Dakbokkeumtang (Braised Spicy Chicken)

Ingredients

• Chicken, cut up · ~1kg, in bite-size pieces1 whole
• Potatoes · in big chunks2 each
• Carrot1 each
• Onion1 each
• Green onion1 stalk
• Cheongyang chili · to taste2 each
• Glass noodles · optional, soaked1 handful
• Water500 ml
• Seasoning paste
• Gochugaru (chili flakes)3 tbsp
• Gochujang1 tbsp
• Soy sauce4 tbsp
• Sugar / corn syrup1 tbsp
• Minced garlic1 tbsp
• Minced ginger0.5 tsp
• Cooking wine2 tbsp
• Black pepper0.25 tsp

Steps

1. Blanch the chicken in boiling water 1-2 minutes to remove fat and off-smells, then rinse.

   ⏲ 3 min

2. Mix all the seasoning paste ingredients.

   ⏲ 2 min

3. Add the chicken, water, and half the paste to a pot; boil hard, then lower to medium and cook 10 minutes.

   ⏲ 10 min

4. Add the potato, carrot, onion, and the rest of the paste; braise 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

   ⏲ 20 min

5. Add the soaked glass noodles, green onion, and chili; simmer 5 more minutes until the sauce reduces.

   ⏲ 5 min

6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve. Great mixed into rice.

Tips & Variations

The basics behind this dish

• Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
• Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
• Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.