Dakgomtang (Korean Chicken Soup)
A comforting and nutritious Korean chicken soup made by simmering a whole chicken with aromatics, then separating the meat and simmering the bones further to create a rich, milky broth. The tender chicken meat is served with the flavorful broth, rice, and various dipping sauces and side dishes.
Nutrition· per serving · estimated
Ingredients19 items
Instructions
- 1
Remove the chicken from its packaging. Check inside for giblets and remove them if present (don't throw them away). Cut off any excess fat from the tail and wing tips using kitchen shears. Wash the chicken thoroughly under cold running water, inside and out, removing any visible yellow fat.
- 2
Place the cleaned whole chicken in an 8-quart pot. Add 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of cold water, 12 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp sliced ginger, 1 medium onion (halved), and 2 large green onion stalks (daepa). Cover the pot.
- 3
Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Once vigorously boiling, reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
40:00 timer - 4
Carefully remove the cooked chicken from the pot and place it on a plate. Discard the cooked onion, ginger, and green onion stalks from the pot.
- 5
Add 1 tbsp salt to the chicken broth in the pot and stir to dissolve. Cover the pot.
- 6
Separate the chicken meat from the bones. You can wait for the chicken to cool slightly if it's too hot. Use a spoon or your gloved hands to pull the meat from the bones. Keep the cooked garlic cloves from the chicken.
- 7
Return all the chicken bones (without meat) to the pot with the broth. Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes to further infuse the broth.
30:00 timer - 8
While the bones are simmering, prepare the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp vinegar. Chop 1/4 cup onion into small chunks, slice 3 garlic cloves, and slice 1 large green chili pepper. Add these to the soy sauce mixture and mix well.
- 9
Prepare the seasoning paste. In another small bowl, add 1/4 cup gochugaru (Korean chili flakes). Ladle 1/4 cup of the hot chicken broth into the gochugaru and mix. Add 2 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp minced ginger, then mix thoroughly until a paste forms.
- 10
Slice 1/2 cup green onion for garnish.
- 11
After 30 minutes of simmering the bones, turn off the heat. Place a large mesh strainer lined with a cotton cloth or double/triple-layered cheesecloth over a large bowl in the sink. Carefully pour the broth and bones through the strainer to remove all impurities, fat, and bones. Discard the solids.
- 12
Pour the clear, strained broth back into the clean pot. Keep it warm on the stove over very low heat, or reheat just before serving.
- 13
Shred the chicken breast meat into thin strips. Slice the dark meat into bite-sized pieces. Combine the shredded white meat, sliced dark meat, and the cooked garlic cloves (from step 6). Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp sesame oil, mixing gently.
- 14
To serve, place a portion of cooked rice in a serving bowl. Top with a generous amount of the seasoned chicken meat. Ladle the hot, clear broth over the chicken and rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and a sprinkle of black pepper. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce, seasoning paste, and other desired side dishes.