Korean Stir-Fried Chicken with Rice
Around communal tables in Seoul, we gorged on the spicy, saucy chicken stir-fry maeun dakgalbi; at home, we adapted it for stovetop cooking.
- Makes4 servings
- Cook Time50 minutes
- 9
In Seoul, we tasted several versions of maeun dakgalbi, a communal dish enjoyed in two stages. A wide, flat pan is placed on a burner at the center of the table for cooking a group-sized spicy, saucy stir-fry of chicken, chewy rice cakes and vegetables. When everyone has had their fill, cooked rice (or sometimes noodles) is added to the leftovers in the pan, along with a few aromatics and seasonings. The grains, spread into a thin, even layer, pick up the tasty caramelized bits in the pan and also take on some browning and crisping of their own, creating flavorful fried rice. This two-stage table-top cooking is impractical at home, so we combined both stages into one and cook it in a 12-inch nonstick skillet on the stovetop. Though we typically use cold cooked rice to make light, fluffy fried rice, here we use freshly cooked short- or medium-grain rice, which has a satisfying chew.
Don’t stir too often after adding the rice and don’t be afraid to allow the grains to crisp and charred in spots. The goal is to develop some nurungji, which means “scorched rice” in Korean.
Step 1
In a small bowl, stir together the gochujang, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, 2 tablespoons water, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the chicken, sweet potato and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and scallion whites; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the cabbage and gochujang mixture, then reduce to medium and cook, stirring, until the sweet potato is tender and the sauce has thickened and clings to the chicken, 9 to 13 minutes.
Step 2
Push the mixture to one side. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the clearing and heat until shimmering. Add the rice in an even layer to the clearing, pressing it against the skillet, and sprinkle with half of the scallion greens and half of the nori. Cook without stirring, occasionally rotating the skillet on the burner to ensure even browning, until the rice is sizzling, brown and crisp on the bottom, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Stir to combine the rice and chicken-vegetable mixture, then distribute in an even layer and cook, undisturbed, until browned and crisped on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the remaining scallion greens, the remaining nori and sesame seeds.
