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Korea, Asia · Dakgalbi (Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken)

Pear-Marinated Crispy-Skin Iron-Pan Dakgalbi

Restaurant-style dakgalbi: skin-on thighs aged 4 hours in a grated pear and onion marinade, seared crisp, then vegetables glazed in the rendered chicken fat.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time40 min
Marinating+ 4 h
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Keep the skin on the thighs but pull off any yellow fat lumps. Score the thickest parts and cut into 4 cm pieces. Finely grate the pear and onion (or blitz them), mix with the rest of the marinade, coat the chicken and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight at most. Pear enzymes tenderise the meat, but beyond 24 hours it turns mushy.

    Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs, skin on 440 gAsian pear, grated 70 gOnion, grated 40 gGochujang (Korean chili paste) 2 tbspFine Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) 1½ tbspSoy sauce 1 tbspRice syrup (or corn syrup) 1 tbspMirin (rice cooking wine) 1 tbspMinced garlic 1 tbspMinced ginger ½ tspCurry powder ½ tspGround black pepper 1 pinch

  2. Cut the sweet potato into 1 cm half-moons, the cabbage into 4 cm squares and the onion into 1 cm strips; cut the green onion into 5 cm lengths and the perilla into 2 cm ribbons. Wipe the marinade off the chicken with your fingers back into the bowl and keep it: chicken with sauce on it burns before the skin can crisp.

  3. Lightly oil a 26 cm pan and lay the chicken skin side down in a single layer. Cook over medium heat for without moving it, until the skin is deep golden and plenty of fat has rendered out. If the pieces don't fit in one layer, cook them in two batches.

    Add in this stepCooking oil ½ tbsp

    medium heat

  4. Turn the chicken and push it to one side. Put the sweet potato in the free space and fry it in the chicken fat over medium-high heat for , until the edges are golden.

    Add in this stepSweet potato 150 g

    medium-high heat

  5. Add the cabbage, onion, the reserved marinade and 3 tbsp water and stir-fry over medium heat for , reducing the sauce so it coats everything. It's nearly done when the sauce is thick and glossy, the sweet potato is tender and the chicken is white all the way through (75°C on a thermometer).

    Add in this stepCabbage 200 gOnion, sliced 100 g

    medium heat

  6. Turn the heat down to low heat, add the green onion, perilla and perilla oil, toss for , scatter with sesame seeds and serve at once.

    Add in this stepLarge green onion (or leek) 1Perilla leaves (or a few mint leaves) 6Perilla oil (or toasted sesame oil) 1 tspToasted sesame seeds 1 tsp

    low heat

Cook's tip

Step 3 is the secret: render the skin fully. If you rush or shake the pan, the skin stays flabby, so just wait. The syrup gives the final gloss; honey works too but burns faster, so lower the heat one notch.

Cooking it at camp

A heavy cast-iron pan crisps the skin best. Marinate the chicken at home and carry it in the cooler, so there's no waiting at camp. It's also excellent seared skin side down over charcoal, then finished with the vegetables in the cast-iron pan.