Korean Chicken Stew: Spicy and Totally Addictive

So, this one’s heavily inspired by watching the culinary genius Roy Choi cook his spicy braised chicken stew on The Chef Show. Honestly, I’m such a fangirl—Roy is an absolute G in the kitchen, and every time I watch him cook, I’m like, “I need to make that!” What I love most about Roy is that he’s raw, unapologetically himself, and doesn’t care about following any rules—he just cooks from the heart. So dive into this Korean stew with my own twist, it’s warming, spicy, and super addictive.

Korean Chicken Stew

Watch on Insta

Recipe Ingredients:

Kimchi Paste with Peach (This makes more than you’ll need—about 800g—but it's so good, you'll want to use it for other things too)

• 15 garlic cloves (about a whole head)

• 4-inch knob of ginger

• 1 tbsp dried shrimp

• 2 tbsp kosher salt

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 1 cup gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes)

• 1 large onion

• ¼ cup fish sauce

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar

• 2 tbsp oyster sauce

• 3 peaches

• 50 ml water to loosen

Korean Chicken Stew

• Big glug vegetable oil

• 900g chicken thighs, skinless and bone-in (about 7 thighs)

• 5 small onions

• 2 cloves garlic

• 7 spring onions (split the white parts sliced lengthwise and the green sliced horizontally for garnish)

• 2 chillies

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 heaped tbsp gochujang

• 1.5 cups kimchi paste (from above)

• 500 ml chicken stock

• 1 courgette

• ½ small head of cabbage

• 2 carrots

• 5 salad potatoes

• 1 red pepper

• 400 ml water

• 100g enoki mushrooms

Method:

Kimchi Paste

1. Blend all the ingredients until smooth. Use more water if needed, then transfer to a sterilised jar. This paste will keep for ages in the fridge, so feel free to make extra and use it to make actual kimchi (check out my other blog post for that recipe).

Korean Chicken Stew

1. Season and brown the chicken thighs in a hot pan with oil (about 4 minutes per side). Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Sauté onions and spring onions until translucent and slightly coloured, then add the garlic, bay leaf, and chillies.

3. Stir in the gochujang and kimchi paste, frying for a minute to bring out all those flavours. Add the chicken stock and return the chicken to the pan, stirring to combine.

4. Add all the veggies except for the enoki mushrooms and the green parts of the spring onions (they’ll shrink down as they cook). Add water to cover the veg, then simmer with a lid slightly askew for 45 minutes.

5. Serve with fluffy white rice and kimchi if you’ve got it. Enjoy the comforting, spicy goodness!

Top Tips:

1. Use the rest of the kimchi paste to make your own kimchi! Check out my other blog post for all the tips and tricks to make it perfectly. You’ll thank me later!

2. Feel free to get creative with the veggies— turnips work a treat!

This stew is everything—tender chicken, tons of veggies, and that perfect spice hit. Yum!