Andong's famous braised chicken dish — whole chicken pieces slow-simmered with glass noodles, potatoes and vegetables in a rich soy-based sauce.
Andong jjimdak (안동찜닭) is one of Korea's most celebrated regional dishes, originating in the old market area (gumarket) of Andong city in North Gyeongsang Province. Unlike the fiery gochujang-forward stews common elsewhere in Korean cooking, jjimdak is soy-based and only moderately spicy — a braised chicken dish of remarkable depth, with whole bone-in chicken pieces slowly cooked in a sauce of soy sauce, dark soy sauce, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce and sugar until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce has reduced to an intensely glossy, amber-colored glaze. Glass noodles (dangmyeon) and vegetables — potatoes, carrots, dried chiles and green onions — are added partway through braising and absorb the extraordinarily flavorful sauce. The dish's origins are sometimes attributed to restaurant competition in Andong's marketplace in the 1980s, though braised chicken dishes have a much longer history in Gyeongsang Province cooking. Andong itself is one of Korea's most historically preserved cities, home to the Hahoe folk village UNESCO World Heritage Site, and jjimdak is its most famous culinary ambassador.
Serves 4
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add chicken pieces and blanch 3 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and rinse under cold water. This step ensures a clean, clear sauce.
Combine soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Mix well.
Place blanched chicken in a large pot. Add sauce, water and dried chiles. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium. Cover and braise 15 minutes.
Add potatoes, carrot and onion. Continue braising covered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just tender and sauce has reduced by about a third.
Add soaked glass noodles. Cook uncovered 10 minutes, stirring, until noodles are tender and sauce has thickened to a glossy glaze coating everything. Add sesame oil and green onions.
Don't over-cook the noodles — they should be just tender and still have slight resistance.
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with steamed rice.
Blanching the chicken before braising is a mandatory step — it removes blood and impurities that would cloud the sauce.
Dark soy sauce (not regular) gives jjimdak its characteristic deep amber-brown color. Without it, the dish looks pale and less appetizing.
The final 10 minutes of cooking uncovered is where the magic happens — the sauce reduces into a sticky glaze. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
Spicy Andong jjimdak: add 2 tablespoons gochugaru and 1 tablespoon gochujang to the braising sauce for a fiery version.
Andong jjimdak with mushrooms: add shiitake and oyster mushrooms alongside the vegetables for additional umami.
Andong jjimdak improves overnight — the flavors deepen and the sauce thickens further. Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. The noodles will absorb more sauce overnight; add fresh soaked noodles when reheating if desired.
Andong jjimdak's modern form is attributed to the competition among restaurants in Andong's old marketplace (gumarket) beginning in the 1980s, though the broader tradition of soy-braised chicken is centuries older in Gyeongsang Province cooking. Andong — the hometown of the Joseon Dynasty's Confucian scholar aristocracy (yangban) — has a particularly elaborate food culture rooted in traditional scholarly household cooking. The dish spread nationally through the franchise chain Andong Jjimdak in the 1990s.
Bone-in chicken gives a richer, more deeply flavored sauce as the bones contribute collagen during the long braise. Boneless thighs can be used and cook faster (reduce braising time by 10 minutes), but the sauce will be thinner.
Blanching removes impurities, blood and myoglobin that create a gray scum on the surface of the braising liquid. Skipping this step results in a murky, less clean-tasting sauce.
Sweet potato glass noodles (dangmyeon) are traditional and available at Asian grocery stores. In a pinch, use rice noodles soaked in cold water, though they will be softer and break more easily than dangmyeon.
Per serving (450g / 15.9 oz) · 4 servings total
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