If you love Yuk Gae Jang, the spicy Korean beef soup, you're going to want to know about its chicken-loving cousin, Dak Gae Jang (닭개장). Made with tender chicken, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and plenty of gochugaru, this Korean spicy chicken soup has the same deeply savory, spicy, comforting personality as the original, but with chicken instead of beef. It's hearty enough to be a meal, warming without being fussy, and exactly the kind of soup you want when you're craving something with a little kick. Shall we get into it?
post updated October 2026, originally published July 2007
Explore More
- What is Dak Gae Jang
- What Ingredients You Need to Make Korean Chicken Soup
- Should You Wash Raw Chicken Before Cooking?
- How to Make Spicy Korean Chicken Soup aka Dak Gae Jang
- How to Serve and Eat Spicy Korean Chicken Soup
- Dak Gae Jang Spicy Korean Chicken Soup Health Benefits
- Best Brothy Soup Recipes
- Dak Gae-Jang, Spicy Korean Chicken Soup Recipe
What is Dak Gae Jang
Dak Gae Jang (닭개장) is a Korean spicy chicken soup made with shredded chicken, leeks or green onions, and a rich, savory broth highly seasoned with garlic, ginger, and onions, and a big spicy kick from Korean chile powder gochugaru. It's essentially the chicken version of Yuk Gae Jang, a classic Korean spicy beef soup, with the same combination of lean, shredded meat, leek or green onions, spouts, and spicy broth.
The one ingredients modification to the soup I make is leaving out gosari 고사리, aka fernbracken. Gosari are the thin, somewhat fibrous and chewy dark purplish brown stems of a type of fern in the same family as fiddlehead ferns. Fernbracken are known to be toxic to livestock and have been shown to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing) to humans. Like all things, a small amount is probably ok, but why tempt fate? I personally don't find the taste to be all that remarkable, and instead add a huge umami boost to the soup with sliced mushrooms like shiitake and king oyster mushrooms.
Here's your Korean language lesson of the week:
When broken down, "Dak Gae Jang" 닭개장 translates to "chicken soup" where dalk 닭 means "chicken," like in Dak Jjim /Soy Braised Chicken, Dak Dori Tang/Spicy Braised Chicken, and Dak Bulgogi / Korean BBQ Chicken.
Gae Jang 개장 refers to a type of meat and vegetables based soup.
Difference Between Korean Jjigae, Gook, and Tang?
All the dishes mentioned, Jjigae, Gook, and Tang, are types of broth-based Korean soups and stews. The differentiating factors are usually preparation methods, how brothy the base is, and the way the dish is served and eaten.
Guk and Tang both refer to brothy soups. The differences between the two types of soup are almost too subtle to be described.
- Tteok-guk Korean rice cake soup
- Mandoo Guk, Korean dumpling soup
- Mu Guk, light, brothy Korean radish soup
- Galbi Tang, Korean short rib soup
Jjigae is commonly referred to as a "stew" in English. The broth base is slightly thicker and saltier than a classic soup. Traditionally, jjigae is cooked in an earthenware pot and served in the same pot at the table. Everyone at the table shares the jjigae. Well-known jjigaes include: Kimchi Jjigae, Soon Tofu Jjigae (silken tofu), Doen-jang Jjigae (soybean paste), and Budae Jjigae (Korean "Army Base" stew).
What Ingredients You Need to Make Korean Chicken Soup
for Spicy Chicken Soup
- chicken, 3½-4 pounds
- garlic, 5-6 cloves, which is about half a bulb, peeled and lightly smashed with the side of a chef's knife
- ginger, 1 1-inch piece peeled and sliced
- onion, white or yellow ½ medium peeled and root end cut off
- green onions, 4-5 stalks
- mung bean sprouts, 10 ounces
- shiitake and/or king oyster mushrooms, 5 ounces
- 4 large eggs
for Soup Seasoning
- avocado oil, 2 tablesponos
- sesame oil, 1 tablespoon
- garlic, 2-3 cloves minced, about 1 teaspoon
- gochugaru Korean red chile flakes 2 tablespoons
- gukganjang aka Korean soup soy sauce (국간장) 1 tablespoon, or 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- fish sauce, 1 tablespoon
Optional: Add cooked Korean sweet potato glass noodles aka "dang-myun"
Should You Wash Raw Chicken Before Cooking?
tl;dr No, you should NOT wash raw chicken before cooking.
