Dak-galbi (Chuncheon Spicy Chicken)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch cast-iron skillet, wide heavy saute pan, or tabletop electric griddle
• •Two wide spatulas for turning
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Kitchen scissors for cutting chicken at the table, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the sauce

   Stir together the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, maesil-cheong or rice syrup, sugar, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. Taste the sauce before it touches the chicken. It should be salty, warm, and lightly sweet, not candy-red. The cabbage and rice cakes will soften it later, so season it clearly now.

   Do not double the gochujang for color. Gochugaru brings cleaner heat and color, while too much paste makes the pan heavy and salty.
2. 2

   Marinate the chicken

   Add the chicken thigh pieces to the sauce and mix by hand until every piece is coated. Cover and marinate 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 6 hours in the refrigerator. Thigh meat can take the seasoning, but it does not need overnight. Longer than that and the garlic begins to bully the chicken.

3. 3

   Prepare the pan

   Set a wide cast-iron skillet, electric griddle, or heavy saute pan over medium heat and add the oil. Spread the cabbage across the bottom first, then scatter over the sweet potato, onion, carrot, and rice cakes. Put the marinated chicken and all its sauce on top. The cabbage goes underneath because it releases water and protects the sauce from burning before the chicken is cooked.

4. 4

   Cook without rushing

   Let the pan cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, then begin turning everything with two spatulas. Keep the heat at medium to medium-high, folding from the bottom so the cabbage and sauce trade places. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potato bends easily when pressed. If the pan threatens to scorch before the chicken is done, add only 1 tablespoon water at a time. You are helping the pan, not making soup.

5. 5

   Finish with greens

   Add the scallions and perilla leaves and fold for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the leaves darken and soften. Perilla is the breath of this dish, so do not cook it to nothing. Taste a piece of chicken and a rice cake together. If it needs salt, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce around the edge of the pan, not over one spot.

6. 6

   Serve the chicken

   Serve straight from the pan with rice, lettuce leaves if you like wrapping, and a plain soup or cool dongchimi beside it. Keep a few spoonfuls of sauce and vegetables in the pan for the fried rice. This is not thrift alone. It is the proper ending.

7. 7

   Fry the rice

   When most of the chicken is eaten, leave about 1/3 cup sauce and bits of cabbage in the pan. Add the cooked rice and chopped kimchi, then press and scrape for 4 to 5 minutes until the grains turn red and begin to toast against the pan. Stir in the crushed gim and 1 teaspoon sesame oil at the end, then scatter sesame seeds over the top. Eat from the pan while the bottom is still a little crisp.

Chef Tips

• •Use chicken thighs, not breast. Dak-galbi needs time in the pan with vegetables and sauce, and breast meat dries out before the sweet potato has finished cooking.
• •Cut the sweet potato no thicker than 1/4 inch. A thick chunk looks generous but stays hard, and then you overcook the chicken trying to fix it.
• •A tabletop electric griddle is a modern vessel that suits the dish well. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too. The safe corner to cut is the pan, not the layering, cutting, or final fried rice.
• •Cheese dak-galbi is a later restaurant habit and people enjoy it. If you add mozzarella, push the cooked chicken to one side, melt 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella on the other side, and eat it right away. Do not call the cheese necessary.
• •Serve something cool and plain beside it: dongchimi, cucumber muchim, or a light bean sprout soup. The table needs relief, not another loud red dish.

Advance Preparation

• •The sauce can be mixed up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Stir it well before using, because gochugaru thickens as it sits.
• •The chicken can marinate up to 6 hours ahead in the refrigerator. Bring it out 20 minutes before cooking so the pan temperature does not drop too sharply.
• •Cut the vegetables up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate them in separate containers. Keep the perilla leaves wrapped in a barely damp towel so they do not blacken.
• •Cook the rice for bokkeumbap earlier in the day and cool it. Fresh hot rice turns soft in the sauce; cooled rice fries cleanly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 460g)