Korean Braised Chicken with Vegetables

i was looking for a korean stew dish but without kimchi, so i decided to try this out. Plus chef maangchi is hilarious, just watch the video.

https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dakjjim

Total preparation time: 50 mins to 1 hour

Serving: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 900g-1kg (2 lbs) chicken thighs (or breasts) or wings

  • 100g starch noodles

  • 1/4-1/3 cup minced garlic

  • 1 tbsp minced ginger

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

  • 1/4 cup oyster sauce

  • 1/4 cup rice syrup (or corn syrup)

  • 1 tbsp dark brown sugar

  • 3 medium sized potatoes, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

  • 1 medium size carrot, slice into 1/8 inch thick

  • 1 red chilli pepper and 2 green chilli pepper, chopped

  • 1 cup of mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces

  • 5-7 green onions

  • 2-3 dried red peppers, cut into 1/2 inch long

  • 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

  • 2½-3 cups of water

  • 2 tsp ground black pepper

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil

Method:

  1. Trim the excess fat from the chicken thighs and cut them into bite-sized pieces (1 inch x 2½ inches).

  2. Rinse the chicken in cold water and soak it for a few minutes. Drain and set aside.

  3. Soak 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of starch noodles in cold water.

  4. Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice syrup, and dark brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.

  5. Prep the garlic, ginger and potatoes. For the green onions, cut the stalks into 2 inch long pieces and shred the white parts thinly lengthwise and soak in water for 10 minutes before draining.

  6. Heat up a wok or a shallow skillet. Add 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil. Add the dried chillis to the heated oil and stir-fry for 10-15 seconds before taking them out. Then add the chicken (try to place the chicken on the edge of the pot then push them in with a wooden spoon).

  7. Stir the chicken with a wooden spoon a few times. Let it cook with the lid open for about 3-5 minutes. Turn the chicken over, give it a quick stir, and let it cook with the lid open for another 3-5 minutes.

  8. Add minced garlic and ginger and stir it for a minute. Add the potato chunks, the sauce, and 2½-3 cups of water. Cook for 10 minutes over high heat with the lid closed.

  9. cut the onion and carrot. then Open the lid and add carrot and onion and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Keep the lid open.

  10. cut mushrooms, cucumber and chili peppers. drain noodles.

  11. Add the noodles, sliced red pepper, green chili peppers, white mushrooms, and cucumber. Keep stirring for 7-10 minutes over high heat until the braising liquid has thickened and the noodles look translucent.

  12. Turn off the heat and add 2 tsp ground black pepper and 1 tbsp sesame oil. Mix it together.

  13. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with chopped green onions and sprinkle some sesame seeds over top before serving.

This was very good, sweet and spicy and a lot of flavor. i could have easily made half of the recipe and it would have still been plenty for us. it would have also fit better in the pan. you can either prep the vegetables and all the INGREDIENTS beforehand but you can also do it while the stew is cooking as you need several minutes between each addition of ingredients, which gives you time to cut the vegetables.

the chilis did add quite a punch to the dish but then the braising liquid has that sweetness which then balances the spiciness. the fresh green onions give a bit of rawness and additional freshness to the dish. rice isn’t so necessary as you already have quite a lot of carbs from the potatoes and noodles but it does also help mellow out the spiciness if it is a bit too hot. overall i would make this again but i might stick to chicken thighs and breasts as it can get a bit messy with the chicken legs.

cooking, koreanJackie Wongbraised, chicken, spicy, sweetComment