Dakgalbi — spicy chicken and vegetable skillet
A hearty pan of spicy chicken thigh, cabbage, sweet potato and chewy rice cakes. Thin sweet potato slices and a brief covered cook make this easy on an ordinary stove.
AI-generated cooking illustrations. Follow the written quantities and instructions.
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-
Substitute available
If Boneless skinless chicken thigh is unavailable
- Use instead
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Substitute quantity
- ½ of a 600 g packReference quantity: 300 g
Use half of a 600 g pack, cut into the same 3 cm pieces. Start checking doneness early to prevent drying, but the thickest chicken must still reach 74°C.
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Substitute available
If Green cabbage is unavailable
- Use instead
- Napa cabbage
- Substitute quantity
- 1 paper cupReference quantity: about 80 g
Use the same loosely filled paper cup of bite-size cabbage. Napa releases more water; uncover and stir briefly after the covered cook.
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Substitute available
If Sweet potato is unavailable
- Use instead
- Potato
- Substitute quantity
- ½ medium potatoReference quantity: about 100 g
Peel and slice no thicker than 5 mm. Use the same covered cooking step and check a slice with a fork before serving; it will be less sweet.
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Optional
Omit the onion from the vegetable preparation and pan. The dish will be slightly less sweet and have fewer vegetables; keep the other amounts unchanged.
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Optional
You may omit the rice cakes from the pan. Skip their soaking step; keep the water and chicken cooking instructions unchanged.
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Essential
This fermented chili paste gives the dish its characteristic flavor. Use a mild version for less heat. Hot sauce alone is not an equivalent replacement.
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Substitute available
If Soy sauce is unavailable
- Use instead
- Tamari
- Substitute quantity
- 1 level eating spoonReference quantity: 15 ml
Use the same spoon amount in the sauce. Choose a similar salt level; do not add extra salt. Check labels if avoiding wheat.
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Substitute available
If Sugar is unavailable
- Use instead
- Honey
- Substitute quantity
- 1 level eating spoonReference quantity: 15 ml
Use the same spoon amount. The sauce will be more moist; simmer briefly to coat the food, and keep the heat gentle once the sweet sauce is added. Do not serve honey to infants under 12 months.
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Substitute available
If Minced garlic is unavailable
- Use instead
- Garlic powder
- Substitute quantity
- ½ small teaspoonReference quantity: about 1 g
Mix the powder into the sauce or broth instead of the fresh garlic. Do not use garlic salt.
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Optional
Omit these flakes from the sauce for less heat. Keep the gochujang and all other amounts unchanged.
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Substitute available
If Neutral cooking oil is unavailable
- Use instead
- Sunflower oil
- Substitute quantity
- 1 small teaspoonReference quantity: 5 ml
Use the same spoon amount at the same cooking step.
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Essential
This small amount creates steam to cook the chicken and sweet potato without scorching.
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Optional
You may omit this finishing oil at the last step. The dish will have less nutty aroma; the cooking time and other amounts 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
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Step 1
Cut and prepare. Pat half of a 600 g pack of chicken thigh dry without washing it, then cut into 3 cm pieces. Cut cabbage into bite-size squares and loosely fill 1 small paper cup. Peel and slice ½ sweet potato no thicker than 5 mm. Slice ½ onion. If the rice cakes are hard or refrigerated, soak ¼ of a 400 g pack in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain; soft fresh rice cakes need no soaking.
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Step 2
Mix and coat. Combine 2 level eating spoons gochujang, 1 level eating spoon soy sauce, 1 level eating spoon sugar and 2 small teaspoons minced garlic, plus the optional 1 small teaspoon gochugaru. Mix with the raw chicken and leave for 10 minutes in the refrigerator while preparing the pan. Clean the board, hands and utensils that touched raw chicken.
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Step 3
Arrange the pan. Heat a wide deep nonstick pan over medium heat with 1 small teaspoon oil. Spread the sweet potato slices and onion over the bottom, then add the chicken with all its sauce. Put the cabbage and drained rice cakes on top. Pour ¼ small paper cup water around the edge.
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Step 4
Cover and gently cook. Cover with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes. Uncover carefully to avoid steam, stir from the bottom and separate any stuck rice cakes. Cover again for 4–6 minutes. If the bottom is dry before the sweet potato softens, add 1 extra level eating spoon water rather than increasing the heat.
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Step 5
Check and reduce. Remove the lid and stir for 3–5 minutes over medium heat, until the sauce clings to the ingredients. A sweet potato slice should be easily pierced with a fork; rice cakes should be soft to the center. Check the thickest chicken pieces: a thermometer should read 74°C and there should be no raw-looking flesh. Continue covered briefly if the chicken or sweet potato is not ready.
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Step 6
Finish and serve. Turn off the heat and stir in the optional 1 small teaspoon sesame oil. Serve hot from a heatproof serving dish. The sauce contains chili; choosing mild gochujang and omitting extra chili flakes reduces the heat. Cut chewy rice cakes into age-appropriate pieces for children and supervise eating.
Finished dish
A wide pan with a lid is useful; no special restaurant grill is needed. Avoid thick sweet potato chunks, which stay hard while the chicken overcooks. The 40-minute estimate includes preparation and the short marinade; timing can vary with pan size. Do not taste the sauce after it has touched raw chicken. Keep raw chicken utensils separate. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, use within 3–4 days and reheat to 74°C. Rice cakes become firm when cold; reheat gently with a small splash of water.