Spicy Korean Chicken Stew
Spicy Korean chicken stew—dakdoritang—is one of those dishes that hits every time. It’s bold, spicy, slightly sweet, and deeply savory with tender chicken, soft potatoes, and a rich, chili-forward broth.
It’s the kind of meal that feels like comfort food but still has serious flavor punch.
This version keeps it authentic while staying simple enough to execute at home.
Ingredients
Protein & Base
2–2.5 lbs chicken thighs and drumsticks (bone-in, skin-on preferred)
2 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, sliced
1 carrot, cut into chunks (optional but recommended)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 scallion
2 serrano peppers, sliced
Sauce
2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
1–2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, adjust heat)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp mirin (or rice wine)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1–2 cups water or chicken broth
Finish
1–2 green onions, chopped
Optional: fresh chili peppers for extra heat
Instructions
Prep your base
Score your chicken, or cut into large chunks if needed.
Chop potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, scallions, and ginger.
Add sauce
Add gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin.
Mix everything well so the sauce dissolves into the broth.
Pour in a bowl over chicken, onions, scallions, garlic, ginger
Build the stew
In a large pot, add chicken and sauce mixture
Pour in water or broth just until everything is mostly covered.
Bring to a boil, then simmer
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce to medium-low and simmer for 20–30 minutes.
Stir occasionally so nothing sticks.
Add vegetables
Add potatoes and carrots
Cover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes
Reduce and intensify
Let the broth reduce slightly, it should thicken and cling to the chicken.
Add sesame oil toward the end.
Finish
Toss in green onions, sesame seed, serrano peppers, scallions
Simmer another 2–3 minutes.