The world is, like with so many things, divided over whether you should wash raw chicken before cooking. While my cultural and generational instinct is to wash it, I stand firmly with both the USDA and the CDC on the side of DO NOT WASH because whatever bacteria you think you're washing off will be killed by fully cooking the chicken.
The ONLY time you might want to wash chicken is IF and only IF a butcher has cut chicken into pieces for you and you want to rinse off potential shards of bone. Even then, you can carefully inspect the chicken and remove the bone fragments by hand with a paper towel.
How to Make Spicy Korean Chicken Soup aka Dak Gae Jang
Make the Chicken Broth Base ~ 50-60 minutes
In a pot large enough to hold a whole chicken plus water to completely cover it by at least 2 inches, place the chicken, place 1 3½-4 pounds whole chicken, 5-6 cloves garlic, 1 1-inch piece ginger, ½ onion, and 10-12 cups of water.
Bring the contents of the pot to a rolling boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, tilting it slightly to create a small vent for steam, and gently simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the chicken is completely cooked through, or until the chicken reached 165°F.
Make Spicy Seasonings While Chicken is Simmering
Make Spicy Soup Seasoning While Chicken Simmers ~ 3 minutes: In a large pan with high sides or a second large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil over medium heat. Add 2-3 cloves garlic minced and 1 tablespoons gochugaru Korean red chile flakes. Stir and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 45 seconds.
Add 10 ounces mung bean sprouts and 5 ounces shiitake and/or king oyster mushrooms. Stir fry for about 2 minutes until some of the moisture evaporates from the sprouts and mushrooms. Stir in 1 tablespoon gukganjang aka Korean soup soy sauce and 1 tablespoon fish sauce. Turn off heat.
Finish Spicy Korean Chicken Soup ~ 2 minutes
Once the chicken is completely cooked through, turn the heat off under the pot. Remove the chicken to a large plate or cutting board to cool a little. You can do this with 2 very large spoons or spatulas, or tongs. Fish out the garlic, ginger, and onion from the pot and discard, leaving the chicken stock in the pot.
Strain the stock. Remove rendered fat by carefully skimming it off the surface with a large spoon, using a fat separator, or turbo-cooling the stock in an ice bath then refrigerating the stock overnight for the fat to harden. (This makes the process a 2 day affair!)
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Pull the meat off the bones, shredding into thin strips.
Combine shredded chicken, 4-5 stalks green onions, and all the broth with the vegetables and seasonings in whichever pot is bigger. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer until green onions are softened, about 10 minutes.
Optional: Add 4-6 ounces cooked Korean sweet potato glass noodles aka "dang-myun" if using.
Add the lightly beaten 4 large eggs to the soup pot and continue simmering without stirring until eggs are cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Drizzle in 1 tablespoon sesame oil just before serving.
Ladle soup into individual serving bowl. Drizzle with extra sesame oil for added umami.
How to Serve and Eat Spicy Korean Chicken Soup
No one tells you how to eat a bowl of regular shmegular chicken soup, and the same is true for a steaming hot bowl Spicy Korean Chicken Soup! Enjoy your bowl of soup the way you like it!
However, here are a couple of tips for how I, as a fire-eating spice monster, like to eat mine:
- Season the soup in your bowl with a couple of large pinches of salt, since the main broth in the pot is only very subtly salted.
- Stir in extra gochujang or a spoon full of gochujang directly into the bowl to make it even more spicy.
- Scoop up a bite of rice with the broth in your spoon, grab a piece of chicken with your chopsticks, dip it in the chili paste, and add it to your spoon for a doubly spicy bite!
Dak Gae Jang Spicy Korean Chicken Soup Health Benefits
Depending on your health and dietary needs, Spicy Korean Chicken Soup can be part of a healthy lifestyle! The health benefits come from the aromatic bone broth, micronutrients and antioxidants in the garlic, ginger, and green onions, and the chicken's protein.
