AI-generated image
Dakbaeksuk
닭백숙 (dakbaeksuk): whole chicken simmered for hours with garlic, jujubes and medicinal roots
Dakbaeksuk is a whole chicken simmered plain in a big pot, a dish Koreans eat on the boknal 'dog days' of midsummer and at valley restaurants in the mountains, where families sit on platforms by the stream. Unlike samgyetang it is not stuffed; the bird simmers with a fistful of garlic, a few jujubes and dried roots such as astragalus until it falls apart, and you eat the meat with salt and pepper and drink the milky broth. Suitable as part of a balanced diet: high in protein, with no flour or added sugar. About 420 kcal and 8 g carbohydrate per portion; restaurants finish with rice porridge in the broth, so keep that portion small or use brown rice. The usual mistake is boiling it fiercely, which makes the meat stringy; it should simmer gently. Chef's tip: skim the fat off the broth before serving; it tastes cleaner and lighter.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pot
- 3 ⅓ lb whole chickenexcess fat trimmed
- 10 ½ cups water
- 20 cloves garlicpeeled
- 3 slices dried astragalus root (hwanggi)optional
- 1 root dried ginsengoptional
- 1 ⅛ in fresh gingersliced
- 1 leekcut into 3 pieces
- 1 onionhalved
To serve
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 spring onionschopped
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Rinse the 3 ⅓ lb whole chicken inside and out and put it in a large pot with the 10 ½ cups water, 20 cloves garlic, 4 dried jujubes, 3 slices dried astragalus root (hwanggi), 1 root dried ginseng, 1 ⅛ in fresh ginger, 1 leek and 1 onion.
5 minStep 2: Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, then cover and simmer gently for 80 minutes until the legs pull away easily and the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
80 minStep 3: Lift the chicken onto a platter. Skim the fat from the broth and discard the leek, onion and roots; keep the soft garlic.
5 minStep 4: Mix the 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper in a small dish. Pull the chicken into pieces, dip in the salt and pepper, and serve the broth in bowls with the garlic and 2 spring onions.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dakbaeksuk take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tteokbokki
Tteokbokki (떡볶이) is Korea's best-loved street snack: chewy cylinders of rice cake simmered in a thick, glossy, sweet and spicy red sauce. It became a classic in Seoul, where it is sold from street stalls and snack bars in every neighbourhood. Street versions use anchovy stock and fish cakes; this vegan version uses a quick kelp and shiitake stock with cabbage and spring onions, and has all the same punch. Eat it hot, while the rice cakes are soft and stretchy. Chef's tip: keep stirring and scrape the bottom; the rice cakes release starch that thickens the sauce but also catches. The sauce is right when it clings to the spoon in a glossy coat.
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.
Chicken kdra with almonds
Kdra takes its name from the tall copper pot it was cooked in, and in Fez it is a festive dish for weddings and family gatherings rather than an everyday tagine. The sauce is the point: kilos of onion melted down with smen, saffron, white pepper and cinnamon until it turns pale gold and creamy, with no tomato or paprika at all. Soft chickpeas and almonds simmered until tender go into it, and the whole thing is scooped up with bread. Expect a mellow, perfumed, buttery richness rather than heat. Chef's tip: soak and simmer the blanched almonds with the chicken; they lose their crunch and become creamy like the chickpeas, which is how Fassi cooks like them.
Moroccan