Dakgomtang (Korean Chicken Soup) Recipe

Instructions

1. Place the whole chicken in a large heavy pot. Add the garlic, halved onion, ginger, and one large green onion, then pour in about 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water. Cover and bring to a vigorous boil over medium-high heat, about 30 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for about 40 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. Skim away foam or impurities that rise to the surface during cooking for a cleaner broth.
3. Turn off the heat. Carefully transfer the chicken and cooked aromatics to a large tray. Stir 1 tablespoon salt into the hot broth, then cover the pot to keep it warm.
4. Let the chicken cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones. Tear the breast meat into long strips and place it separately from the darker thigh, drumstick, and wing meat.
5. Season the breast meat with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and toasted sesame oil. Add the cooked garlic and gently toss everything together. Keep the darker meat in bite-sized pieces for serving alongside the soup.
6. Return the chicken bones to the pot. Cover and simmer gently over low heat for about 30 minutes. For a fuller, slightly more milky broth, continue for up to 1 hour. Add a little water if necessary to keep roughly 10–12 cups of broth.
7. While the bones simmer, make the soy sauce relish. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, chopped green chili, onion chunks, and sliced garlic in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.
8. Make the spicy seasoning paste by combining the gochugaru, fish sauce, minced ginger, and 1/4 cup hot chicken broth. Stir until the mixture becomes a loose, spoonable paste.
9. Remove the bones from the broth. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer lined with clean cheesecloth or a thin cotton cloth. This removes small bits of bone, aromatics, and excess fat and leaves you with a cleaner-tasting soup.
10. Return the strained broth to the cleaned pot and bring it back to a gentle simmer. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
11. Divide freshly cooked rice among four large bowls. Add the seasoned shredded breast meat, then ladle the steaming broth over the rice and chicken. Thinly slice the remaining green onion and scatter it over each bowl.
12. Serve with the darker chicken meat, soy sauce relish, spicy gochugaru paste, and black pepper on the side. Add the seasonings to your bowl a little at a time; mixing some rice directly into the broth is especially comforting.