Korean Braised Gochujang Chicken
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I don’t know about you, but when the evenings start to cool, I crave something hearty that fills the kitchen with irresistible smells. This Korean braised gochujang chicken is exactly that. It’s all in one pot, no fuss, no mess. By the time you’re ready to eat, the chicken turns beautifully tender, the potatoes soak up all that flavour and the sauce brings a perfect balance of sweet, spicy and savoury. It’s the kind of dish that feels like a warm hug on a plate.
What is Korean Braised Gochujang Chicken (Dak-bokkeum-tang)?
Dak-bokkeum-tang is a classic Korean chicken stew where pieces of chicken are slowly braised in a sauce centred on gochujang, Korea’s fermented chilli paste. The result is a fragrant, spicy sauce that clings to each tender piece of chicken and soft vegetables. Every spoonful has layers of sweetness from mirin and honey, heat from chilli flakes and deep savoury notes from soy and gochujang.
What’s the deal with braising in the sauce?
Braising is the secret to ultimate tenderness. Instead of pan-frying each piece separately, you simmer the chicken gently in a seasoned liquid. That means the meat absorbs all the flavours as it cooks low and slow, so you end up with chicken that practically falls off the bone. Plus, by adding the sauce ingredients directly into the pot, there’s no extra step making a separate marinade, everything melds together in one beautiful braise.
Special Ingredient Notes
- Gochujang: This is the star of the show, a fermented Korean chilli paste that brings a balanced heat, subtle sweetness and deep umami. If you can’t find it in every supermarket, look in the Asian section or a local Korean grocer.
- Mirin: A sweet rice wine that adds brightness and helps give the sauce a glossy finish. If you can’t find mirin, a dry white wine plus 1 tsp sugar will work in a pinch.
- Gochugaru chilli flakes: Korean gochugaru are a mild chilli flake with a bright red colour. But any low-heat chilli flakes will do. They layer extra heat without overpowering the dish. Be sure to test out your chilli flakes before you add them though. Make sure they’re not too hot for your chilli tolerance! And to keep things super mild, replace with 1 tbsp sweet paprika…that way you get the colour without the heat.
- Bay leaves: A simple herb that gives a subtle herbal note to the broth, don’t skip them, they help round out the sauce.
What You Need
- Chicken pieces
- Potatoes
- Bay leaves
- Gochujang
- Cochugaru chilli flakes
- White sugar
- Soy sauce
- Mirin
- Honey
- Sea salt
- Black pepper powder
- Carrot
- Brown onions
- Garlic cloves
- Red chillies
- Spring onions
- Steamed rice
Add 4 cups of water and place the pan over high heat until just simmering. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. During this time, the chicken will absorb all the flavours and the potatoes will start to soften.
Remove the lid and add the carrot and onion chunks. Cover again and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are just tender. You should see the sauce reducing down and thickening slightly.
Gently stir through the chopped garlic, sliced red chillies and spring onion batons. Cover and simmer for another 2 minutes, which is just enough time to soften the spring onion without losing its bright colour.
Remove from heat and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Storage Tips
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. To reheat, transfer to a saucepan and warm over low heat, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.
SERVES
4
