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    Fitsian Food Life » K-Town at Home

    Dakdoritang (Spicy Korean Chicken Stew)

    Published: Jan 19, 2023 by Clara · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Dakdoritang, or Korean spicy chicken stew, is a flavourful and comforting dish that will warm your soul. 

    This dakdoritang recipe can be made with instant pot or stove top, coming together in less than 20 minutes.

    A big bowl of spicy Korean chicken stew with scallions and sesame seeds.
    Jump to:
    • 🍳 Why Make This Recipe
    • 💭 What is Dakdoritang?
    • 🍎 Calories and Nutrition – How To Make It Healthy
    • 📋 Ingredient Notes
    • 📖 Substitutions and Variations
    • 🔪 Step by Step Instructions
    • 💡 Expert Tips
    • 💭 Recipe FAQs
    • 🍽 Related Recipes
    • 🍳 Recipe

    🍳 Why Make This Recipe

    • Only takes 15 minutes to put together – No hours of simmering soup needed. Similar to my healthy soondubu recipe, dakdoritang is a simple yet flavorful soup recipe to put together.
    • Flavorful and comforting – The umami flavors of the gochujang and soy-based stew with soaked root vegetables makes this the perfect comfort food
    • Healthy and nutritious – Recipe adapted and tested by yours truly to be low-calorie and macro-friendly while still retaining the original delicious flavor

    💭 What is Dakdoritang?

    Dakdoritang, also known as Dakbokkeumtang , is a spicy Korean chicken stew consisting of juicy, braised chicken thigh with flavorful root vegetables simmered in a sweet and spicy braising sauce.

    It's typically served with a side of rice, or with noodles mixed in. It's the perfect weeknight comfort meal.

    🍎 Calories and Nutrition – How To Make It Healthy

    Dakdoritang can be a very healthy dish given that it predominantly consists of protein from the chicken and is braised in a low calorie sauce.

    A serving of dakdoritang is 430 calories, with 31 grams of protein, 19 grams of fat, and 48 grams of carbs.

    By being mindful of the chicken type you use and portioning the braising liquid mindfully, it's easy to make this healthy. Here’s what I did to make this healthy:

    • Chicken – Dakdoritang is often cooked with bone-in skin on chicken pieces, which has 240 calories and 19 grams of fat. I opt for skinless thighs to cut down on fat and calories.
    • Braising liquid – The sauce can be very oily, but with careful portioning of sauce ingredients following the portions below, the sauce is only 70 calories 
    • Vegetables – The vegetables are not going to add a significant amount of calories to the dish except for potatoes, which dakdoritang is traditionally served with. I omitted potatoes here and opted to use rice as my carb source.
    • Carbs – Serve with a portioned side of rice or mix in noodles. Here I used a portion of rice at 150 calories

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

    A nutrition breakdown of the ingredients with respective calories and macros for dakdoritang.

    📋 Ingredient Notes

    Ingredients for the dakdoritang laid out on the table.

    Chicken – Dakdoritang is traditionally made with bone in skin on chicken pieces. Given that those are much higher in calories in fats from the skin, I opted to use skinless bone-in chicken here so that we can still get the flavor from the bone.

    Dakdoritang Braising sauce – Consists of soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil (use sparingly cause its very fatty), gochugaru, and gochujang.

    Vegetables – Carrots, onions, and garlic are delicious to simmer into the dish. Potatoes are also a popular choice in traditional recipes. For purposes of keeping calories low, I omitted potatoes.

    Garnish – I used sesame seeds and green onions to garnish. Chili flakes would be delicious as well for an extra kick.

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

    📖 Substitutions and Variations

    Make stove top – To make stovetop, follow the same instructions. Instead of pressure cooking, add 1 cup of water (instead of ⅓) and bring to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

    Make with noodles – Egg noodles and glass noodles are some good options.

    Non-Spicy Version – Just omit the gochugaru. Still keep the gochujang - it is not spicy and is essential for the stew flavor.

    🔪 Step by Step Instructions

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

    Prepare for braising – Prepare all the vegetables by mincing the onion and garlic, and slicing the daikon and carrot. Cut the excess fat off the chicken thigh, cut into bite sized pieces, and season with salt and pepper.

    Sauté aromatics and chicken – Put the instant pot on sauté mode and add in minced garlic and onion along with the gochugaru. Toasting gochugaru will give it a great flavor. Refer to this guide on toasting spices for more info. Add in the chicken pieces and brown on each side, about 1 minute each side.

    Instant pot on sauté mode with chicken and aromatics.
    Instant pot with chicken, root vegetables, and aromatics.

    Turn on high pressure – Turn off sauté mode and add in the daikon and carrots. Pour in the dakdoritang sauce and about ¾ to 1 cup of water. Close the instant pot and set to high pressure for 8 minutes.

