Braised Dishes

Jjimdak (Soy-braised Chicken with Glass Noodles)

Name: Jjimdak (Soy-braised Chicken with Glass Noodles)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: bone-in chicken, cut into pieces 800 g; potatoes 2; carrot 1/2; onion 1; dried sweet potato glass noodles (dangmyeon) 80 g; soy sauce 5 Tbsp; sugar 2 Tbsp; corn syrup 1 Tbsp; minced garlic 1 Tbsp; gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) 1 Tbsp; water 400 ml; cooking oil 1 Tbsp

Stir-fry the chicken first so it starts cooking through, then add the sauce and water and braise, adding the glass noodles at the end to soften. It's done when a fork slides into the potatoes and carrots.

Prep 15 min · Cook 40 min · Total 55 min · 3 servings · Medium

한국어로 보기 (Korean version)

Steps

1
Soak the chicken in cold water for 10 minutes to draw out the blood. Cut the potatoes, carrot, and onion into large chunks, and soak the glass noodles in lukewarm water for 10 minutes.
Cut out any potato sprouts and green parts.
2
Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat and stir-fry the chicken for 8 minutes, until no blood shows on the surface and it starts cooking inside.
3
Add the soy sauce, sugar, corn syrup, minced garlic, gochugaru, and water, place the potatoes, carrot, and onion on top, and braise over medium heat for 20 minutes.
4
Add the soaked noodles and braise 5 minutes more, until the noodles turn translucent and only a little sauce is left.

Substitutions

Instead of	Use	How
corn syrup	1 Tbsp oligosaccharide syrup	The sweetness is similar, so use the same amount, and lower the heat at the end so it doesn't burn.
glass noodles	leave them out	Without the noodles, braise 3 minutes less and leave a little more sauce.

Storing leftovers

The noodles soak up the sauce and turn mushy as it cools, and the sauce reduces and gets salty. Cool, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and eat within 2 days; reheat with a little added water until the sauce comes to a full boil and the chicken is hot all the way through. Glass noodles and potatoes lose their texture when frozen, so if freezing, portion out only the chicken and sauce per meal and use within 2 weeks.

Serve with

Rice, geotjeori (fresh kimchi salad), and gyeran-jjim (steamed eggs). The sauce is sweet, so tangy vegetables go well.

Making more or less

For 4 servings, increase the chicken to 1 kg and use a wide, shallow pot so the pieces braise without overlapping.

Before you cook

Cook the chicken completely, until the meat at the joints is white with no trace of blood.
Cut out any potato sprouts and green parts.

Questions

When do I add the glass noodles to jjimdak?

Glass noodles cook by soaking up the sauce, so if added too early they go mushy and the sauce runs short, making the bottom likely to scorch. Add them in the last 5 minutes, and if the sauce has reduced too much, add 100 ml water before putting them in.