Tacohuaco

Spicy braised chicken

BraisingCrowdDinnersKorean cuisineLunchesSpicyStews

120 minutes

Inspired by the bold and spicy flavors of Korean cuisine, this braised chicken recipe has become a staple in our home. Traditionally, Korean braised chicken (dakbokkeumtang) is simmered in a flavorful sauce made with gochugaru (Korean chile flakes), soy sauce, garlic, and sometimes oyster sauce for added depth. We’ve adapted the recipe to use ingredients we normally have in our pantry, like dried Mexican chiles — chiles de árbol and guajillo — while still keeping the Korean vibe by using soy sauce and oyster sauce.

This recipe produces tender, flavorful chicken with bright and spicy sauce and lots of vegetables. It’s also a great way to use a whole chicken in a single dish.

Keywords: Dakbokkeumtang

Ingredients

Yields 8 portions

  • 4 chicken legs
  • 4 tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 1 fresh chile
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 kg potatoes
  • 6 carrots
  • rice
  • olive oil
  • 3 dry chiles de árbol
  • 2 dry guajillo chiles
  • 3 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1.5 teaspoons oyster sauce
  • 3 teaspoons maple syrup or 6 teaspoons coconut sugar
  • salt
  • 1 l hot water

You will need

  • Dutch oven
  • blender

Directions

  1. Prepare the vegetables.
    • Onion: peel, halve, and cut into ½ cm slices. Chile: halve lengthwise, remove the seeds, and thinly slice. Garlic: crush, peel and roughly chop. Tomatoes: remove cores, and cut into medium dice.
    • Potatoes and carrots: peel (if needed), and cut into large chunks.
  2. Rinse the chicken in cold water. Separate the thighs from drumsticks.
  3. Cover the bottom of the Dutch oven with olive oil, and heat it on medium-high heat.
  4. Place the chicken skin side down in the Dutch oven, sprinkle with salt, and cook until the skin is brown and crispy, for 10–15 minutes.
  5. While the chicken is browning, prepare the seasoning paste: mix in a blender 3 dry chiles de árbol, 2 guajillo chiles, 3 teaspoons soy sauce, 1.5 teaspoons oyster sauce, 3 teaspoons maple syrup or 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, and ½ cup water.
  6. Flip the chicken, pour the seasoning paste into the Dutch oven, add salt, and cook covered on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
  7. Add onions, chile, garlic, and tomatoes, stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
  8. Add potatoes, carrots, and hot water (it should almost cover the food), increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
  9. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are ready.
  10. Separately cook rice.
  11. Serve with rice on the side together with the chicken.

Notes

This recipe is inspired by the Netflix’s Korean fried chicken rhapsody show and the spicy braised chicken recipe from Aaron Huh’s book “Simply Korean: Easy recipes for Korean favorites that anyone can make”.

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