Dak Gomtang (Korean Chicken Soup) is the ultimate comfort food that is absolutely delicious yet so incredibly simple to make! Made with a whole chicken and aromatic vegetables, the broth is served alongside rice or noodles which is topped with shredded chicken and chopped green onions.
What is Dak Gomtang?
With the fluctuating Canadian weather, I often crave a hearty chicken soup served with a side of fresh kimchi.
There are many variations of chicken soup in Korean cuisine, but this dish, in particular, is one of my favorites. It’s also my go-to soup for when I feel a bit under the weather, and truly the ultimate soup to soothe your soul.
This dish is very similar to Baeksuk (백숙) or Samgyetang (삼계탕), but with a much simpler method and ingredients! Truly the best alternative if you don’t have any ginseng or traditional aromatics on hand.
It only requires a whole chicken (commonly found in any grocery store) as well as simple aromatic vegetables which are most likely in your kitchen already.
Gomtang commonly refers to a soup made by simmering beef bones and meat over long hours. This method results in a comforting milky broth that tenderizes the meat to be incredibly soft.
Dak Gomtang, wherein which Dak (닭) translates to chicken, is a variation of this dish made with a whole chicken instead of beef, but the chicken does not take as much time to cook.
It can be served in a variety of ways, commonly alongside cooked rice in the soup with shredded chicken and chopped green onions on top, but one of my favorite ways to serve this is with some knife-cut noodles (칼국수, Kalguksu).
It can also be served on its own as well, but adding rice or noodles truly makes for a satisfying meal.
How do you make Dak Gomtang?
This is truly one of the easiest, yet most delicious soups to make. As mentioned previously, it only requires a few simple ingredients including:
- One whole chicken, trimmed and cleaned
- Onion, garlic, and green onion to make the broth
- Black peppercorns, which can be omitted if there isn’t any available
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Green onions or scallions for garnish. A handful for each serving!
The procedure is also very simple and requires only one stockpot to make. It involves adding the whole chicken and vegetables into a stockpot, adding enough water to submerge the chicken, and simmering it down to a broth.
To follow this procedure, the chicken is then taken out of the broth midway, then the soup is boiled down again with just the bones, for that extra rich flavor. The result is incredibly comforting chicken soup and tender and soft chicken.
Green onions or scallions are a must for this recipe, so please ensure you have some on hand before proceeding!
Watch it in action here! 👇
How do you make Kalguksu (Knife Cut Noodles)?
Kalguksu, which directly translates to knife-cut noodles, is a popular type of noodles in South Korea, known for its unique chewy texture.
It’s my personal favorite kind for its handmade texture, and also because it can be served in various types of broth, including the chicken soup that we are making today.
These noodles can also be store-bought fresh in Korean grocery stores, but if you have the time, I guarantee that you will not regret making them at home from scratch. It only requires 4 ingredients: flour, potato starch, water, and some salt.
The key to this recipe is the kneading, which is necessary for the chewy texture of the noodles.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and please leave a comment below or reach out to me on Instagram if you have any questions!
Other Korean recipes you may like:
- Korean Marinated Eggs (Mayak Eggs)
- Bibim Guksu (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)
- Tteokbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes)
- Korean Egg Drop Sandwich
- Kimchi Udon Noodle Stir Fry
- Korean Shrimp Burger
Dak Gomtang (Korean Chicken Soup)
Ingredients
Chicken Soup
- 1 whole chicken (1kg) trimmed of excess fat
- 1 white onion sliced in half
- 12 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 green onion sliced in half
- 8 black peppercorns
- 4 liters water
Garnish (for each serving)
- 1 green onion chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Knife-Cut Noodles (Kalguksu)
- 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp potato starch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 tbsp water
Instructions
- To make the chicken soup, insert the whole chicken, onion, garlic cloves, green onion, peppercorns into a pot, and fill it with 4L of water to cover the whole chicken. Boil for 25 minutes, covered on medium heat.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool to room temperature. Take the meat off the bone and set aside in a container. Add the bones back into the broth, and boil for another 30 minutes. Strain the broth and remove the excess fat. You can spoon off the fat, refrigerate the broth until the fat solidifies, or use a fat separator. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a side of rice, or with noodles (instructions below)
Knife-cut noodles (optional)
- For the noodles, mix flour, potato starch, and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly add in half of the water, and gently mix in with a spoon. Add in the rest of the water, and mix all together, adding more water if needed to form the dough. Knead for about 10-15 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Place the dough inside a container, and push down with a rolling pin to deflate the dough. Cover and set aside for 1 hour at room temperature, or in the fridge overnight. Once ready, flatten the dough to about 0.3 cm thickness with a rolling pin and flour both sides.
- Cut each noodle with a knife to about 0.3 cm thickness, and apply some more flour to prevent sticking. Spread each noodle one by one to maintain shape.
To assemble
- To assemble the noodle soup, add some broth and chicken pieces into a pot, and add the noodles. Boil for about 3-4 minutes until cooked. Serve in a bowl with chopped green onions on top. Season with salt and pepper as desired, and serve with a side of kimchi! Enjoy!
Notes
4 comments
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