Jjimdak Recipe - Andong Style, Perfected!

Jjimdak Recipe at Home - Andong Style, Perfected!

Neighbors, this is our second – and final – version of Jjimdak! (first version here)

And my – oh my - has the flavor upgraded from our first recipe. You’ll absolutely love this recipe.

Jjimdak – for those who are new - is one of Korea’s most favorite braised chicken dishes.

The History of Jjimdak

The dish originates from the Korean city of Andong (located in Gyeonsangbuk-do Province). It was created during the 1980s - by shops in the “Andong Gu Market” to answer the wave of new Western fried chicken shops in Korea.

Jjimdak became a hit among students and blue-collar workers in the region! Not only because of its taste, but it was served in large portions at an affordable price.

Over the last 40 years, this chicken dish was became a mainstay among Koreans – and tourists. There are many famous jjimdak franchise restaurants throughout Korea like Andong Jjimdak or Bongchu Jjimdak.

Today, we show you how to replicate the taste of these restaurants!

Key ingredients in this Jjimdak Recipe:

Jjimdak has a dark brown color. To achieve this dark color in the sauce, we’ll use chungjang paste (this is the black bean paste we use to make Jajangmyeon). Chunjang paste offers a much deeper taste to the sauce.

In our first recipe, we used ground coffee to darken the sauce. But Chunjang Paste is much better! Note: Some recipes also use caramel coloring – but this is not recommended (artificial food coloring).

To get that restaurant taste, we’ll also add a few dried red chili peppers (as well as a few green Cheongyang Chili Peppers). I highly recommend both – as it gives the soy sauce just the right amount of spicy kick (not overly spicy). It makes you want to eat more and more…

Cooking Notes:

One of my favorite parts of this are the thick glass noodles. You can find these thicker noodles at Chinese markets.

(Korean Dangmyeon Noodles don’t work as well in this dish – they're much smaller and absorb the sauce quickly, turning very soft)

Also, I recommend using Brown Sugar (or Dark Brown Sugar) – not white sugar.

You don’t have to use a whole chicken – substitute with a mix of drumsticks, thighs and wings.

This dish is meant to be eaten with rice – too salty on its own.

Alrighty, I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you enjoy either one, tag us on IG and show us your jjimdak!

We love flipping through pics of your creations 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!) 

Andong Jjimdak - Home Recipe Perfected!

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Ingredients

• 1 Whole Chicken (1kg or ~2 lbs) (Or use Thighs & Drumsticks)
• Some Milk (for tenderizing)
• A handful of Wide Glass Noodles (Potato Starch Noodles)

Fresh Ingredients

• ½ a whole Onion
• 1-2 Potatoes (total, length of your hand)
• 1 Sweet Potato (total, length of your hand)
• Small piece of Carrot (length of your pinky finger)
• 2 Cheongyang Chili Peppers (or ~1 Jalapeno Pepper)
• 2 stalks of Spring Onion (each, length of your forearm)

Jjimdak Seasoning

• ⅔ Cup Soy Sauce (165 ml)
• ½ Cup Cheongju (Or Sake) (125 ml)
• ½ Cup Mirin (125 ml)
• ½ Cup Brown Sugar (125 ml)
• 4-5 Spicy Dried Red Chili Peppers
• 1 Tablespoon Chunjang Paste
• 2 Cups Water (500 ml)
• 1.5 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
• Few cracks of Black Pepper

Instructions

Tenderize Chicken & Soak Noodles

• Place chicken (~2 lbs worth) into a bowl. Then pour-in enough milk to submerge the chicken. Set it aside and let it tenderize for 20 minutes - while you work on the veggies.
• Place glass noodles in a tray. Soak with cold water. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.

Prep Veggies

• Cut ½ an onion into large chunks.
• Cut 1-2 potatoes and 1 sweet potato into large chunks as well.
• Then, cut a small piece of carrot (pinky-length size) into thin moon-length pieces.
• Dice 2 Cheongyang Chili Peppers into smaller pieces.
• Then, split 2 Spring Onion Stalks in half. And cut into finger-length pieces.

Braise Chicken

• Take out a large pot (or wok) and turn it on a medium-high heat. (Note: Don't add-in any oil.) Once the pot is hot, place the chicken on, skin-side down.
• Let the chicken pieces cook until you get a good sear. Then flip the pieces over with the tongs.
• Now, add in Soy Sauce (⅔ Cup), Cheongju or Sake (½ Cup), Mirin (½ Cup) and Brown Sugar (½ Cup).
• Followed by Dried Red Chili Peppers (4-5) and Chunjang Paste (1 Tablespoon).
• Next, add in some Water (2 Cups).
• Now, place-on the Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes and Carrot chunks.
• Place a lid-on to the pot and let it boil away for 20 minutes. (Set a timer!)
• After 20 minutes, add in Minced Garlic (1.5 Tablespoons). Then 4-5 cracks of Black Pepper.
• Now, add-on the glass noodles to the stew.
• Finally, add-on the Onion, Spring Onions and Cheongyang Chili Peppers.
• Place a lid-on to the pot and let it boil away for 5 more minutes.

Plate and Serve with rice

• After 5 minutes, the master pot is ready!
• For a more beautiful presentation, scoop out the ingredients into a smaller (clay) pot, frying pan or large pot - along with a few ladles of the broth.
• Serve with hot rice - Bon Appetit!

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