Cheese Dakgalbi - Korean Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry

dakgalbi korean spicy chicken stir fry with Korean sweet potatoes, green cabbage, rice cakes and kkaennip

Cheese Dakgalbi - Korean Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry

5 from 7 votes

If you're a spicy food lover, dakgalbi is one of the best dishes in the world! It combines chicken marinated in a to-die-for spicy sauce with Korean sweet potatoes, green cabbage, rice cakes, and kkaennip leaves. Top it with cheesy mozzarella, and stir-fry the leftovers to make the best spicy chicken fried rice ever!

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Korean

Yield:

Calories: 1202kcal

Author: Emma Choi

Prep Time: 30

Active Time: 15

Marinating Time: 1

Total Time: 1 45

Equipment

Ingredients

8 rice cakes
500 g boneless chicken thighs (Note 1)
¼ green cabbage , cut into squares
1 small Korean sweet potato (optional) , cut into thick sticks (do not substitute by regular sweet potato)
1 small onion , sliced
3 green onions , chopped
10 kkaennip leaves (optional) , thickly shredded (Note 2)
160 g mozzarella grated cheese
dried parsley
cooking oil

Sauce

2 garlic cloves , minced
1 tsp ginger , grated
2 tbsp sugar
1.5 tbsp gochugaru | Korean red chili flakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp mulyeot
1 tbsp gochujang | Korean red chili paste
1 tsp sesame oil
black pepper

Fried rice (optional)

1 portion cold rice
1.5 tbsp sesame oil
salted seaweed , chopped
30 g mozzarella shredded cheese
green onion

US - M

Instructions

Prepare ingredients - Soak the rice cakes in water while preparing the rest.
Make the sauce - Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Marinate the chicken - Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Add the chicken to the sauce and let it marinate for at least 1 hour (less time is okay, but 1 hour is best) (Note 3).
Chop vegetables - Chop the cabbage, sweet potato, onion, green onion and kkaennip leaves.
Cook dakgalbi - Heat some cooking oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the sweet potato, cabbage, and onion to the pan. After 2-3 minutes, add the chicken, rice cakes, and green onions. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes, cabbage, and chicken are almost done. Add the kkaennip leaves and cook for another 1-2 minutes (Note 4).
Create space in the center of the pan and add the mozzarella. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pan with a lid, and let the cheese melt.
Sprinkle with dried parsley.
Serve - Serve hot, but save some leftovers to make fried rice (a common practice in Korean restaurants).
Make fried rice (optional) - In a bowl, combine cold rice, sesame oil, salted seaweed, and green onion. Heat the pan on high, add the mixture to the leftover chicken, and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add mozzarella on top or mix it in.

Notes

Chicken - use boneless chicken thighs for best results. Chicken breast tends to be too dry for this dish.
Kkaennip leaves - these can be hard to find in some regions. If unavailable, omit them, the dish will still taste great.
Marinating time - in a rush? Shorter marinating time is fine, but the flavor is best with at least an hour.
Cooking tip - keep the sweet potatoes and cabbage near the bottom of the pan as they take longer to cook. Fully cook the cabbage to absorb the sauce—it shouldn’t be crunchy.

Nutrition