Traditional-style spicy braised chicken

This is my recipe for dakbokkeumtang, or spicy braised chicken, also called dakdoritang. Many people have requested this dish over the years. It’s spicy, savory, and hearty.

This video was filmed in Amsterdam with Sarah Moore as part of my Gapshida project. She emailed me: “I really want to learn dak-doritang, Maangchi. When I lived in Korea when I was young, I always used to eat it at a Korean restaurant. I miss the taste and the smell.” The camera person is Sarah’s friend Rei Nilde, who’s an artist.

Sarah and I made dak-bokkeumtang for this video and also our potluck party later. The video shows how we served a large group, and everybody enjoyed it with rice, as well as the amazing side dishes that they brought. All of us became good friends even though most of us were meeting for the first time.

I was thrilled when I read a recent email from Sarah: “…Guess what? Seeing you pursue your dreams and travelling the world with your Gapshida project really inspired me to start making more art and putting it online. I opened a little Etsy shop and I want to start working on a design/art blog :) to share visual inspiration.”

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 1 kg (about 2 pounds) of chicken wings or chicken thighs
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup of minced garlic
• ¼ cup hot pepper paste
• ¼ cup Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
• 1 tbs sugar
• 2 or 3 medium sized onions (2 cups’ worth), cut into chunks
• 3-4 large potatoes (about 600 grams or 1.5 pounds)
• 2 green onions
• 2 green chili peppers

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Wash and drain.
   
2. Make seasoning paste by mixing the soy sauce, minced garlic, hot pepper paste, hot pepper flakes, and sugar.
3. Put the chicken and onion into the seasoning paste. Mix it with a spoon.
   
4. Add 2 cups of water to the pot and mix it up.
5. Cook for 20 minutes over medium high heat.
   
6. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes. Wash and drain them, then cut into large chunks 2 inches across. Set aside.
7. Chop the green chili peppers and green onions into small pieces. Set aside.
8. 20 minutes later, add the potato chunks and chopped green chili peppers to the pot. Stir with a spoon, then cover and cook for another 20 minutes.
9. Open the lid and cook another 3-5 minutes. Keep the lid open to boil away some broth and thicken.
   
10. Occasionally take some broth from the bottom of the pot and pour it over the top so everything gets some delicious broth.
11. Transfer it to a large serving plate and sprinkle 2 chopped green onions over top. Serve.