Hearty Dak Kalguksu (Chicken Noodle Soup)
A hearty noodle dish featuring a quick, rich broth made by searing chicken and sautéing onions.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
Prepared chicken is first seared and sautéed with onion, then simmered in water to yield a rich, deep broth in a short time. Without the hassle of shredding the meat separately, it makes a generous one-bowl meal when cooked with vegetables like potato and squash.
- Servings
- 2–3 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Chicken1 whole, 600 g
- Kalguksu noodles (knife-cut wheat noodles)2 servings, 300 g
- Potato2, 120 g (small)
- Onion1/2
- Squash60 g
- Large green onion (daepa)1/3 stalk
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
- Water10 cups
Seasoning
- Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)2 tbsp
- Salt1 tsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Ground black peppera little
- Cut into pieces and cleaned thoroughly.
- I used 2 small potatoes, but 1 large one works fine.
- Any vegetables suitable for noodle soup, like mushrooms or carrots, will work well.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
The chicken is slightly larger than a young chicken, weighing 600g. Cut it into pieces and clean it thoroughly.
Prepare 2 servings of kalguksu noodles.
I used 2 small potatoes, but 1 large one is fine, along with 1/2 onion, squash, large green onion, and Cheongyang chili peppers.
Any vegetables suitable for noodle soup, like mushrooms or carrots, will work well.
Slice the ingredients
Cut the potatoes into slightly thick strips and julienne the squash.
Slice the onion, thinly slice the large green onion, and cut the Cheongyang chili peppers in half lengthwise before mincing them.
Make the chicken broth
Lightly grease a pan with oil and sear the chicken on both sides. You do not need to brown it deeply.
When the chicken is nearly cooked through, add the onion and stir-fry briskly until fragrant.
Sautéing the chicken like this before adding water helps extract a deep, flavorful broth in a short time.
Pour in 10 cups of water, and once it comes to a rolling boil, skim off any foam that rises to eliminate off-flavors.
Add 2 tbsp soup soy sauce and 1 tsp salt, then simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes to draw out the chicken broth.
Add vegetables and finish
Add 1 tbsp minced garlic, then add the potato and squash about 1 minute apart; once cooked, taste the broth and adjust with salt if it is bland.
Add the large green onion and Cheongyang chili peppers, give it a quick boil, and it is done.
Serve
I boiled the kalguksu noodles separately and placed them in the bowl.
Even though green onion and chili peppers were added at the end of boiling, adding more on top as a garnish with a little ground black pepper makes it even tastier.
Seaweed flakes are great too.
Serve it alongside well-ripened fresh cabbage geotjeori; the rich broth and chewy noodles pair wonderfully.
You can enjoy it conveniently without a long simmering time or the hassle of shredding the meat.
One large chicken can make a full meal for a family of 4.
Ppunwife's tips
- Sautéing the chicken before adding water helps extract a deep broth in a short time.
- Skim off the foam that rises to keep the flavor clean.
- Garnishing with extra green onion, chili pepper, and a pinch of ground black pepper makes it even more delicious.
FAQ
Why do you sauté the chicken in the pot first?
Sautéing the chicken first and then cooking it with onion before adding water allows you to draw out a deep broth in a relatively short cooking time.
Can I add vegetables other than potato and squash?
Yes, feel free to add any vegetables that go well with kalguksu broth, such as mushrooms or carrots, according to your preference.
Does this soup pair well with rice instead of noodles?
Yes, because the broth is already seasoned, serving it with a bowl of rice and kimchi goes wonderfully together.
Can I cook the kalguksu noodles directly in the broth? AI-generated
You can generally cook them right in the broth, but shaking off the excess surface starch or boiling them separately before ladling the broth over them gives you a much clearer and cleaner soup.
