Cheese Dakgalbi (치즈 닭갈비) – Spicy Korean Stir-Fried Chicken for Your Next Sizzling Meal
Dakgalbi (닭갈비) is a spicy stir-fried chicken dish that originates from Chuncheon, Korea. It’s known for its bold flavors, colorful vegetables, and deeply satisfying texture. This version highlights the rich and savory kick of gochujang, sweetness from carrots and sweet potatoes, and the optional creamy finish of mozzarella cheese. Whether served in a sizzling pan or straight from your favorite pot, it’s a perfect choice for a cozy dinner or a weekend gathering.
Equipment
- Deep nonstick pan or shallow pot with lid
- Tongs or spatula
- (Optional) sizzling pan for serving
- (Optional) Butane torch (if torching)
Ingredients
- Main
- chicken thighs (boneless)
- cooking wine
- salt
- black pepper
- Seasoning Sauce
- gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
- soy sauce
- sugar
- corn syrup (or rice syrup)
- curry powder
- peanut butter (optional, for nutty depth)
- Vegetables
- onion
- carrot
- sweet potato
- green onion
- oyster mushroom (or any other mushroom, optional)
- Topping
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Slice chicken thighs into bite-sized chunks. Mix with cooking wine, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate while prepping the other ingredients.
- In a bowl, combine gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, corn syrup, curry powder, and peanut butter (if using). Mix well.
- Add the seasoning sauce to the chicken and coat evenly. Refrigerate again while prepping vegetables.
- Cut onion into thin half-moons. Slice mushrooms, carrots and sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Cut green onion into 2–3 cm sections.
- Grease your cooking pot with vegetable oil. Arrange the sliced vegetables around the perimeter, leaving the center open for the chicken. Place the marinated chicken in the center. I added the cilantro. You can skip it.
- Heat the pot over medium. Stir gently for 2–3 minutes so the sauce starts coating the vegetables.
- Close the lid and cook over medium heat for 10–15 minutes. Stir occasionally so nothing sticks and everything cooks evenly. The vegetables will release their natural moisture and help steam the chicken.
- Once everything is cooked and tender, transfer to a sizzling pan if using. Top with shredded mozzarella and torch until melted and bubbly. Otherwise, serve straight from the pot.
Tips
- Don’t skip the lid: It helps create steam, speeding up the cooking process and keeping everything moist.
- Sweet potato and carrot thickness matters: Slice them thin for faster, even cooking.
Cheese Dakgalbi
Ingredients
Main
- 250 g chicken thighs boneless
- 1 tbsp cooking wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tspblack pepper
Seasoning Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp gochujang Korean red pepper paste
- 1 tbsp gochugaru Korean red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tbsp corn syrup or rice syrup
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp peanut butter optional, for nutty depth
Vegetables
- 1/2 onion sliced into half-moons
- 1/2 carrot sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small sweet potato peeled and sliced
- 1 stalk green onion sliced into 2–3 cm pieces
- Oyster mushroom or any other mushroom, optional
Topping
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Slice chicken thighs into bite-sized chunks. Mix with cooking wine, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate while prepping the other ingredients.
- In a bowl, combine gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, corn syrup, curry powder, and peanut butter (if using). Mix well.
- Add the seasoning sauce to the chicken and coat evenly. Refrigerate again while prepping vegetables.
- Cut onion into thin half-moons. Slice mushrooms, carrots and sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Cut green onion into 2–3 cm sections.
- Grease your cooking pot with vegetable oil. Arrange the sliced vegetables around the perimeter, leaving the center open for the chicken. Place the marinated chicken in the center.
- Heat the pot over medium. Stir gently for 2–3 minutes so the sauce starts coating the vegetables.
- Close the lid and cook over medium heat for 10–15 minutes. Stir occasionally so nothing sticks and everything cooks evenly. The vegetables will release their natural moisture and help steam the chicken.
- Once everything is cooked and tender, transfer to a sizzling pan if using. Top with shredded mozzarella and torch until melted and bubbly. Otherwise, serve straight from the pot.
