Korean Spicy Chicken Stir-fry (닭도리탕)

First of all, guess what happened today! It snowed!! It's much more special to me because I live in Northern California near Sacramento and it is just hard to believe that it got cold enough to snow! I wish today was Christmas... Then we could call it a white Christmas! It's very exciting. It only snowed a little bit and the snow will probably be melted by rain, but still it's so fun. I love snow! I grew up in Korea where it snows quite a bit. So I miss it now and then. I'm glad I got to see a little bit this morning.

Alright, so this recipe that I'm posting today... It is one of my favorite Korean recipes. 닭도리탕 "Spicy Chicken Stir-fry" is a very popular main dish, especially when it's chilly out. It's spicy enough to make you sweat but not too overwhelming. That's why I eat it with white sticky rice. It really tones down the spice a lot.

Traditionally, Koreans use whole chicken but I used chicken breasts. You may choose to use a whole chicken if you desire, no big deal. I have a slight fear of dealing with whole chicken. It just freaks me out. I guess everyone has a fear of something, right?

The potatoes and carrots in the dish were also very soft and flavorful. You may also put sweet potatoes or other vegetables in it according to your liking. That's what Korean cooking is all about. Just put what you like until it tastes good! :)

Korean Spicy Chicken Stir-fry

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite sizes

2 medium potatoes, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 sweet potato, diced (optional)

1 onion, diced (optional)

1 red pepper (not bell pepper), seeded and diced (optional)

Olive oil

Water

2 green onions, finely chopped

Sauce-

2 tablespoons Korean red pepper paste

1 teaspoon fish sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 teaspoons Korean red pepper flakes

1-2 teaspoons corn syrup

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Make the sauce by mixing all sauce ingredients. In large bowl, toss in the chicken, the diced potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. Pour the sauce into the chicken mixture. Mix the sauce and the chicken and vegetables well with hand or with a spoon.

In large saute pan, heat some olive oil over high heat. Add the sauce and chicken mixture and stir occasionally, about 5-7 minutes or until the chicken starts to cook. Add water to cover the chicken and the vegetables (Do not add too much water!). Bring it to a boil. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to low and let it cook until the potatoes are softened, stirring occasionally. When the potatoes are softened, add the onions and red pepper and cook 5 more minutes.

Sprinkle chopped green onions on top and serve with rice.

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