Dakgalbi (Korean spicy chicken with cabbage)
Chicken, cabbage and sweet potato stir-fried in a sweet, spicy gochujang sauce, with a melty cheese finish if you want it.
- 45 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.70 a serving
- 670 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice
- 3 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp honey
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1½ lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 cups green cabbage, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 sweet potato, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 4 stalks green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¼ cups water
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 670 calories, 43 g protein, 89 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $2.70 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No honey? Maple syrup works.
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No green cabbage? Red cabbage or coleslaw mix works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice, put it in a medium with the water, and bring it over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 18 minutes. Take it off the heat and keep the lid on.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
the gochujang, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and sesame oil in a big bowl. Add the chicken and to coat.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Cut the cabbage into 2-inch pieces and the sweet potato and onion.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
Heat the vegetable oil in your largest over medium-high. Add the sweet potato and onion and cook 4 minutes, , until the sweet potato starts to .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Softened. For vegetables it means cooked until they bend and lose their crunch; for butter, left out until it dents easily. Soft onions taste sweet, and soft butter mixes in smoothly.
How you’ll know: Onions squash easily against the pan with your spoon, and butter dents under a finger without looking greasy.
Medium-high heatTimer: 4 min
Add the chicken and all its sauce, spread it out, and cook 5 minutes, now and then.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: The sauce can catch on the bottom. If it starts to stick, add a splash of water and keep stirring.Add the cabbage and green onions and cook 5 to 7 minutes, , until the cabbage is soft, the sweet potato is tender and the biggest piece of chicken reads 165°F.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium-high heatTimer: 6 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
For cheese dakgalbi, scatter the mozzarella over, turn the heat to low, cover and wait 2 minutes, until .
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Low heatTimer: 2 min
Serve straight from the pan with the rice.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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