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Dak Galbi (Spicy Stir-fried Chicken)
4.8 from 135 votes

Dak Galbi (Spicy Stir-fried Chicken)

Dak Galbi is a spicy Korean stir-fried chicken dish combining marinated boneless chicken thighs with sweet potato, rice cakes, cabbage, perilla leaves, and scallions. The sauce blends gochugaru and gochujang with soy sauce, sugar, and aromatic ingredients, giving a balanced heat and depth. Cooking ingredients together in one pan results in tender chicken and soft vegetables coated in a savory, slightly sweet spicy sauce. Serving with lettuce and ssamjang enhances the fresh and savory experience.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken thighs boneless and skinless
  • 8 ounces green cabbage
  • 1 sweet potato Korean variety (goguma 고구마), about 6 ounces, small
  • 8 ounces rice cake tteokbokki tteok 떡볶기 떡, 10 to 12 pieces
  • 6 - 8 perilla leaves aka kkaennip (깻잎
  • 2 scallions
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese mozzarella, pizza blend, etc., optional, or more to taste
  • leaf lettuce see note, green or red leaf lettuce, optional
  • ssamjang see note, green or red leaf lettuce, optional
Sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons gochugaru Use 1 to 1.5 TBS for less spicy dish, Korean red pepper powder; aka 고추가루
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder Powder form of curry sauce mix, Korean, aka 카레가루
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine
  • 1/2 tablespoon corn syrup or oligo syrup or more sugar
  • 2 tablespoons gochujang 고추장
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger grated
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Optional fried rice:
  • 2 cooked rice by servings
  • 1 tablespoon dak galbi sauce reserved
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 dried seaweed sheet sheet roasted gim (김
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seed roasted

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Soak the rice cakes in cold water for about 20 minutes.
  2. Mix all the sauce ingredients well in a bowl.
  3. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
  4. Combine the chicken pieces with the sauce (reserving one tablespoon if you’re going to make fried rice at the end) and marinate while preparing vegetables.
  5. Cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise and then thinly slice crosswise and slightly diagonally. Cut the cabbage, kkaennip, and scallion into small pieces.
  6. Heat a pan over medium high heat. You can add a tablespoon of oil if you want, but it should not be necessary. Add the chicken, sweet potatoes, rice cakes, and cabbages. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat if the ingredients (especially the rice cakes) stick to the pan and browns too fast. The steam from the vegetables should keep them from sticking to the pan, but you can also add about 1/4 cup of water.
  7. Add the kkaennip and scallion and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the rice cake and the sweet potato pieces turn soft. By then the chicken should be cooked through as well. If using cheese, you can add it in this step with 2 to 3 minutes remaining.
Optional Fried Rice
  1. Reheat the pan over medium heat with any leftover chicken and vegetables and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the rice to the pan along with the reserved sauce. Stir constantly until everything is well incorporated and the clumped up rice is broken up, about 5 minutes. You can add a little bit of soy sauce or gochujang if you need more seasoning. Scrape up the flavorful brown bits from the pan while stirring. Tear or crumble the dried seaweed sheet (gim) into small pieces, and stir into the rice. Finish off with the sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil if you want.

Notes

  • Wrap dak galbi in leaf lettuce or perilla leaves with ssamjang for balanced flavor.
  • Ssamjang adds savory depth and is optional depending on preference.
  • Reserved sauce can be used to make flavorful fried rice after the main dish is finished.