Dakgalbi
Fiery gochujang chicken fried on the hob with sweet potato, cabbage and chewy tteok — sticky, shareable Korean comfort food.
Dakgalbi is a joyful Korean dish built on bold gochujang heat, caramelised chicken and chewy tteok. It’s exactly the sort of sticky, shareable supper you want for a casual Friday night.
It cooks quickly once the chicken has marinated, so it’s perfect for a sociable meal — serve from the pan with lettuce leaves or steamed rice and get everyone to tuck in.
Ingredients
- 600 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 60 g gochujang
- 15 ml gochugaru
- 30 ml light soy sauce
- 15 ml honey
- 25 g brown sugar
- 15 ml sesame oil
- 6 garlic cloves — crushed
- 15 g fresh ginger — grated
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 200 g tteok — if frozen, separate before cooking
- 300 g sweet potato — peeled and sliced 5 mm thick
- 200 g white cabbage — shredded
- 100 g carrot — thinly sliced
- 3 spring onions — chopped on the diagonal
- 15 ml sesame seeds — to garnish
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — to taste
Equipment
- grater
- tongs
- spatula
Instructions
Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs and slice into 2–3 cm bite-sized pieces.
Make the marinade in a bowl: whisk together gochujang, gochugaru, light soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, sesame oil, crushed garlic cloves and grated fresh ginger until smooth; season with a little black pepper and sea salt.
Transfer the chicken to a shallow bowl, pour the marinade over and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables and tteok: slice the sweet potato 5 mm thick, shred the white cabbage, thinly slice the carrot and chop the spring onions.
Heat a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium–high hob flame. Add the vegetable oil, then add the marinated chicken in a single layer. Leave undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir and fry until the chicken is mostly cooked and the marinade has started to caramelise, about 8 minutes total.
Add the sweet potato and carrot to the pan and toss so they pick up the sauce. Continue to fry for 6 minutes until the sweet potato is tender but still holding shape.
Stir in the shredded white cabbage and the tteok, press down, then cover the pan and cook for 6 minutes so the cabbage wilts and the tteok softens.
Uncover, toss everything together and cook uncovered for 1 minute to reduce any excess liquid. Stir through the chopped spring onions and scatter over the sesame seeds; finish with a drizzle of extra sesame oil if you like.
Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and black pepper, then transfer to a warm platter. Serve straight from the pan — great with lettuce leaves, steamed rice or kimchi.
Tips
- If your tteok is frozen, separate the pieces before cooking and briefly soak in warm water for 5–10 minutes; drain well before adding to the pan.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when searing the chicken — work in batches if necessary to get proper caramelisation.
- Adjust the heat by varying the gochugaru and honey — less gochugaru softens the chili hit, more honey will accentuate the glaze.
- Leftovers reheat well in a frying pan over medium heat; add a splash of water to loosen the sauce and cover for a minute if the rice cakes have stiffened.
- For a lower-salt version use half the light soy sauce and add a pinch more sugar or honey to balance the flavour.
Substitutions
boneless skinless chicken thighs → chicken breast, same weight
Noticeably differenttteok → extra sweet potato or parboiled new potatoes, same weight
Stays closegochujang → mild chilli paste plus 1 tsp miso (to add umami), equal volume
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 560
- Calories
- 29 g
- Protein
- 60 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 18 g
- Sugar
- 780 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this gluten-free?
Use a gluten-free gochujang and tamari instead of light soy sauce — check labels carefully as many gochujang brands contain wheat.
How spicy will this be?
Moderately spicy: gochujang gives warmth and depth rather than pure heat. Reduce the gochugaru or use less gochujang for a milder dish.
Can I prepare this ahead?
You can marinate the chicken for up to 2 hours ahead. Do not marinate overnight as the paste can turn the texture of the meat slightly mushy.
What if my tteok is hard?
Soak frozen or hard tteok in warm water for 5–10 minutes before cooking; if still firm, add a splash of water during the covered cooking step and give an extra minute.
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