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Chicken Breast Kimchi Stew
Chicken Breast Kimchi Stew combines tender chicken breast with spicy kimchi to create a deep, savory flavor. The harmony of soy sauce and chili paste enhances savoriness, while vinegar adds a bright tanginess for a tastier dish.
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CreatedAbout this recipe
Chicken breast kimchi stew is a simple Korean stew that gently cooks tender chicken breast with the sourness of kimchi and a spicy seasoning, keeping it moist. Soy sauce and gochujang in the broth add salty, rich flavors, and the taste from the kimchi soaks into the chicken, pairing well with rice. Since chicken breast dries out if overcooked, the key is to reduce to a low heat and cover after the water has boiled. Kimchi’s saltiness and sourness vary by product, so it’s more stable to adjust salt after tasting the broth rather than adding a lot from the start. Lastly, add the vinegar just before turning off the heat to keep its aroma and tang. However, if the kimchi is already very sour or aged, reducing or omitting the vinegar can give a more natural balance to the seasoning.
Taste and Texture
Well-cooked chicken breast should shred softly along the grain, and when eaten with the kimchi a subtle tenderness is complemented by spicy and salty umami. The broth is rich from the soy sauce and gochujang, but not heavy thanks to the kimchi’s acidity. If kimchi is relatively chunky, it will enhance the bite; if finely chopped, the seasoning and broth cling more evenly to the chicken. The vinegar leaves a bright finish, but too much can mask the gochujang flavor and the chicken’s mildness.
Key to making it delicious
- Cut chicken breast a bit thicker than bite-sized to ensure it cooks through slowly even in a short cooking time, avoiding drying out.
- After adding kimchi, gochujang, and soy sauce, add only enough water to cover the chicken breasts; if the broth looks too thin, briefly open the lid and simmer on low to reduce it.
- When the broth comes to a gentle boil, reduce to low and cover to minimize moisture loss; vigorous boiling can quickly firm up the surface of the chicken.
- 15 minutes is the specified cooking time; check that the thickest part of the chicken is opaque white through, and if still undercooked, continue cooking a bit longer.
- Add vinegar at the end, mix evenly once, to leave aroma; if the kimchi’s sourness is strong, reduce the amount of vinegar.
Common mistakes
- If the broth is too salty from the start, it may be from adding kimchi, soy sauce, and gochujang all at once; do not add salt and add water to mellow the flavor, then return to a boil.
- If the chicken breast is dry and fibrous, it may have been cooked on high heat for too long; next time, start with a boil and then lower to simmer and turn off as soon as done.
- If the final taste is too sour, it may be from using very sour kimchi or vinegar; use only a small amount of vinegar or omit it, and adjust with gochujang or water gradually.
- If the broth is too thin and the seasoning does not cling to the chicken, the water amount may be high; open the lid and simmer a little longer to reduce the broth and taste.
Application Ideas
- If you chop the kimchi finely, the seasoning clings more evenly to the chicken’s surface and is easy to scoop up with the broth.
- To reduce spiciness, reduce gochujang and avoid adding too much kimchi broth; adjust missing salt with a little soy sauce at the end of cooking.
- If you want a brothier stew, add a little more water, but instead of immediately increasing soy sauce and gochujang, taste after boiling and add only as needed.
- If using a different cut that requires longer cooking, apply the same 15-minute rule as a baseline but monitor the thickness and doneness and extend the time as needed.
Pairing ideas
- Serve with warm rice so you can enjoy the broth along with the kimchi and gochujang seasoning. Shred the chicken along the grain and mix with kimchi to easily balance chicken and kimchi portions in each bite.
- If there is extra broth, spoon a little over rice and mix; since the kimchi and seasoning can be salty, avoid adding extra salt.
Essential ingredients
닭가슴살
김치
고추장
간장
식초
소금
Optional ingredients
No separate optional ingredients.
Cooking order
닭가슴살을 적당한 크기로 썰고, 소금으로 밑간을 해둡니다.
냄비에 닭가슴살과 김치를 넣고, 간장과 고추장을 넣습니다.
물을 닭가슴살이 잠길 정도로 부어줍니다.
중불에서 끓기 시작하면 불을 약하게 줄이고 뚜껑을 덮습니다.
약 15분간 조리하여 닭가슴살이 익을 때까지 끓입니다.
마지막에 식초를 넣고 잘 섞어줍니다.
완성된 찜을 접시에 담아냅니다.