There are cozy chicken dishes, tasty but maybe a tad predictable… and then there’s this Spicy Korean Braised Chicken, known as Dakbokkeumtang.
This beloved Korean braised chicken dish is bold, fiery, and unapologetically garlicky. Tender chicken simmers with potatoes and onions in a deeply savory sauce made with gochujang and gochugaru, creating a stew that’s rich, spicy, and just a little bit sweet. It’s the kind of dish that demands a bowl of rice and maybe a nap afterward.
The magic here is in the balance. The heat from the Korean chili flakes is layered and complex, the fermented depth of gochujang brings body, and the potatoes soak up all that flavor like little flavor bombs. By the time the sauce reduces and gets spooned back over the chicken, everything is glossy, sticky, and intensely satisfying.
This is rustic Korean home cooking at its best — simple ingredients, one pot, big payoff, so let’s get into it.
One of my favorite things about this spicy Korean braised chicken is how it tastes like it was an all day, labor-intensive affair, but thanks to some powerful pantry ingredients, it’s actually a breeze that comes together in just a little over an hour.
I start by making a quick marinade for the chicken that is so flavorful you might want to borrow it for everything from grilled meats to tofu. Loads of garlic, smoky sweet gochujang, fruity hot Korean red pepper flakes, savory soy sauce, and a little sugar to balance it all out.
Put all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl:
Whisk all the ingredients together…
…until smooth:
Then the chicken gets added to the marinade:
It only needs to marinate for 20-30 minutes, and then it’s time to cook our spicy Korean braised chicken.
You’re going to want to reach for a heavy-bottomed pot for this, like a dutch oven. Add the chicken, with all of the marinade, along with potatoes and onions:
Bring the stew to a simmer, and let it simmer for 40 minutes, skimming the top occasionally to remove any scum that rises to the surface. Flip the chicken pieces over as well so that they cook evenly.
At this point the chicken should be cooked through. Remove it with the veggies to a deep serving platter. Now we’re going to reduce the sauce for a few minutes until it becomes a rich, syrupy glaze that clings beautifully to the chicken. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until thickened.
Pour in the toasted sesame oil:
Then that gorgeous glossy sauce gets poured all over the chicken. I like to garnish with some sliced scallion greens for a little color:
I can’t wait for you to try this Spicy Korean Braised Chicken, it really is all your winter time dinner dreams come true! Let me know what you think down below, and don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
Part of the Gochujang Gang? Check out more of these recipes featuring Korea’s iconic smoky-sweet-spicy paste:
Vegetarian Bibimbap, Rosé Rabokki, Tofu Terrine, and this Korean Meatloaf!
Spicy Korean Braised Chicken
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 2-4 1x
- Category: soups, stews
- Cuisine: korean
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings or chicken thighs
- 2 cups water
- 1 large onion, cut into large dice (about 2 cups)
- 1 large boiling potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into a large 2” dice
- 2 green onions, trimmed and minced
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Marinade:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 12 cloves of garlic, minced
- ¼ cup gochujang hot pepper paste
- ¼ cup Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
Make the marinade:
Combine the soy sauce, garlic, gochujang, hot pepper flakes, ground black pepper, and sugar in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the chicken wings and mix well, coating the chicken with the marinade. Let the chicken sit for 15-30 minutes.
Cook the stew:
Place the chicken (including all of the marinade) in a large dutch oven and add the water, onions and potatoes. Bring the pot to a simmer over high heat and then lower the heat to medium, cover with a lid, and simmer for 40 minutes. Skim the surface of protein and scum as needed and occasionally turn the chicken so that they are cooking evenly.
Reduce the sauce:
Transfer the chicken and potatoes to a large deep platter. Turn the heat up to medium high and cook off some of the water to reduce the sauce, 3-5 minutes. Add the scallions and sesame and stir. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.
Keywords: korean, spicy, stew, comfort food, winter, chicken
The sequence here makes a lot of sense: a short 20–30 minute marinade for the chicken, a gentle 40-minute simmer with the potatoes and onions, and then a separate reduction at the end so the sauce turns glossy without overcooking everything. Gochujang and gochugaru together should give more depth than simply making the dish hot, especially with the garlic and small amount of sugar balancing them. I’d definitely serve this in a deep bowl with plain rice so none of that reduced sauce is lost.