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Dakgalbi in a black cast iron skillet with melted cheese on top, ready to eat.
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Easy Dakgalbi - Korean Chicken Stir Fry

Dakgalbi is the most irresistible Korean chicken stir fry, perfect as a flavour-packed dinner or fun meal with friends! Loaded with succulent chicken in a spicy gochujang sauce, stir fried to perfection with chewy rice cakes and delicious veggies.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Korean
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 537kcal
Cost $15

Equipment

  • Large flat-bottomed fry pan, cast iron fry pan, or portable electric cooker

Ingredients

Stir Fry Ingredients:

To Top:

  • 1 cup cheese grated, tasty or pizza cheese

To Wrap (Optional):

  • lettuce leaves small, leave as whole leaves
  • perilla leaves / shiso leaves sliced for garnish, or leave as whole leaves
  • freshly cooked rice

Instructions

For the Marinade:

  • Mix together the gochujang, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, gochugaru, sugar and ginger in a medium sized mixing bowl. 
    2 tbsp Korean hot pepper paste / gochujang, 2 tbsp garlic, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp cooking rice wine / cooking sake, 1 tbsp Korean hot pepper flakes / gochugaru, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp ginger
  • Add the diced chicken and stir to make sure every piece is well coated in the marinade. Cover and pop in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 mins (or overnight for more flavour!) 
    600 g chicken thighs

For the Dakgalbi:

  • Heat the vegetable oil in a large flat-bottomed frying pan or cast iron pan over a medium high heat. 
    vegetable oil
  • Layer in the cabbage, carrot, sweet potato and rice cakes. Top with marinated chicken, allow to cook for a minute or two, then reduce the heat and stir fry until cooked through. Tip: You can cover with a lid to steam the ingredients and help the sweet potato and chicken cook through faster. 
    1/4 cabbage, 1 carrot, 1 sweet potato, 1-2 cups Korean rice cakes (tteok)
  • Keep an eye on the ingredients and stir regularly to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom or sides of the pan. After about 10 minutes, take off the lid to allow the sauce to thicken. 
  • Once the chicken is cooked through, garnish with spring onion and sprinkle grated cheese down the centre. Once melted, the dak galbi is ready to eat!
    3-4 spring onion / green onion, 1 cup cheese
  • Optional: Serve with fluffy white rice and lettuce leaves or perilla leaves to wrap.
    lettuce leaves, perilla leaves / shiso leaves, freshly cooked rice

Video

Notes

  • Cast Iron - For best results, cook this Korean chicken stir fry in a flat bottomed pan. It’s traditionally cooked in a dakgalbi pan, but we used a 15 inch cast iron pan which works a treat! Cast iron works well to keep the dish cooking, and keep everything hot once the heat is turned off. Make sure to run the oil around the pan (bottom and side) before cooking to stop the ingredients from sticking.
  • Cook Together - If you have a portable induction cooker and an induction suitable frying pan, or an electric frying pan, this dish is fun and easy to cook right on the table with friends and family. It’s so entertaining and a great way to enjoy delicious food and fun conversation together. But you can also just as easily cook it on the stove and portion out into individual bowls.
  • Serve as Wraps - Wrap small scoops of dakgalbi in lettuce or fresh perilla leaves. Serve with fresh or pickled garlic, pickled onions and ssamjang dipping sauce!
  • Storage - Leftovers will last 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container, or can be frozen for 2-3 months.
  • Make it Spicier - Use more chilli flakes and/or add store-bought or homemade kimchi for an extra spicy hit!
  • Make it Milder - Use less chilli flakes and gochujang. Replace with ½ tsp of chicken stock powder to give it a little extra flavour. Or use our soy sauce based Korean bulgogi sauce instead. 
  • Even More Flavour - Add 1 tsp Korean curry powder into the marinade. 
  • Dakgalbi Fried Rice - Near the end of the meal, add a cup of cooked rice, kimchi, seaweed and an egg. Stir fry until the egg is cooked through and the rice has soaked up all the leftover flavour in the pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 537kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 669mg | Potassium: 671mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 8263IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 2mg