Dakdoritang (Spicy Korean Braised Chicken)

Which chicken to buy: Bone-in thighs and drumsticks work best, because they stay juicy through the braise and the bones give the sauce more body. If you cut up a whole chicken, the breast and wing pieces cook faster than the legs, so lift them out when they reach 165 F (74 C) and put them back for the last 2 minutes. If your pieces are smaller than those described here, such as chicken already cut for stew, check the chicken a few minutes early, since smaller pieces cook faster. Boneless skinless breast is the least forgiving choice, because it turns dry and stringy in a braise.

If you only have boneless thighs: Use 2 lb (900 g), cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces, and skip the slashing and the parboil. Bring the potatoes, carrots, sauce and water to a boil, then simmer covered for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and the onion and cook uncovered for 15 to 18 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165 F (74 C) in the center and the sauce has thickened. The sauce will have a little less body than it does with bone-in chicken.

Why parboil, and how to cut the grease: Boiling the chicken for 5 minutes first lifts impurities and surface fat out as gray foam, which you pour off, so the sauce looks clearer and tastes cleaner. Pulling off the skin removes most of the remaining grease, and any orange oil that still collects on top can be skimmed off with a spoon or a folded paper towel. To skip the parboil, remove the skin, trim the fat, add the raw chicken straight to the pot with the sauce, and skim the foam and fat during the first 10 minutes. The stew will be a little cloudier and oilier. Do not parboil chicken ahead of time and refrigerate it to finish later, because partly cooked chicken should be cooked through right away.

Fixing the sauce: If the sauce is thin when the potatoes are done, keep the pot uncovered over medium-high heat and stir gently for 3 to 5 minutes. Mashing one or two potato chunks against the side of the pot thickens it faster. A tall, narrow pot reduces more slowly than a wide one, so add 5 to 10 minutes to the uncovered step. If the sauce is thick or sticking, stir in 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water. If it is too salty, add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water and a pinch of sugar and simmer for 2 minutes. If you smell something burnt or see black bits on the bottom, do not scrape them up. Ladle the stew into a clean pot, leave the scorched layer behind, and add 1/2 cup (120 ml) of water.

Potatoes: Yellow or waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold or red potatoes, hold their shape best. Russets are starchier, so they break down more and thicken the sauce. Cut them a little larger and check them 5 minutes early. If the potatoes are tender before the chicken is done, lift them out with a slotted spoon and add them back for the last 2 minutes. If they are still hard when the sauce is already thick, add 1/2 cup (120 ml) of water, cover the pot and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Spice level: As written, the stew is medium-spicy, and the potatoes and the sugar help take the edge off the heat. Gochujang and gochugaru differ a lot by brand, and the sauce tastes hotter as it reduces, so judge the heat near the end rather than at the start. For a milder stew, use 1 to 2 tbsp of gochugaru, leave out the fresh chilies and add 1 tsp more sugar. For a hotter stew, add 1 to 2 tbsp more gochugaru, or use Korean cheongyang chilies, which are usually hotter than jalapenos. If your gochugaru is a fine powder, start with 2 tbsp and add more at the end. Regular crushed red pepper flakes are much hotter than gochugaru, so do not use them in the same amount.

Swaps and add-ins: Gochujang is the base of the sauce and has no real substitute. Look for it in the Asian aisle of large supermarkets or online. No gochugaru? Use 2 tbsp of sweet paprika plus 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne, adding the cayenne a little at a time. The color will be close, but the flavor will be less fruity and rounded. No mirin or rice wine? Use dry white wine or dry sherry and add 1/2 tsp more sugar. Sweet potato can replace half of the potatoes; it breaks down a little at the edges and sweetens the sauce. About 1 cup (150 g) of cylinder-shaped Korean rice cakes (tteok) can go in with the onion. Soak hard or frozen ones in warm water for 10 minutes first, add 1/2 cup (120 ml) of water because they soak up sauce, and stir often so they do not stick.

Dakdoritang vs dakgalbi: Both are red, gochujang-based chicken dishes, but they cook differently. Dakgalbi is stir-fried with little liquid, usually with boneless chicken, cabbage and sweet potato, and ends up thick and sticky. Dakdoritang is braised in much more liquid with bone-in chicken, potatoes and carrots, and ends up as a saucy stew meant to be eaten with rice. See Dakgalbi if you want the drier, stir-fried one.

Dietary notes: This dish contains chicken and soy, and sesame if you use the garnish. Soy sauce usually contains wheat, and many gochujang brands contain wheat or barley malt too. If you avoid gluten, check the soy sauce and gochujang labels for wheat and barley, and use tamari or a soy sauce labeled gluten-free. If you avoid fish or shellfish, check the gochujang and soy sauce labels for fish, shellfish and meat ingredients.

Storage and reheating: Put leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate them within 2 hours of cooking (within 1 hour if the room is hotter than 90 F / 32 C), since a big pot cools too slowly to leave on the stove. They keep for 3 to 4 days. Any fat hardens on top in the fridge and can be lifted off. Reheat in a pot over medium-low heat with a splash of water, covered, until the chicken is steaming hot and reaches 165 F (74 C). Freezing is not ideal, because thawed potatoes turn grainy. To freeze it, pick out the potatoes, freeze the chicken in its sauce for up to 2 months, thaw it overnight in the fridge, and add freshly boiled potatoes when you reheat. To get ahead, cut the vegetables and stir the sauce together up to 1 day before and keep them covered in the fridge.

How to serve it: Put the pot in the middle of the table, with a bowl of plain steamed short-grain rice for each person and a small empty bowl for the bones. Eat a piece of chicken or potato with a spoonful of sauce and rice, and spoon extra sauce over the rice. Because the stew is spicy, cool or mild sides help: Korean Cucumber Salad, Kongnamul Muchim, Korean Spinach Side Dish, or Gyeran Jjim, a mild, soft steamed egg dish. Easy Kimchi adds a tangy crunch. For another potato dish with a milder, sweet-salty flavor, try Gamja Jorim.

Variations: For a stew with no chili, leave out the gochujang, gochugaru and fresh chilies, use 5 tbsp (75 ml) of soy sauce and 3 tbsp (about 38 g) of sugar, and keep everything else the same. The result is a sweet-savory soy braise, similar in spirit to jjimdak, another Korean braised chicken dish. Taste at the end and add 2 tbsp of water if it is too salty. The photo on this page shows the stew served in a shallow metal pan with small side dishes and rice around it, rather than in the deep pot used in the recipe above.