As published, this recipe for Spicy Korean Chicken Soup is:
- dairy-free
- gluten-free, if using gluten-free soy sauce or tamari
Best Brothy Soup Recipes
- Dak Gom Tang, garlicky, ginger-y Korean Chicken Soup
- Rotisserie Chicken Pho
- Tteok Guk / Dduk Gook, Korean Rice Cake Soup
- Chicken Bone Broth
Dak Gae-Jang, Spicy Korean Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For Chicken Broth Base
- 1 3½-4 pounds whole chicken
- 5-6 cloves garlic about half a bulb, peeled and lightly smashed with the side of a chef's knife
- 1 1-inch piece ginger lightly smashed with the side of a chef's knife
- ½ onion white or yellow, peeled and root end cut off
- 4-5 stalks green onions 4-5 stalks
- 10 ounces mung bean sprouts
- 5 ounces shiitake and/or king oyster mushrooms
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
for Soup Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 tablespoons gochugaru Korean red chile flakes plus more (up to 1 tablespoon) for more heat
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon gukganjang aka Korean soup soy sauce 국간장, or 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
Optional
Instructions
Make Chicken Broth Base ~ 1 hour, plus overnight if cooling chicken broth
- In a pot large enough to hold a whole chicken plus water to completely cover it by at least 2 inches, place the chicken, place 1 3½-4 pounds whole chicken, 5-6 cloves garlic, 1 1-inch piece ginger, ½ onion, and 10-12 cups of water.
- Bring the contents of the pot to a rolling boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, tilting it slightly to create a small vent for steam, and gently simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the chicken is completely cooked through, or until the chicken reached 165°F.
Make Spicy Soup Seasoning While Chicken Simmers ~ 3 minutes
- In a large pan with high sides or a second large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil over medium heat. Add 2-3 cloves garlic minced and 1 tablespoons gochugaru Korean red chile flakes. Stir and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 45 seconds.
- Add 10 ounces mung bean sprouts and 5 ounces shiitake and/or king oyster mushrooms. Stir fry for about 2 minutes until some of the moisture evaporates from the sprouts and mushrooms. Stir in 1 tablespoon gukganjang aka Korean soup soy sauce and 1 tablespoon fish sauce. Turn off heat.
Finish Spicy Korean Chicken Soup ~ 2 minutes
- Once the chicken is completely cooked through, turn the heat off under the pot. Remove the chicken to a large plate or cutting board to cool a little. You can do this with 2 very large spoons or spatulas, or tongs. Fish out the garlic, ginger, and onion from the pot and discard, leaving the chicken stock in the pot.
- Strain the stock. Remove rendered fat by carefully skimming it off the surface with a large spoon, using a fat separator, or turbo-cooling the stock in an ice bath then refrigerating the stock overnight for the fat to harden. (This makes the process a 2 day affair!)
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Pull the meat off the bones, shredding into thin strips.
- Combine shredded chicken, 4-5 stalks green onions, and all the broth with the vegetables and seasonings in whichever pot is bigger. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer until green onions are softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add 4-6 ounces cooked Korean sweet potato glass noodles aka "dang-myun" if using. Add the lightly beaten 4 large eggs to the soup pot and continue simmering without stirring until eggs are cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon sesame oil just before serving.
- Ladle soup into individual serving bowl. Drizzle with extra sesame oil for added umami.
Notes
Nutrition
Food for Afterthoughts
It's not easy being perfect.
Good thing I'm not even close.
However, being imperfect doesn't mean that I'm not deluded into thinking that at some point, I may achieve perfection. I still strive for it. I am a perfectionist. Whether it's a genetic feature that has been passed down from my ancestors and then mutated into some obscenely flawed version once it hit me, or whether it's a learned behavior that I developed from being the first-born child to first-generation Asian parents, the fact is that I have never known any other way than to seek perfection. When I was little, perfectionism manifested itself in school. Straight As might as well have been required to be a member of the Delicious family and any other activities were deemed inconsequential unless I was ranked number 1, consistently came in first place, won awards, or was the team leader. It was a lot of pressure to perform for a kindergartener.
When quantifiable numbers like grades and test scores are the measure, perfection may seem like an achievable reality. The problem is that outside of numbers, perfection is a really just an illusion. It is a concept. Not only is the idea of perfection merely a model for something that does not actually exist, but that for which we aim, the value which we assign as "perfect," is subjective. The characteristics of a "perfect" X are different for each individual; from a collective standpoint then, perfection is a moving target. Because there is no such thing as perfect, we should not worry so much about the actual outcome with some imaginary value and focus only on the quality of the effort we put into achieving that goal - something about the journey being more important than the destination?
Lucky for me, I just don't operate that way!
