Soups & stews · Korean home cooking

Chicken rice soup (dak-gukbap)

Name: Chicken rice soup (dak-gukbap)
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: Bone-in chicken thighs — 2 large thighs (500 g); Cooked short-grain rice — 2 small bowls (300 g); Water — 7 paper cups (1260 ml); Onion — ½ medium onion; Peeled garlic — 6 cloves; Fresh ginger — 2 thin slices (5 g); Spring onion — 1 stalk; Salt — ¼ small teaspoon (1.5 g); Ground black pepper — 1 small pinch

Tender shredded chicken and cooked rice in a gentle homemade broth. Bone-in thighs make this everyday version more practical than preparing a whole bird.

75 min2 servings6 stepsDifficulty: Easy

AI-generated cooking illustrations. Follow the written quantities and instructions.

01 / Before you start

Ingredients

2 servings

Everyday kitchen measurements

For 2 servings. Use a small 180 ml paper cup, a level eating spoon (about 15 ml) and a small teaspoon (about 5 ml).

How to fill the cup and spoons

Use the same cup and spoons throughout. Their sizes vary, so these amounts are approximate. Spoon flour in loosely and level the top without pressing. Measure vegetables after chopping, without packing them down. The amounts in g/ml are the original reference quantities. For part of a pack, use the specified pack weight and divide the contents evenly.

King Arthur Baking

Essential, optional and substitute ingredients

Keep essential ingredients. For a replacement, use its listed amount and cooking changes instead of that ingredient’s original amount. Skip optional ingredients and their preparation if omitted. Photos show the original recipe.

Bone-in chicken thighs2 large thighsOriginal quantity: 500 g
Essential
The bones flavour the broth. Check for small bone fragments when shredding, and remove all bones before serving.
Cooked short-grain rice2 small bowlsOriginal quantity: 300 g
Substitute available
If Cooked short-grain rice is unavailable

Use instead
Cooked long-grain rice

Substitute quantity
2 small bowlsReference quantity: 300 g

Use cooked rice, not dry grains. Warm separately before adding broth; the grains will remain more separate.
Water7 paper cupsOriginal quantity: 1260 ml
Essential
Keep the listed liquid so the broth does not become too concentrated. Extra water for washing or soaking is discarded.
Onion½ medium onion
Optional
May be omitted. Skip its preparation and addition; keep all other amounts unchanged. The flavour will be milder.
Peeled garlic6 cloves
Optional
May be omitted. Skip its preparation and addition; keep all other amounts unchanged. The flavour will be milder.
Fresh ginger2 thin slicesOriginal quantity: 5 g
Optional
May be omitted. Skip its preparation and addition; keep all other amounts unchanged. The flavour will be milder.
Spring onion1 stalk
Optional
May be omitted. Skip its preparation and addition; keep all other amounts unchanged. The flavour will be milder.
Salt¼ small teaspoonOriginal quantity: 1.5 g
Optional
May be omitted. Add gradually only after tasting, since soy sauce and packaged broth can already be salty.
Ground black pepper1 small pinch
Optional
May be omitted. Skip its preparation and addition; keep all other amounts unchanged. The flavour will be milder.

Tap each ingredient as you prepare it. Check product labels for egg, soy, sesame, wheat, fish or shellfish where relevant.

02 / You’re ready to cook

Step-by-step cooking

Step 1

Pat the chicken dry without washing it. Put the thighs into a compact soup pot. Add 7 paper cups of water, the peeled onion half, whole garlic cloves and ginger slices.
Step 1
Step 2

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim off pale foam, then lower the heat so the broth bubbles gently. Partly cover with a lid, leaving a small gap.
Step 2
Step 3

Simmer for 35–45 minutes, turning the thighs once. Check the thickest meat, without touching bone, reaches 74°C. If it is cooler, simmer for another 5 minutes and recheck.
Step 3
Step 4

Lift the cooked thighs onto a clean plate and let them cool only until safe to handle. Strain the broth into a clean pot, discarding onion, garlic and ginger. Skim off excess surface fat.
Step 4
Step 5

Remove the skin and bones and shred the cooked meat, checking carefully for bone fragments. Return the chicken to the strained broth and bring back to a full simmer for 3 minutes. Warm the cooked rice separately.
Step 5
Step 6

Divide the warm rice between two bowls, add chicken and hot broth, then chopped spring onion. Add the listed salt gradually, with a little pepper if using. Serve while hot.
Step 6

03 / Enjoy your meal

Finished dish

Helpful tips

This is a chicken-and-rice serving of a simple chicken broth; it does not contain ginseng or stuffed rice. The rice is measured after cooking. Remove all bones and cut the meat smaller for children. Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the room is hotter than 32°C. Keep at 4°C or below, use within 3–4 days and reheat leftovers to 74°C.