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    Fitsian Food Life » K-Town at Home

    Cheese Dakgalbi (Spicy Korean Chicken Stir Fry)

    Published: Mar 5, 2023 by Clara · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Cheese Dakgalbi is a Korean dish with juicy spicy chicken topped with gooey melted cheese that is healthy and easy to make.

    A wooden spoon scooping into a cast iron pan of dak galbi.
    Jump to:
    • 💭 What is Cheese Dakgalbi?
    • ✅ Why This Recipe Works
    • 🍎 Calories and Nutrition Facts – Is It Healthy
    • 📋 Ingredient Notes
    • 📖 Substitutions and Variations
    • 🔪 Step by Step Instructions 
    • 💡Expert Tips
    • 💭 Recipe FAQs
    • 🍽 Related Recipes
    • 🍳 Recipe

    💭 What is Cheese Dakgalbi?

    Cheese Dakgalbi is a tasty Korean dish consisting of juicy, spicy marinated chicken topped with gooey melted cheese and generally is cooked on a dak galbi pan made of cast iron, giving it a smoky and delicious flavor. It’s a big-size dish that is often shared among a group of friends.

    It's quite similar to my spicy chicken bulgogi recipe – the main difference stems from it being mixed with a variety of vegetables, carbs, and is often topped with cheese. It is typically a main big dish to be shared among a group rather than one component of a meal.

    This is a great Korean BBQ dish to make at home.

    ✅ Why This Recipe Works

    Easy to make – All it takes is making the sauce and marinating it in the chicken to make this cheese dakgalbi.

    Flavorful and fun – The sweet and spicy flavors of the chicken combined with the ooey-gooey cheese make for a treat for the taste buds.

    Healthy and nutritious – Made with lower calories with careful portioning, this cheese dakgalbi is a great healthy Korean food recipe, for those who want to satisfy their Korean food cravings while tracking their fitness goals

    Wooden spoon lifting up the chicken piece from the skillet with a cheese pull.

    🍎 Calories and Nutrition Facts – Is It Healthy

    Cheese dakgalbi is usually not very healthy, as a single serving of dak galbi can be up to 700 calories, consisting mainly of fats and carbs. 

    The sauce is high in fats and carbs and the dish is often mixed with a number of high-calorie ingredients, such as cheese, noodles, and rice cakes. And given that this dish is often eaten in a group setting, it's easy to overeat. This makes it a less-than-ideal food choice for those trying to stay fit.

    However, if portioned correctly, a single serving of cheese dakgalbi can consist of just about 344 calories, with 40 grams of protein, 17 grams of fat, and 23 grams of carbs.

    Here's how I portioned my recipe:

    • Chicken – Used 6 oz of boneless skinless chicken thigh is often used for this recipe, a great lean protein source
    • Sauce – Dak galbi sauce is made of a number of various sauces, including gochujang and soy sauce to name a few. While none of these ingredients is a calorie bomb, it's best to portion them mindfully. This recipe's sauce adds up to 70 calories.
    • Vegetables – Carrots, onions, and cabbage are examples of some vegetables that are included in dak galbi. These ingredients don't add a significant amount of calories.
    • Carbs – The dish is often mixed with a variety of carbs, including udon, ramen, and rice cakes. While there's nothing wrong with eating carbs, these ingredients can easily add up in calories, so it's best to be mindful of the amount being consumed here. I'd recommend picking one and portioning accordingly.
    • Cheese – While cheese can often be thought of as heavy, with careful portioning, it can add a manageable amount of calories, and additional protein and a great way to add some pizzazz to this meal

    Looking at each component, it’s easy to see that cheese dakgalbi can be easily made into a well-balanced low–calorie dish packed with protein.

    For a detailed breakdown of each ingredient, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of this cheese dakgalbi recipe, you may refer to the table below: 

    Table showing the calorie and macro breakdown of each ingredient.

    📋 Ingredient Notes

    Ingredients for the recipe laid out on the table.

    Chicken – I opted for boneless skinless chicken thighs for optimal texture. You can use chicken breast too, but it may be a little dry. I would advise against using chicken with skin, as it adds about 100 more calories per serving, largely from fat. 

    Dak Galbi Sauce – Combo of gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, and mirin with minced garlic and onion. Low calorie overall since I use cooking spray rather than oil. The gochugaru makes the dish spicy, so adjust based on your spice preference.

    Cheese – I used mozzarella since it melts well but honestly any would work. Pepper jack, cheddar, etc. would also be delicious and the nutrition is the same. 

    See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

    📖 Substitutions and Variations

    Omit the cheese – If you prefer not to use cheese, feel free to omit. The dish is just as delicious without it.

    Make dak galbi rice – Use leftover rice and add it in the end in true Korean fashion. 

    Make dak galbi noodles – Add udon or ramen to the finished dish. To make, cook the noodle or ramen separately, make sure it is dry, and add in. 

    Add rice cakes – Rice cakes, aka tteokbokki, make a great pairing with the dish (although not the best option if you want to keep it healthy)

    Make it non-spicy – You can also make this dish non-healthy. Follow my dak bulgogi recipe as a starting point and feel free to mix in the vegetables and carbs if you'd prefer.

    🔪 Step by Step Instructions 

    Make the dak galbi sauce – Start by mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

    Making the dak galbi marinade in a small bowl.