My logical right-brain can literally register the idea that perfection is merely a concept, but somewhere, the transmission gets double-agent intercepted, deciphered and recoded into poetry before being delivered to my psychological mind (that reads as "psycho" and "logical" - coincidence? I think not). That twisted message, coupled with current external factors, and tripled with the repetitive pressure to excel that I experienced in my formative school age years has turned the pursuit of some "perfect" X into an ugly, crippling demon that poisons every aspect of my life.
I can't make decisions for fear that they won't be the right decision. I can't complete projects unless I'm assured success. I waste inordinate amounts of valuable time analyzing every possible combination of events that lead to a variety of outcomes. I'm afraid to do anything because I'm afraid it won't be…perfect. And at the root of it all, I don't even know what the perfect outcome is because unlike report cards and test scores, most things in life aren't measured with letters and numbers. It's enough to make me wonder why I even bother doing anything at all.
The most obvious area of my life where perfectionism rears its hideous head is boys, but the complicated state of my love life is an issue to be tackled on another type of blog.
I'm talking about food and cooking. If my homemade soup isn't going to be perfect, why even bother? I don't even know what perfect soup is.
Like I said, I am not only deluded into believing that I could potentially achieve The Perfect, but I was seduced by a man, his words and superficial appearance. (Good grief, didn't I say I wasn't writing about boys?)
I made soup.
It wasn't perfect.
But I had a good time making it.
yoko says
I gotta say that it's great to see you cooking more again. That soup looks delicious, if not perfect.
H. C. says
Heehee, almost everything I make is friggin' "rustic" ~ at least my dining companions won't get any inhibitions about diving in for fear of ruining a pretty dish.
sarah says
yoko: yes, i think part of my problem was that i wasn't cooking, and therefore, really missing something in my life for a bit there.
hc: but really, wouldn't you rather serve a warm, comforting rustic presentation than some fussy tower at home?
melch says
Stick blenders are a great tool for the lazy soup maker who doesn't feel like the "rustic" feel. I don't know if it does quite as good of a liquefying job as a blender does but you don't have to wash a blender or mess about with pouring large amounts of hot soup in and out of things.
Michael says
I really enjoy your style of writing, although I kept wondering if I was missing some hidden meaning. Of course your soup I didn’t miss........well, at least as soon as I make it. It sounds great.
Stephanie says
Oooh...that soups sounds amazing. Don't care if it's not perfect. Try living with someone, raising a preschooler, and housing 4 to 5 dogs. The quest for perfection? Detour to reality is more like it!
How's the rest of the book? (because what I really need is yet another cookbook)
I'm especially fond of this recipe; I make it so often it's kind of become a 'thing' around here. And for the record, I puree the hell out of it: I like a creamier soup. Adding a bit of cream? Heaven.
sarah says
melch: i do believe the immersion blender will be next my purchase, especially since i love soups and 'tis the season...
michael: nah, there's never any hidden meaning, but usually (and that's USUALLY) there's some time between food and my mental state
stephanie: ah, i love me some ina! i swear i wish i lived her life...cooking all day, playing with her gay boyfriends, and seeing her husband only on the weekends!
Stephanie says
Not to mention that house! I seriously want them to adopt me. My own parents sucked at the whole, well, being a parent thing, so why not?
I mean, I love to cook, so we'd have something to talk about. They don't have kids of their own, so I'd supply them with an adorable grandson. I'm married & out of school, so no expenses!
Personally, I think it's a pretty good deal.
Rasa Malaysia says
When it comes to food, I think "perfect lies in the mouth of the beholder." ;)
hermz says
Your version definitely sounds better to me. Though I never liked tomato soup when I was growing up. My mom made me eat it regardless.
hermz says
Your version definitely sounds better to me. Though I never liked tomato soup when I was growing up. My mom made me eat it regardless.
Sara says
That looks great...I made something very similar to that recently...I think I like your adaptation better though.
Sarah J. Gim says
Sara: i bet your version is delicious -- link?! I always love seeing what everyone is making :D
Incidentally, I can't believe I have YET to post my attempt at making the TRULY ULTIMATE tomato soup, the one from the Nordstrom Cafe:
Tomato Soup from Nordstrom Cafe
i found the recipe and was so so so happy that the dang soup was sweet because of so many carrots (as opposed to straight sugar).
Chrichbelilla says
im so in love of this page!!!! you have the greatest recipes ever!!!! this is what i call passion for culinary arts