A braised chicken dish that’s cozy and delicious: Dak Jjim! Also known as Korean Soy Sauce Braised Chicken, this classic Korean dish stars tender chicken, chunks of potato, and glass noodles. The savory braising liquid is so good! The flavor base comes from a combination of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and brown sugar. A simple dish with complex flavors and a hint of spicy flavor. Make it as spicy as you dare — or not spicy at all, if you like. Good with rice and a side of kimchi.
What is Dak Jjim?
Dak Jjimis a popular dish from South Korea that features braised chicken in a savory, slightly sweet, and mildly spicy sauce. Also called Andong Jjimdak, it’s a comfort food that comes from the city of Andong in South Korea. The tender chicken and flavorful braising liquid are served with Korean glass noodles (Dangmyeon). Part chicken dish, part noodle dish, and part soup — it tastes so good with rice!
On the surface, Dak Jjim seems like a simple chicken dish. But the layers of flavor make this dish very special. The rich complexity of the sauce comes from soy sauce, brown sugar, and oyster sauce with dried chilies, garlic, and ginger. Together, they create fantastically deep layers of flavor. The added vegetables (shiitake mushrooms, potatoes, and carrots) make it a complete meal in one pan!
What makes Andong Dak Jjim unique is a mild spiciness. There is a tickle of warm heat that comes from the chilies and ginger. Not too spicy but definitely noticeable.
Note: sometimes, Dak Jjim is called Jjim Dak. Dak means chicken and Jjim means braised or steamed. For this dish, the words are interchangeable.
Dig into this special Korean Braised Chicken! Whole chicken pieces swimming in a rich braising liquid. Fluffy potato chunks. Slippery glass noodles. Korean Braised Chicken for the win! YUM!
Ingredients
- Chicken. Bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces work best for this recipe. Recommended: chicken wings, drumsticks, or chicken thighs (with skin and bone). The skin and bones make for an extra flavorful chicken stew. I do not recommend boneless, skinless chicken — it will be too dry.
- Ginger + Garlic. Fresh ginger and garlic are essential!
- Dried Chilies. Add depth and subtle heat. Stir fry with the ginger and garlic for complexity in flavor.
- Onion + Potato + Carrot. The veggies give it flavor, body, and stewy richness.
- Shiitake mushrooms. Either dried or fresh. If using dried, rehydrate with hot water for 10 minutes. They will soften further when cooked with the chicken.
- Sweet Potato Noodles (Dang Myeon). A gluten-free Korean noodle that is chewy and tastes good swimming in all that sauce!
- Sauce Ingredients: Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Brown Sugar, Mirin, and Black Pepper. A balance of sweet and salty.
- Green onions + Perilla leaves. The garnish. Adds freshness and balances all the sweetness.
- Fresh chilies. *Optional.* Add as a garnish for extra spice. I recommend Korean chilies, fresno chilies, or Jalapeno.
How to make Korean Soy Sauce Braised Chicken
- Parboil the chicken. In a shallow braiser, add the chicken and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil furiously for 5 minutes so the fat particles bubble and foam. Drain in a colander. Rinse the chicken in cold water. Make sure to rinse away any remaining debris or grimy particles on the chicken. Set aside in the colander to drain. Wash the pot with soap and water to remove any fat particles stuck to the side. Dry well.
- Stir fry the dried chilies, garlic, and ginger. Heat the clean shallow braiser over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp neutral oil and add dried chilies, garlic, and ginger. Stir fry in the oil until fragrant and golden brown, about 1 minute.
- Braise the chicken. Add the chicken, onions, mushrooms, water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, mirin, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. When it comes to a simmer, cover and lower heat. Simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
- Add potatoes and carrots. Add the potatoes and carrots to the liquid. Cover and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add noodles. *While the chicken cooks, soak the noodles in cold water.* When the potatoe and carrot are tender, it’s time to add the noodles. Drain the water and add the noodles into the liquid. Press into the liquid so the noodles are submerged. Cook on medium heat until the noodles are soft and pliable, about 8-10 minutes.
