Spicy Korean Chicken (Dakgalbi)
Chicken thighs, sweet potato and cabbage stir-fried in a fiery gochujang and gochugaru sauce. Even better with melted cheese on top.
makes 19 blocks, about 44p each
- Time
- 40 min20 min prep · 20 min cook
- Makes
- 19 blocks
- Cost per blockPer block
- 44p
- Calories per blockCalories
- 91 kcal
- Spice
- 4 of 5
You’ll need
- 700gchicken thigh fillets, 3cm pieces
- 300gsweet potato, 1cm batons
- 250gwhite cabbage, shredded
- 1 (150g)onion, sliced
- 70g (3½ tbsp)gochujang
- 6g (2 tsp)gochugaru or chilli flakes
- 30mlsoy sauce
- 15gsugar
- 5 cloves (25g)garlic
- 15gfresh ginger
- 10mlsesame oil
- 4 (60g)spring onions, sliced
- 10mlrapeseed oil
- 150mlwater
Allergens: Gluten, Sesame, Soya. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.
Serve it
Rice with kimchi · Topped with melted mozzarella, cheese-dakgalbi style · Wrapped in lettuce leaves
Method
- Step 1: Mix the gochujang, gochugaru, soy, sugar, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Toss the chicken in half of it and leave for 15 minutes.
- Step 2: Heat the oil in a large, wide pan over a medium-high heat and fry the sweet potato for 5 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the chicken and onion and fry for 6 minutes until the chicken is browned.
- Step 4: Add the cabbage, the rest of the sauce and the water. Cover and cook for 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potato is tender.
- Step 5: Uncover, bubble for 2 minutes until sticky, stir in the spring onions, cool and freeze in 70g blocks.
Milder: halve the gochugaru and use 2 tbsp gochujang.
| kcal | protein | carbs | fat | fibre | salt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per block | 91 | 8.2g | 7.9g | 3.1g | 1.2g | 0.55g |
| Per 3 blocks | 273 | 24.6g | 23.7g | 9.3g | 3.6g | 1.65g |
Cook’s notes
- For a 3, halve the gochugaru and use 2 tbsp gochujang.
- Melt mozzarella over the reheated blocks for cheese dakgalbi.
- Keep the sweet potato in thin batons so it cooks through in time.
Serve it
Rice with kimchi · Topped with melted mozzarella, cheese-dakgalbi style · Wrapped in lettuce leaves.
Freeze, reheat and serve
- Freeze
- Cool it within two hours, portion it into 70g blocks in a silicone tray, then bag and label them. It keeps for 3 months.
- Reheat
- Microwave 3 blocks, covered, for 1 minute, stir, then heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until piping hot all the way through. Or warm them in a pan with a splash of water. Never refreeze thawed blocks.
- A portion
- 3 blocks (210g) make a dinner for one adult: about 273 kcal and 24.6g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.
Spicy Korean Chicken (Dakgalbi) questions
Can I use chicken breast?
It works, though breast dries out more easily than thigh. Check it after 5 minutes under the lid and take it off the heat as soon as it is cooked through.
What if I can't find gochujang?
Most large supermarkets sell it in the world foods aisle. Nothing else gives quite the same sweet, fermented depth, so it is worth tracking down.
Can I use a different cabbage?
Hispi or Chinese leaf work well and cook a little faster. Finely shredded kale is fine too.
Sauces that go with it
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Updated . Nutrition, costs and yields are estimates.