Spicy shredded chicken soup (dakgaejang)
Make a light chicken stock, pull the cooked thighs into shreds, then simmer them with mushrooms, sprouts and large green onions in a red chili broth. A substantial intermediate-level soup.
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-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Substitute available
If Toasted sesame oil is unavailable
- Use instead
- Perilla seed oil
- Substitute quantity
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml)Reference quantity: 5 ml
If sesame oil is unavailable, replace it with 1 teaspoon perilla seed oil (5 ml) in the aromatic-frying stage. Keep the 1 tablespoon neutral oil and all cooking times unchanged; the aroma becomes more herbal.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Essential
Required; use the listed amount and preparation.
-
Optional
May be omitted; other quantities and cooking times stay the same.
Tap each ingredient as you prepare it. Check product labels for egg, soy, sesame, wheat, fish or shellfish where relevant.
Step-by-step cooking
Check off a completed step to move to the next one. After the last step, you will move to the finished dish.
Completed steps are saved in this browser. Start over to clear this recipe’s progress.
-
Step 1
Peel and wash the onion, garlic and ginger. Reserve half the onion (75 g) as a stock wedge and slice the other half. Trim, wash and split the large green onions lengthwise; cut into 5 cm lengths, reserving 40 g for stock and 120 g for soup. Mince garlic. Trim and briefly rinse mushrooms, drain and tear into 2 cm strips. Pick over the sprouts, rinse and drain.
-
Step 2
Pat 500 g chicken dry without washing; trim excess fat on a separate meat board. Put in a soup pot with 8 paper cups water (1.44 L), the 75 g onion wedge, 40 g green onion and 2 ginger slices. Bring to a boil, skim foam, then simmer gently, partly covered, 20–25 minutes. Check the thickest thigh reaches 74°C; cook longer if needed.
-
Step 3
Transfer cooked chicken to a clean plate for 10 minutes, then pull into coarse strips with two clean forks. Toss with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and half the minced garlic. Strain the stock through a fine sieve; discard the stock aromatics. Measure 7 paper cups stock (1.26 L), adding from the reserved 1 cup hot water if needed. Keep the stock hot.
-
Step 4
Warm 1 tablespoon neutral oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a clean wide pot over medium heat. Stir the remaining onion and 120 g green onion for 3 minutes until slightly wilted. Turn OFF the heat, wait 30 seconds, then stir in 2 level tablespoons gochugaru and the remaining garlic for 20 seconds. The flakes should turn red, never black or smoky.
-
Step 5
Carefully pour the hot stock into the seasoned vegetables; bring to a boil. Add seasoned chicken, mushrooms and sprouts. Reduce to a steady simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sprouts must be cooked through and the mushrooms tender, while the broth remains pourable rather than thick.
-
Step 6
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ¼ level teaspoon salt and optional pinch of pepper. Simmer 2 minutes and check the soup and chicken are at least 74°C. If too concentrated, loosen with any unused reserved water a tablespoon at a time. Serve hot; do not keep cooking until the chicken becomes stringy.
Finished dish
A tablespoon is 15 ml, a teaspoon 5 ml and a small paper cup 180 ml. Intermediate because stock, shredding and gently blooming chili require separate handling. Use boneless skinless thighs, not raw whole chicken or beef with the same timings. This version uses no bracken and no added egg. Contains soy and sesame; soy sauce may contain wheat. Use refrigerated leftovers within 3 days. Keep raw meat and its utensils separate from cooked food. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers at 4°C or below within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 32°C. Reheat leftovers thoroughly to 74°C.
Related recipes
Enjoy every bite
How to enjoy it
Serve in warmed soup bowls with separately cooked rice alongside. Taste the broth before adding rice; let each diner adjust how much broth goes over it.
