Dakgalbi
Spicy stir-fried chicken with cabbage and rice cakes.
Ingredients
- 600 g Chicken thighs
- 200 g Korean rice cakes
- ¼ head Cabbage
- 3 tbsp Gochujang
- 1 tbsp Gochugaru
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Neutral oil
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 3 Scallions (optional)
Method
- Cube the chicken, chop the cabbage, and mince the garlic.
- Mix the gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, soy, and sugar into a marinade and coat the chicken.
- Stir-fry the chicken in the neutral oil over high heat until browned.
- Add the cabbage and rice cakes and stir-fry until the cabbage wilts and the cakes soften.
- Scatter the scallions and serve from the pan.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Dakgalbi
Dakgalbi is a spicy Korean stir-fry of chicken cooked with cabbage and chewy rice cakes in a fiery gochujang-based sauce. It originated as a regional specialty of Chuncheon and became a hugely popular communal dish, typically cooked at the table on a wide griddle so everyone shares from the same hot pan. What defines it is the bold red marinade and the mix of textures — tender chicken, soft-wilted cabbage, and springy tteok (rice cakes) — all glazed in the same spicy-sweet sauce.
The flavor is assertively hot and savory, gochujang bringing fermented depth and body while gochugaru adds a rounder chili warmth, tempered by sugar and lifted with garlic. Coating the cubed chicken in that marinade before it hits the pan lets the sauce cook down and cling to everything, and stir-frying over high heat wilts the cabbage while softening the rice cakes into their signature chewy bite. The rice cakes soak up the sauce and turn it into the best part. Meant to be eaten straight from the pan while still sizzling, it's a shareable, high-protein dish that goes well with rice, lettuce wraps, and cold beer.
Dakgalbi: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Dakgalbi?
A serving has about 668 calories — 31.3g protein, 56.8g carbs, 34.8g fat, 5.6g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 31.3g of protein, roughly 19% of its calories.
Is Dakgalbi gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Gochujang, Light soy sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for those ingredients to make it gluten-free.
How long does Dakgalbi take to make?
About 35 minutes start to finish, but only around 29 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Dakgalbi?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out scallions — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Dakgalbi make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.