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5 from 1 vote

Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry (Dakgalbi: 닭갈비)

Spicy chicken, vegetables, and soft rice cakes are stir-fried together and topped with cheese! Then it gets even better when fried rice is made with the leftovers!
Servings: 3
Author: Chef Julie Yoon

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 9 ounces green cabbage cored, and chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1 small Korean sweet potato Goguma, peeled, halved, and cut into ½-inch thick slices
  • 8 ounces cylinder shaped Korean Rice Cakes Ddukbokki Dduk 떡볶이 떡
  • 7 Sesame / Perilla leaves Kkaetnip 깻잎, stems trimmed, thinly sliced
  • 2 scallions cut into 2-inch pieces
  • Half a bundle of enoki mushrooms stems trimmed
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Vegetable oil for the pan

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon Korean red chili pepper flakes (Gochugaru)
  • 2 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper paste (Gochujang)
  • 1 heaping tablespoon Korean curry powder 카레가루
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil

Optional fried rice

  • Two servings of COLD cooked rice about 1 ½-2 cups cooked
  • Leftover Dakgalbi sauce reserved in pan at least 2 tablespoons
  • Leftover pieces of spicy chicken and vegetables
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • Shredded Roasted seasoned dried seaweed (김 )
  • Roasted sesame seeds
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Chopped scallions
  • Shredded sesame/ perilla leaves Kkaetnip 깻잎
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Soak the rice cakes in cold water for 20 minutes. Skip this step if using fresh rice cakes that are already soft and don’t require cooking.
  • Mix all the sauce ingredients well in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and toss well to coat. Let the chicken marinate in this sauce while you prepare your vegetables.
  • Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add a little oil, and then the sliced Korean sweet potato, as well as a little bit of the cabbage. The cabbage will release a little water, which will help the potatoes to steam a bit. Add a splash of water as well. Cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the potatoes and cabbage cook for about 2 minutes.
  • Add the rest of the cabbage. Make a well in the center. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add a little oil, along with the chicken and all the sauce. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to let the chicken start cooking. Incorporate the cabbage into the chicken. Lower the heat and add the rice cakes and cook until the chicken is cooked, and the potatoes and rice cakes are soft, but not mushy, another 3-5 minutes. You don’t want the potatoes to break down too much, or the sauce will get starchy. You can add a splash of water or chicken broth to the pan if it looks too dry.
  • Add the perilla leaves, scallions, cheese, and enoki mushrooms. Cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let stand for 1-2 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Serve with extra perilla leaves or lettuce leaves for wrapping.

Optional Fried Rice:

  • Scoop any leftovers out of the pan into a bowl. Leave some sauce behind. Over medium heat, add the sesame oil, and then the rice to the pan with the leftover sauce. Stir constantly while breaking up the clumpy rice, about 3-5 minutes. Add back any leftover chicken and vegetables. Mix in the roasted dried seaweed, sesame seeds, scallions, and perilla leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the rice out in the pan, turn up the heat to allow the bottom to get slightly crispy for about 2 minutes (while making sure it doesn’t burn).
  • Add cheese, cover with a lid, and turn off the heat. Let stand for 1-2 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Serve immediately.