- Serve. Garnish with green onion, perilla leaves, and fresh chilies. Add a drizzle of sesame oil (if desired) and a few cranks of fresh black pepper. Transfer to the table, making sure to place on top of a hot pad. Be careful, the pan is hot! Serve with white rice and kimchi. Enjoy!
PRO Tips
- Watch the water level. The water can reduce very quickly. Watch carefully and feel free to add more water if it reduces too much.
- Soak the noodles. For more pliable noodles that are not stringy, soak the sweet potato noodles in water. Add to a large bowl with enough water to cover. Soak for 10-15 minutes.
- Use a shallow braiser. To make this a true one pot meal that transfers from stove to the table, use a shallow braiser. Everything can be cooked in one pot!
FAQ
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or the stovetop. Make sure to cover when reheating so the liquid doesn’t evaporate too much.
If you don’t have Dangmyeon (sweet potato noodles), omit the noodles. Make sure to serve with rice to sop up the sauce! If you like, serve with somyeon (somen) or udon noodles although the flavor and texture won’t be quite the same.
More recipes
- Korean Chicken Soup (Dak Gomtang)
- Spicy Braised Pork Ribs with Cheese
- Spicy Braised Chicken Stew (Dak Dori Tang/ Dak Bokkeumtang)
Korean Soy Sauce Braised Chicken (Dak Jjim) Recipe
Equipment
- Shallow Braiser
- Colander
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings and drummettes
- 2 dried chilies
- 2 inches fresh ginger *minced
- 4 cloves garlic *minced
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes *peeled + chopped
- 2 carrots *peeled + chopped
- 1 sweet onion (can be swapped with yellow or white onion) *chopped
- 3 shiitake mushrooms *chopped
Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp mirin *sweet cooking wine; can be swapped with sake, sherry, or vermouth
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Garnish
- 2 green onion
- 4 perilla leaves *optional
- 1 fresh chili pepper *fresno, jalapeno, or Korean
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil *drizzle right before serving
Instructions
- Parboil the chicken. In a shallow braiser, add the chicken and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil furiously for 5 minutes so the fat particles bubble and foam. Drain in a colander. Rinse the chicken in cold water. Make sure to rinse away any remaining debris or grimy particles on the chicken. Set aside in the colander to drain. Wash the pot with soap and water to remove any fat particles stuck to the side. Dry well.
- Stir fry the dried chilies, garlic, and ginger. Heat the clean shallow braiser over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp neutral oil and add dried chilies, garlic, and ginger. Stir fry in the oil until fragrant and golden brown, about 1 minute.
- Braise the chicken. Add the chicken, onions, mushrooms, water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, mirin, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. When it comes to a simmer, cover and lower heat. Simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
- Add potatoes and carrots. Add the potatoes and carrots to the liquid. Cover and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add noodles. *While the chicken cooks, soak the noodles in cold water.* When the potatoe and carrot are tender, it's time to add the noodles. Drain the water and add the noodles into the liquid. Press into the liquid so the noodles are submerged. Cook on medium heat until the noodles are soft and pliable, about 8-10 minutes.
- Serve. Garnish with green onion, perilla leaves, and fresh chilies. Add a drizzle of sesame oil (if desired) and a few cranks of fresh black pepper. Transfer to the table, making sure to place on top of a hot pad. Be careful, the pan is hot! Serve with white rice and kimchi. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Watch the water level. The water can reduce very quickly. Watch carefully and feel free to add more water if it reduces too much.
- Soak the noodles. For more pliable noodles that are not stringy, soak the sweet potato noodles in water. Add to a large bowl with enough water to cover. Soak for 10-15 minutes.
- Use a shallow braiser. To make this a true one pot meal that transfers from stove to the table, use a shallow braiser. Everything can be cooked in one pot!
