tonight's midnight meal

dakdoritang, the spicy chicken stew that simmers down slow

Name: dakdoritang, the spicy chicken stew that simmers down slow
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: about 1 hour
Yield: 3–4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 kg bone-in chicken, cut into small chunks (skin and bone on); 2–3 potatoes, peeled and cut into big rustic chunks; 1 carrot, rolling-cut into big chunks; ½–1 onion, cut into wedges; 2 green onions + 1–2 green chiles, sliced on the bias; the sauce: 2–3 Tbsp gochujang, 2–3 Tbsp gochugaru, 4 Tbsp soy sauce, 1.5–2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp minced ginger, 2 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp sesame oil; 1.5–3 cups water or anchovy-kelp stock

⏱ about 1 hour🍽 3–4, or one very hungry midnight

Ingredients · tap to check

1 kg bone-in chicken, cut into small chunks (skin and bone on)
2–3 potatoes, peeled and cut into big rustic chunks
1 carrot, rolling-cut into big chunks
½–1 onion, cut into wedges
2 green onions + 1–2 green chiles, sliced on the bias
the sauce: 2–3 Tbsp gochujang, 2–3 Tbsp gochugaru, 4 Tbsp soy sauce, 1.5–2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp minced ginger, 2 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp sesame oil
1.5–3 cups water or anchovy-kelp stock

The Way

Cut the chicken into small bone-in pieces, then blanch in boiling water for 1 minute and rinse. This pulls off the foam and blood so the broth stays clean and a clear deep red.
Cut the potatoes and carrot into big rustic chunks so they hold their shape in the braise, the onion into wedges, the green onion and chile on the bias.
Stir the sauce together in a bowl: gochujang, gochugaru, soy, sugar, garlic, ginger, mirin, into a glossy deep-red paste.
Add the blanched chicken, the sauce, and the water to a pot. Cover and boil hard for 10 to 15 minutes so the chicken drinks in the color.
Add the potato, carrot, and onion. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until a chopstick slides through the potato.
Uncover and turn the heat up for the last 5 minutes. Reduce it down until the broth turns thick and glossy and clings to the chicken, spooning it over as it goes.
Finish with the green onion, chile, and sesame oil. Ladle it over rice, dip a spoonful of rice halfway into the broth, lay a piece of fall-off-the-bone chicken on top, and take the bite.

midnight tip. cut the potatoes big. small pieces melt into the broth, but big rustic chunks stay tender in the middle and soak up the red without falling apart.

Questions

can I use boneless chicken?

you can, but bone-in is the point. the bones give the broth its body and the meat stays juicier through the long braise. boneless thighs work in a pinch, just simmer a little less so they don't dry out.

why blanch the chicken first?

a quick one-minute boil pulls the foam and blood out of bone-in chicken, so the finished broth is clean and a clear deep red instead of muddy.

how do I make it less spicy?

pull back the gochugaru (the flakes) first, not the gochujang. most of the heat lives in the flakes, while the gochujang carries the deep savory-sweet base. skip the fresh green chile at the end too.

dakdoritang, the spicy chicken stew that simmers down slow

Ingredients · tap to check

The Way

Questions

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