    Garnish and serve – Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds and serve with rice!

    Chicken, veggies, and aromatics, with dakdoritang seasoning in instant pot.
    Bowl of dakdoritang served with a bowl of rice and scallions.

    💡 Expert Tips

    Sides to serve with – Since dakdoritang is very savory, it's best with a portioned amount of carbs or lightly seasoned veggies 

    Use skinless bone-in chicken pieces if possible – This will allow us to get the nutrients and delicious flavor from the bone to make the broth without the additional fat of the chicken skin

    Adjust gochugaru (chili flakes) to spice preference – Use more if you want it spicier, or less if you want it more mild. If you really want a strong kick, you can sauté a chopped Thai chili with the garlic. 

    Add more water if needed – If the stock is not enough after pressure cooking, deglaze with water and sauté to mix everything together thoroughly

    A bowl of dakdoritang with rice and scallions in the background.

    💭 Recipe FAQs

    Is dakdoritang healthy?

    Yes, as long as ingredients are portioned properly. I achieve this by using a combination of food scale and measuring cups. Most of the calories from this dish will come from the chicken itself, followed by the sauce. The total calories in the sauce, portioned according to the amounts below, add up to only 70 calories.

    Can I make this without an Instant Pot?

    Yes, you can make this without an instant pot or pressure cooker. This is also great to make on a stove top. To make on stovetop, follow the directions for instant pot but in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer for 15-20 minutes instead of cooking on high pressure.

    What kinds of chicken to use?

    Traditionally, dakdoritang uses skin on chicken pieces. For this recipe, my goal was to keep calories low with high protein content, so I used boneless skinless chicken thigh. You can also opt for chicken breast if you prefer.

    What side dishes go with Dakdoritang?

    Kimchi, or any Korean banchan, would be great side dishes for Dakdoritang.

    🍽 Related Recipes

    • Chicken Kalguksu (Dak Kalguksu)
    • Easy Soondubu Jjigae Recipe (Is Soondubu Healthy?)
    • Spicy Chicken Bulgogi Recipe (Spicy Korean BBQ Chicken)
    • Cheese Dakgalbi (Spicy Korean Chicken Stir Fry)

    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 big bowl of spicy Korean chicken stew with scallions and sesame seeds.

    Dakdoritang Instant Pot Recipe

    Developed by Clara
    This instant pot Dakdoritang, or Korean spicy chicken stew, is a delicious and healthy dish that will warm your soul in these winter months. It’s complete with juicily braised chicken thigh with flavorful vegetables and only takes 15 minutes to make.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine korean
    Servings 1
    Calories 409 kcal

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot

    Ingredients
      

    Dakdoritang Sauce

    • 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoon Mirin
    • 1 teaspoon Gochugaru (Adjust based on spice tolerance)
    • 1 tablespoon Gochujang

    Chicken and Stew Ingredients

    • 6 oz Chicken thigh (Boneless, skinless)
    • ½ cup Water
    • 1 clove Garlic
    • 1 tablespoon Yellow Onion (Diced)
    • 1 serving Rice
    • ½ Daikon (Sliced)
    • 1 Carrot (Sliced)
    • Sesame seeds and scallions (For garnish)

    Instructions
     

    • Make the sauce – Start by mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
    • Prepare for braising – Prepare all the vegetables by mincing the onion and garlic, and slicing the daikon and carrot. Cut the excess fat off the chicken thigh, cut into bite sized pieces, and season with salt and pepper.
    • Sauté aromatics and chicken – Put the instant pot on sauté mode and add in minced garlic and onion along with the gochugaru. Toasting gochugaru will give it a great flavor. Refer to this guide on toasting spices for more info. Add in the chicken pieces and brown on each side, about 1 minute each side.
    • Turn on high pressure – Turn off sauté mode and add in the daikon and carrots. Pour in the sauce and about ¾ to 1 cup of water. Close the instant pot and set to high pressure for 8 minutes.
    • Garnish and serve – Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds and serve with rice!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 409kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 38gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 1334mgPotassium: 1112mgFiber: 6gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 10949IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 4mg

    Notes

    Substitutions and Variations
    Make stove top – To make stovetop, follow the same instructions. Instead of pressure cooking, add 1 cup of water (instead of ⅓) and bring to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
    Make with noodles – Egg noodles and glass noodles are some good options.
    Expert Tips
    Adjust gochugaru (chili flakes) to spice preference – Use more if you want it spicier, or less if you want it more mild. If you really want a strong kick, you can sauté a chopped Thai chili with the garlic. 
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @fitsianfoodlife or tag #fitsianfoodlife!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Moon

      August 18, 2022 at 3:42 pm

      5 stars
      What a delicious hearty soup recipe!

      Reply

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