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Spicy Korean Braised Chicken and Vegetables
This flavor-packed stew, called dakbokkeumtang, counts gochujang, or Korean fermented chili paste, as one of its primary seasonings. The thick, bright-red paste usually is sold in plastic tubs or bottles in Asian markets or in the international aisle of regular supermarkets. Soy sauce and a dose of brown sugar add salty-sweet flavor to balance to the dish, while sesame oil and seeds add nutty notes. The potatoes and carrots absorb the seasonings so the pieces are flavored throughout; make sure to cut the vegetables into pieces about 1 inch in size, not smaller, so they don’t wind up overdone. Serve the stew with steamed rice.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t use chicken breasts instead of thighs. Sturdy dark meat does well when braised, but more delicate white meat dries out and turns tough. Dark meat also lends the finished dish richer, meatier flavor.
FAST: 55 minutes
Slow: 4½ to 5½ hours
10 minutes active
Ingredients
-
3
tablespoons gochujang
-
2
tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
Directions
-
01In a 6-quart Instant Pot, whisk together the gochujang, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and scallion whites. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, carrots and ½ cup water, then distribute in an even layer.
Reviews
November 16, 2025
Excellent Weekday Meal
If its spicy I'm always in. I enjoy cooking International which is mostly why Milk Street is for me. This recipe was easy to put together and very flavorful. Gochujang is an excellent spice, rich with umami. I rarely use it unless I'm cooking Asian dishes. Its just and awesome spice. I rarely use my Insta-Pot so it was great to cook a meal as great as this on fast and have it ready in such a short period of time.
March 19, 2023
Family staple
This has become a go to in my home. We have used sweet potatoes on occasion and skipped the sugar and the flavor is still amazing.
June 30, 2022
Warming comfort food
Comfort food! The spice level is good and the whole dish is lovely, warming and soothing. Very easy to make as well.
October 12, 2025
Very good and easy
I'm tempted to double the quantity of potatoes and carrots next time. Has anyone tried that?
October 17, 2025
Decent but not my favorite
Broth is tasty and it was simple enough to make, but it left me shrugging my shoulders. I went the slow cooker route for 4. 5 hours and some of my veggies still weren’t cooked through, so I’d definitely recommend the full five hours. The broth is flavorful but I’d prefer something a bit more velvety as it just seems to wash off the more substantial ingredients. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, but I like the MS stews like pork and red chile or maybe their chicken vindaloo.
Hi Debra,
We’re so glad you're exploring our recipes. When we developed the recipes for our Instant Pot book, Fast and Slow, we offered pressure cooker and slow cooker instructions for every recipe that worked well cooked either way. Recipes that have only one set of instructions did not produce good results when prepared with the alternative method. And unfortunately, it’s not possible for us to reverse engineer Instant Pot recipes for stovetop cooking. But the good news is that many of them were inspired by recipes we’d already prepared for conventional cooking methods. If you check our website, you might find what you are looking for.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
This was very tasty. I had bone in thighs and removed the skin. I did high pressure for 10 min and natural release for 15 min to compensate for the larger pieces. I used baby carrots and cut the potatoes a bit larger. Also used the recommended gochujang. Everyone loved it and will make often.
Thanks Milk Street for being a lifesaver during the pandemic by providing consistent, uncomplicated and deliciously diverse recipes!
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I grew up eating Korean food. I really enjoyed making this and I felt like it had authentic flavors! I think I'll add just a tad bit more ginger next time. If you make this, get the gochujang with korean words on it like the one they recommend on this website. The Americanized ones aren't the real deal and taste way too sweet.