Dakjuk - Korean Chicken Rice Porridge.
We’ve made a variety of Korean porridge over the years:
(Classic Vegetable Porridge, Spinach & Doenjang Porridge, Abalone Porridge, Shrimp Porridge & Seaweed & Miyeok Seaweed & Beef)
But we forgot about the classic Dakjuk – Korean Chicken Rice Porridge.
What I love about this specific Dakjuk recipe is its simplicity.
No hard ingredients, no complicated steps!All you need is pair of chicken breasts for the broth – along with a few vegetables.
Note: In our recipe, we use Asian Chives. If this is hard to find in your area, skip it! It’s more for the visual anyway.
This recipe will produce a 2-person serving. Make it for a meal and save leftovers for the next day.
FYI: Koreans eat juk (rice porridge) when they’re feeling under-the-weather or recovering from an ailment.
It’s the go-to, emergency meal for Koreans.
When my mom would catch the flu, I remember driving to Bon Juk (a restaurant chain specializing in Juk) to pick up abalone porridge.
She wouldn’t have much of an appetite for other things – but that abalone porridge always did the trick!
Cooking Notes for Dakjuk:
For a deeper flavor, you can replace the chicken breast with chicken thigh – the oils from the chicken skin will make the broth taste deeper.
Now, I purposely under-seasoned this porridge. Some Korean people are really peculiar about how much seasoning is in their juk.
Many like it on the blander side.
But of course – feel free to season it to match your palate!
After you scoop out the juk into individual bowls, sprinkle on a few more pinches of salt, add a (tiny) dash of soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil.
Mix it up – and that should be perfect!
This recipe is fail-proof.
The only thing to remember is to give enough time for the broth to boil and reduce down, so that the starch from the rice can turn the broth sticky.
Stay healthy ya’ll - and keep the masks on in crowded/public areas.
Yes, I am getting sick of wearing the masks too! But much better than catching “it”, slowly losing your precious sense of taste, and becoming part of a statistic, no?
Can I get an amen? 🙌
If you make this at home, tag us on IG! We love flipping through your pictures in the morning!
-Daniel out!
(P.s. If you’re cooking alone, don’t get bored. Consider listening to our latest podcast episode while you cook!)
Ingredients
Chicken Pre-Seasoning
- 2 whole Chicken Breasts
- ½ Tablespoon Mirim (pre-seasoning, optional)
- 4 cups Water
- 4 cloves Garlic Cloves
- 1 cup Cooked Rice
- 5 Tablespoons Minced Carrot
- 2 stalks Asian Chives (optional)
- 1 stalk Spring Onion (forearm length)
Rice Porridge Seasoning
- ⅔ teaspoon (!) Kosher Salt
- Few cracks Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- Few shakes Sesame Seeds
Instructions
Chicken Prepping
- Pour ½ Tablespoon of Mirim (or White Wine) over 2 chicken breasts. Flip the pieces over and get it evenly coated. Set it aside for 10-15 minutes (this step is optional)
Make Chicken Broth
- Take out a large pot. Place in 4 cups of water. Add in the 2 chicken breasts. Gently smash four cloves of garlic (so it releases flavor easily) and place into the water. Place pot on a high heat and bring it up to a boil.
- Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to a medium. Let the chicken boil for 5 minutes - this should be enough time for it to fully cook through.
- After 5 minutes, briefly turn off the heat. Scoop out the chicken breasts and the garlic pieces. Set the chicken breasts aside and let them cool down before you start to shred them. (You can discard the garlic cloves!)
- Once the chicken is cool, use your hands and shred the chicken into small pieces. Set aside for later.
Prep veggies & rice
- Finely dice a small piece of carrot - set aside 5 Tablespoons worths.
- Finely cut 2 stalks of Asian Chives into small pieces. (If you don't have Asian Chives, skip it!)
- Dice a forearm-length piece of spring onion stalk into thin circles.
- Measure and scoop out 1 cup of cooked rice - set it aside for next step.
Make Porridge
- Now, bring your broth back to a boil. Once its boiling, reduce to a medium heat. Then add in the Minced Carrots (5 Tablespoons) and Rice (1 Cup). Give it a good stir.
- Let the soup boil away for 10 minutes - set a timer!
- After 10 minutes, the broth will have reduced by half. Add in the shredded chicken, asian chives and spring onion pieces.
- Then season with Salt (⅔ teaspoon!), Black Pepper (few cracks) and Sesame Oil (1 Tablespoon)
- Now, we'll let it boil away for an additional 5 minutes. Set a timer!
- After 5 minutes, the porridge should look slightly thick and sticky. You can boil away for longer if you need!
Plate into individual bowls & season
- Scoop out a few soup ladles of the porridge into individual bowls. You can season to taste.
- If it taste bland to you, I recommend adding a small pinch of salt, tiny dash of soy sauce, drizzle of sesame oil and a few sprinkles of sesame seed!
- Bon Appetit ya'll. I hope this porridge re-energizes you.
Can you freeze this? Does it Thaw out well & taste the same? Or should it only be ate fresh?
I keep coming back to this recipe. I lived in Korea for 4 years and BonJuk was my jam when I was sick. I make this recipe for my wife, but with a bit of a twist! I add ginger and american ginseng to the broth, then wrap the garlic, ginger and ginseng up in cheese cloth while the rice and veggies are getting to know each other and reducing. I makes for a bit of a mess when you pull it out, but the ginseng makes you feel like you can run through a wall haha.
Whenever we get a good cold front or any of my family is sick, this is my go to recipe. I don't even make American chicken soup anymore, my family prefers this over it anyways. Thanks for sharing yalls recipes.
Yes, rice porridge is alway so comforting 😉
It's cold today and I wanted a quick meal after work to make before studying. I just made this recipe and it was super quick and very tasty!! The taste reminded me of home. Will definitely be making this more!
so quick and so good! thank you Daniel! Korean instant rice is awesome