Spicy Korean chicken stew
Bone-in chicken, potatoes and vegetables simmered in a rich red gochujang sauce. Follow the vegetable timings so the chicken cooks through without turning the potatoes to mash.
AI-generated cooking illustrations. Follow the written quantities and instructions.
Ingredients
4 servings
Everyday kitchen measurements
For 4 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-
Substitute available
If Raw bone-in chicken, cut into 8 pieces is unavailable
- Use instead
- Boneless chicken thighs
- Substitute quantity
- one 600 g pack, cut into 8 chunksReference quantity: 600 g
This replaces 800 g bone-in chicken with 600 g boneless meat, not 800 g boneless. Cut into 3 cm pieces. In step 3 simmer for 5 minutes instead of 10; in step 4 start checking after 15–20 minutes, then follow the onion step. The chicken must still reach 74°C and potatoes be tender.
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Substitute available
If Potatoes is unavailable
- Use instead
- Peeled sweet potato
- Substitute quantity
- 1 medium sweet potatoReference quantity: 300 g
Cut into 3 cm chunks and add at the potato step. Start testing after 15 minutes; sweet potato can soften sooner and makes the stew sweeter. Lift out tender pieces if the chicken needs longer, then return at serving.
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Optional
May be omitted; skip cutting and adding it. Keep potatoes, chicken and their cooking timings unchanged. The stew will have less sweetness and color.
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Substitute available
If Onion is unavailable
- Use instead
- Plain frozen chopped onion
- Substitute quantity
- ½ of a 300 g packReference quantity: 150 g
Add the measured frozen onion directly at the onion step; no thawing is needed. Small chopped pieces soften faster, so start checking after 5 minutes. Keep the chicken or fish cooking until fully done even if the onion is already soft.
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Essential
Required for the correct broth or egg texture. Use the listed paper-cup amount for the food; any extra water below a steaming rack stays outside the bowl. Add small amounts of hot water during braising only if it starts drying out.
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Essential
The fermented chili paste provides the signature sauce. Ordinary ketchup or hot sauce is not an equal replacement. For less heat use 1 spoon instead of 2 and omit gochugaru; the flavor and red color will be lighter, but it is still spicy.
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Optional
May be reduced or omitted. Omit its addition to the sauce; use the same water and cooking time. Fish braises become milder and browner; chicken still has heat from gochujang.
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Substitute available
If Soy sauce is unavailable
- Use instead
- Regular light soy sauce or tamari
- Substitute quantity
- 3 level eating spoonsReference quantity: 45 ml
Saltiness varies: taste before adding more salt. Tamari also contains soy; check the label for wheat if relevant.
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Optional
May be omitted. The sauce will taste less sweet; do not replace the missing sugar with extra salt or soy sauce.
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Substitute available
If Minced peeled garlic is unavailable
- Use instead
- Plain unsalted ready-minced garlic
- Substitute quantity
- 1 level eating spoonReference quantity: 15 g
Choose garlic with no added salt, sugar or flavored sauce. Add this replacement amount at the same sauce-mixing step. It has a slightly less fresh aroma; keep soy sauce and water unchanged.
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Optional
May be omitted entirely; skip the chopping and final addition. It adds a fresh onion aroma and green color, but does not control cooking time.
Tap each ingredient as you prepare it. Check product labels for egg, soy, sesame, wheat, fish or shellfish where relevant.
Step-by-step cooking
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Step 1
Use 8 bone-in chicken pieces from an 800 g pack, not a whole uncut bird. Pat dry without washing raw chicken. On a separate board cut 2 small potatoes and half carrot into 3 cm chunks, quarter 1 small onion and slice the scallion. Wash hands and raw-meat utensils before handling cooked food.
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Step 2
Mix 2 level eating-spoons gochujang, 3 spoons soy sauce and 1 spoon minced garlic in a bowl. Add 1 spoon sugar and up to 1 spoon gochugaru if using. Start with less chili for a milder stew; gochujang itself is spicy. Stir in a few spoons from the measured water to loosen.
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Step 3
Place chicken, sauce and the rest of the 3 small paper cups water in a roomy pot. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, then simmer on medium-low, partly covered, for 10 minutes. Stir carefully once so the sauce does not catch. This is not the final chicken cooking time.
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Step 4
Add potato and carrot chunks. Keep partly covered at a steady gentle simmer for 20–25 minutes. Turn chicken pieces once and move the vegetables gently. If liquid becomes too low before they soften, add hot water 2–3 spoons at a time. Do not mash the potatoes.
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Step 5
Add the quartered onion and simmer another 8–10 minutes until it softens. Chicken and roots continue cooking in the same pot. A fork should enter the potatoes easily; the sauce should coat a spoon but still flow. If the vegetables need longer, give them more gentle simmering time.
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Step 6
Add optional scallion and simmer uncovered 3–5 minutes to finish. Check the thickest chicken away from bone reaches 74°C; if not, keep cooking. Taste the fully cooked stew, adding 2–4 spoons hot water if overly salty. Serve four portions with rice; keep bones out of children’s bowls and remember this is a spicy dish.
Finished dish
Serve four portions with separately cooked rice. Gochujang can contain soy and wheat; check both its label and the soy sauce. Reducing chili does not guarantee a non-spicy stew. For young children choose the steamed eggs or a mild recipe; remove chicken bones before serving. Use a small 180 ml paper cup, a level eating-spoon (about 15 ml) and a small teaspoon (about 5 ml). Household spoon and vegetable sizes vary; pack weights are a helpful reference. Thawing time is not included. Photos show the original ingredients, including optional extras; substitutions can change the appearance. Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour if the room is hotter than 32°C. Keep at 4°C or colder and use within 3–4 days. Reheat the portion needed thoroughly to 74°C; soy sauce is seasoning, not a method for making meat or fish safe at room temperature.