    Prepare the chicken and veggies – Cut the excess fat off the chicken thigh and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Cut the mushrooms and carrots. Mix the chicken and vegetables thoroughly with the sauce and marinade for at least 30 minutes, preferably 3-4 hours.

    Marinading the chicken and vegetables in the dak galbi sauce.

    Cook the Dak Galbi – Prepare the cast iron by putting it on the stove and turning the heat to high. When the cast iron is ready, add the chicken and vegetables in a single layer, reserving the marinade. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side before flipping.

    Cooking the chicken and veggies in a cast iron skillet.

    Finish cooking and top with cheese – After flipping the chicken pieces, add in the reserved marinade as needed. Top the chicken pieces with cheese. 

    Garnish and enjoy – When the chicken is done cooking and the cheese is melted, remove from heat, top with scallions and furikake, and enjoy your delicious cheese dakgalbi!

    💡Expert Tips

    Make crispy rice – Dak galbi often has rice mixed in with the sauce to make a delicious crispy rice dish. Just be sure to make the rice the night before so it is dry enough to turn crispy.

    Marinade the chicken overnight – this will optimize the flavor of the chicken  

    Cook the chicken on a cast iron – this will give the chicken a smoky barbecue flavor reminiscent of Korean barbeque

    💭 Recipe FAQs

    Is cheese dakgalbi healthy?

    Cheese dakgalbi is high in calories, fats, and carbs, and often includes other calorie-dense ingredients like cheese, noodles, and rice cakes. It's easy to overeat since it's usually eaten in groups, making it a poor choice for those wanting to stay fit. However, if portioned correctly using a food scale and measuring cups, you can lessen the calories in this dish to 328 calories.

    How do you eat cheese dakgalbi?

    To eat cheese dakgalbi, you can either eat it as is, wrap it in lettuce or perilla leaves, or mix it with rice or noodles.

    What if I don't have a cast iron or dak galbi pan?

    You can also cook the dakgalbi in a skillet – it won't have quite the same smokey flavor, but it will still turn out delicious! Check out this link for my favorite cast iron on Amazon. For more details about the different types of cast irons in the market, check out this article about the Top 10 Cast Irons in the market.

    Where can I eat it at a restaurant?

    Within the United States (where I live), I’ve only encountered traditional style Dak Galbi where they cook on the table in Los Angeles and New York City. In Los Angeles, I would recommend Mapo Dak Galbi. In NYC, I would go to Hong Chun Cheon in Koreatown. These are some of my favorite classic Ktown restaurants to unwind with friends at.

    🍽 Related Recipes

    • Spicy Chicken Bulgogi Recipe (Spicy Korean BBQ Chicken)
    • Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken (Is It Healthy?)
    • Dakdoritang (Spicy Korean Chicken Stew)
    • Korean Chicken Bulgogi Recipe (Dak Bulgogi)

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like this recipe, consider a review further down the page. Thank you!

    🍳 Recipe

    A wooden spoon scooping into a cast iron pan of dak galbi.

    Cheese Dakgalbi

    Developed by Clara
    Cheese Dakgalbi is a Korean dish with juicy spicy chicken topped with gooey melted cheese that is healthy and easy to make.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine korean
    Servings 1
    Calories 344 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Cast Iron

    Ingredients
      

    Dakgalbi Sauce

    • 1 clove Garlic (Minced)
    • 1 tablespoon Yellow onion (Minced)
    • 2 teaspoon Soy sauce
    • 1 teaspoon Mirin
    • 1.5 tablespoon Gochujang
    • 1 teaspoon Gochugaru
    • 1 teaspoon Black pepper

    Dak Galbi

    • 5 oz Chicken thigh (Boneless, skinless)
    • 1-2 Mushrooms (Sliced)
    • 1 Carrot (Sliced)
    • 3 tablespoon Mozzarella Cheese (Or cheese of choice)
    • Scallions and furikake (For garnish)

    Instructions
     

    • Start by mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
    • Cut the excess fat off the chicken thigh and cut into bite sized pieces. Cut the mushrooms and carrots. Mix the chicken and vegetables thoroughly with the sauce and marinade for at least 30 minutes, preferably 3-4 hours.
    • Prepare the cast iron by putting it on the stove and turning the heat to high. When the cast iron is ready, add in the chicken and vegetables in a single layer, reserving the marinade. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side before flipping.
    • After flipping the chicken pieces, add in the reserved marinade as needed. Top the chicken pieces with cheese. 
    • When the chicken is done cooking and the cheese is melted, remove from heat, top with scallions and furikake, and enjoy your delicious cheese dakgalbi!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 344kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 40gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 168mgSodium: 3535mgPotassium: 781mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 11211IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 362mgIron: 2mg

    Notes

    Substitutions and Variations
    Omit the cheese – If you prefer not to use cheese, feel free to omit. The dish is just as delicious without it.
    Make dak galbi noodles – Add udon or ramen to the finished dish. To make, cook the noodle or ramen separately, make sure it is dry, and add in.
    Expert Tips
    Make crispy rice – Dak galbi often has rice mixed in with the sauce to make a delicious crispy rice dish. Just be sure to make the rice the night before so it is dry enough to turn crispy.
    Marinade the chicken overnight – this will optimize the flavor of the chicken  
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @fitsianfoodlife or tag #fitsianfoodlife!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sarah

      July 06, 2022 at 11:13 pm

      5 stars
      Wow this is such a flavorful chicken recipe! And only 300 calories! I'm in love

      Reply

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