Savory and Sweet Soy Sauce Braised Chicken (Jjimdak)
Perfectly Balanced Soy Sauce Braised Chicken with an Irresistible Sauce!
This is a soy sauce-based Jjimdak, often called Andong Jjimdak! Its delightfully sweet and savory sauce is so addictive, it’ll have you finishing your rice in no time.
Main Ingredients
- 1kg fresh chicken (preferably free-range or young chicken)
- 1 medium potato (approx. 250g)
- 1/2 carrot (approx. 120g)
- 100g rice cakes (tteokbokki tteok, mill tteok, or rice tteok, to your preference)
Golden Sauce
- 600cc water
- 100cc mirin (cooking wine)
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp corn syrup (or similar sweetener)
- 100cc soy sauce (jin ganjang)
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 pinches black pepper
- 600cc water
- 100cc mirin (cooking wine)
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp corn syrup (or similar sweetener)
- 100cc soy sauce (jin ganjang)
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 pinches black pepper
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s make the fantastic soy sauce marinade that will make this jjimdak shine! To achieve a deep and rich flavor, measure out the water, mirin, sugar, corn syrup, soy sauce, oyster sauce, minced garlic, and black pepper into a bowl. Stir thoroughly with chopsticks or a whisk until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved, creating your perfect sauce.
Step 2
Now, let’s prepare the vegetables that will add delightful texture to the jjimdak. Peel the potatoes and carrots, then cut them into chunky pieces about 1-2 cm thick. Cutting them large helps them maintain their shape and prevents them from breaking apart during cooking. (Note: I used one medium potato and about half a carrot for this recipe.)
Step 3
To ensure a clean and odor-free jjimdak, we’ll perform a crucial pre-boiling step! Carefully remove any yellowish fatty parts attached to the chicken skin. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil – use about 2 to 3 times the amount of water as chicken. Once boiling, add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar and then add the chicken. Blanch it for 2-3 minutes. You’ll notice a lot of foam, oil, and impurities rising to the surface, just like in the photo. After blanching, drain the chicken in a colander, rinse it under cold water to remove any remaining impurities, and then submerge it in cold water for 5-10 minutes until completely cooled. This chilling process helps eliminate any lingering gamey odors.
Step 4
Now it’s time to assemble all the ingredients in the pot for braising. Place the pre-blanched chicken at the bottom of the pot. Arrange the cut potatoes and carrots evenly over the chicken. Pour the prepared golden soy sauce marinade evenly over everything, ensuring the ingredients are well-coated.
Step 5
Let’s start braising the jjimdak! Once the sauce comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the rice cakes for a chewy texture and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. (Since stove heat varies, a good tip is to boil vigorously on high heat for about 10 minutes, then check the seasoning every 2-3 minutes. When it reaches your desired sweet and savory level, add the rice cakes and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.) If using frozen rice cakes, they may need closer to 5 minutes to cook through, so adjust the time based on the state of your rice cakes.
Step 6
And here it is – your perfectly cooked soy sauce jjimdak! Don’t worry if the color isn’t as deep brown as some ‘Andong Jjimdak’ you might have seen. Using only soy sauce will result in a natural color like this! Very dark brown jjimdak often uses caramel coloring. If you’re eating with children, omitting chili peppers is fine, but if you enjoy a hint of spice, add 1-2 chopped Cheongyang chili peppers when you add the rice cakes for a delightful kick.
Step 7
Your delicious soy sauce jjimdak is complete! Serve it hot and enjoy this hearty meal. If you’re curious to see this recipe in action, you can watch the video on the recipe page. Your viewership greatly supports our recipe creation efforts. Enjoy your meal!
