean Spicy Chicken Stew (Dakdoritang)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs bone-in chicken, drumsticks recommended
- 1 russet potato
- 1 large carrot
- 1 serrano pepper, optional
- 1 1/4 cup chicken stock, I use 1 tsp Knorr chicken bouillon + water
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 green onion
Braising Sauce
- 3 tbsp gochugaru, (Korean red pepper flakes)
- 2 tbsp gochujang, (Korean red pepper paste)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp dwenjang, (Korean fermented soybean paste)
- 2 tsp Buldak spicy ramen sauce, optional
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 diced onion
Instructions
- Combine all of the braising sauce ingredients together. Add the bottom half of the green onion to this sauce (white/light green).
- Make 2-3 slashes into the drumsticks, then toss it in the sauce until well coated.
- Put the chicken into a shallow pot. Use the chicken stock to collect any leftover sauce in the mixing bowl then add it to the pot.
- Bring to a boil then cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the bottom does not burn.
- After 20 minutes, add the potatoes, carrots, and peppers. Mix well so that the potatoes and carrots are mostly submerged in the sauce. Cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
- Stir occasionally, and spoon the sauce over the chicken and veggies.
- When the potato is just about chopstick tender, uncover and drizzle over the sesame oil. Stir and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened.
- Turn off the heat then top with sesame seeds and chopped green onion. Serve with rice and enjoy 🙂
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just wow.. I made this recipe today for a dinner party I hosted and everyone loved it!
Easy to make and so full of taste with few ingredients. Definitely going to make this one more often.
Simply amazing! I make it once a week b/c I cannot get enough of it. Sometimes I use potatoes and carrots, sometimes I make it with rice cakes, and sometimes I use mushrooms. It’s super easy and quick to make, which is a plus. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe.
My housemate and I love this recipe!! We have never had a Stella recipe that wasn’t a hit, but this is one is just extra delicious and so simple to make. Thank you!
I’ve tried so many dakdoritang recipes and this is IT! Spicy, sweet and savoy flavor every time. I have this recipe saved and make it about once a month because it’s so easy, quick and fail proof!
I was craving this from my childhood and made it this week. the sauce is SO good and felt nostalgic eating it with a bowl of rice. Will be another go to recipe of Stella’s in my book!
my go to recipe!
This was one of my fave recipes and love making it. It’s just so so good! And this was one dish i made for my dad and he said 밥도둑. Its my comfort food and im glad i had the chance to make it for him before he passed
Great recipe! Always check here first when attempting recipes like this. The chicken falls off the bone!
This is my fav!!! Made it the other day and added potato startch noodles. Soo good!
Such a quick, easy and yummy recipe! My fam loves when I make it for them!
I tried and love this recipe! It has been my go-to recipe when I’m craving this dish. 😋