This Instant Pot adaptation of a classic Korean chicken dish is so quick and easy! It’s packed with so much flavors!
My love for the Instant Pot grows with each use! I’ve been making this classic Korean chicken dish, called dakbokkeumtang (닭볶음탕) or dakdoritang (닭도리탕), using the Pressure Cooker function of the Instant Pot. I love how quick this juicy, flavorful dish is!
With this Instant Pot recipe, a few minutes to sear, a few minutes for pressure to build up, and 10 minutes to pressure cook! That’s it!
The flavor of this Instant Pot adaptation is very similar to my stove top recipe — spicy, savory, and slightly sweet! However, I’ve made a few minor changes for this recipe, adding some doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) and oyster sauce, which are packed with intense savory flavors.
What chicken parts to use
Dakbokkeumtang is made with small, bone-in chicken pieces. Since this dish is very commonly made at home, markets in Korea sell whole chicken pre-cut for this dish.
Korean markets around here also carry small chicken pieces which are labeled for dakbokkeumtang or dakdoritang, but they are usually large drumsticks cut in half crosswise. I used them in this post. Wings, small drumsticks, and thighs are all good choices.
If the chicken parts are big and you don’t want to bother cutting them in half through the bones, make a couple of slits on the thick parts of the meat for the sauce to penetrate well.
Frequently asked questions:
Can I use boneless and/or skinless chicken parts? Although not the best option, you can certainly use boneless and/or skinless chicken. If using boneless, reduce the cooking time by a couple of minutes.
Do I need to add water to this recipe? The sauce (which includes 1/4 cup water or broth) and other ingredients in this recipe yield sufficient liquid for pressure cooking, leaving a good amount of sauce at the end. The sauce is delicious mixed in with steamed rice.
Can I cook this recipe in a slow cooker or over the stove top? Yes, you can. Simply omit 1/4 cup water (or broth) from the sauce recipe and follow the applicable cooking methods in my original dakdoritang post which provides both slow cooker and stove top methods.
What do I need to adjust if I want to use a stove-top pressure cooker? You can sear the chicken in a skillet before adding to your pressure cooker. Also, stovetop pressure cookers have a higher pressure point. You will need to reduce the cooking time slightly depending on your pressure cooker.
Will this sauce be good for braising other types of meat? The sauce will be great with any meat of your choice.
More braised chicken recipes:
Dakdoritang (dakbokkeumtang) – stove top and slow cooker
Slow Cooker Dakjjim
Jjimdak (braised chicken) – stove top
For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds bone-in chicken parts cut into small pieces (excess fat removed)
- 6 ounces potatoes cut in big chunks (or mini potatoes)
- 1/2 medium onion cut in big chunks
- 2 small carrots cut in big chunks (or baby carrots)
- 2 scallions or a few stalks of garlic chives
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons gochugaru
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- 1/2 tablespoon doenjang
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 4 tablespoons oyster sauce or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup water or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients except sesame oil and seeds, and mix well.
- Rinse the chicken pieces, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.
- Press the “Saute” button on the Instant Pot. When the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil. Sear the pieces in two batches.
- Place all the chicken pieces in the pot, and add the potatoes, onion, and carrots. Pour the sauce over, and mix well to evenly coat the chicken and vegetables.
- Close the lid tightly, and seal the vent. Press the “poultry” function, and using the “+” or “-” button, adjust the time to 10 minutes. When finished, the Instant Pot will automatically turn to the “Keep Warm” mode. Turn the pressure valve to “venting” to quickly release the pressure. Open the lid.
- Stir in the scallion (or garlic chives) and the sesame oil and sesame seeds. If you want, remove the meat and vegetables from the pressure cooker, turn the Instant Pot Saute function back on, and reduce the sauce to the desired level with the lid open.
Joseph says
Please my ignorance but I don’t know what some ingredients are will look on AMAZON a note to those who are ignorant of such would be nice for me
Sl says
Wow! This sauce is amazing!
I’m new to Korean cooking and I’ve always wanted to try chicken stew dishes. This turned out so well! The recipe was so easy to follow. i tasted the sauce before adding to the chicken, and i was a bit skeptical. After cooking, and once all flavors got to know each other, i was surprised by how great it tasted! It’s sweet and savory and just delicious! It’s a bit spicy but not too overbearing. I’m excited to use this method in cooking other proteins.
Linda Teders says
Hi Hyosun,
Thanks for this! I’m a new fan of Korean recipes, recent owner of an Instant Pot and I was looking for something to use up some potatoes, carots and chicken. So this ticks all the boxes. 😀
I was wondering what rice wine u use? Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine), mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) or sake (dry Japanese rice wine)? Or something else completely even?
I live in the Netherlands, and we do not have Korean supermarkets. Some Chinese shops have sometimes some Korean products, but I had to mailorder gochugaru and gochujang.
Hyosun says
oh sorry about the late reply. Any of those works. I typically use Korean or Japanese cooking wine (aka mirim or matsul in Korean and mirin in Japanese). Glad to hear you are able to purchase some Korean staples on-line.
NANY says
It looks amazing. Can I do this on the stove top or in the slow cooker? If I can, what should I change in ingredients quantity and how long to cook? Thank you for sharing your great recipes. I am just beginning to gather some Korean ingredients and start cooking some of your recipes-wish me luck 🙂
Melanie says
Hello from Los Angeles. I am a long-time fan of this blog and have been making your recipes. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate your Instant Pot recipes. They save me so much time and still allow me to eat similar food that my grandmother made me when I was growing up. Please continue making Instant Pot recipes 🙂
Cheryl says
Thank you for the recipe!
I substituted the sugar for 1 tablespoon honey and did not use potato. Instead I added enoki mushrooms and sweet potato noodles in the end. Added more chili and jalapeños.
The taste was amazing!
Chris H says
I just made this. The whole family loved it. I will make this again for sure.
I used B/S chicken thighs and reduced time 2 minutes. It was perfect. Thanks for the recipe.👍💯
Janet says
This was delicious! Thank you so much! You have the BEST Korean recipes.
Chloe says
Hi. I made this recipe with new instant pot Duo , all of my family members enjoyed including myself. It is amazing! Thank you for your recipe and awesome instructions.
Matt Solo says
Love the sauce on this chicken! Have made the dish twice in a week. Spicy! Want to make more Korean meals at home. Will follow your site!
Ellen says
Thank you for this instant pot recipe. It’s fantastic! One of my favorite Korean dishes.
Leigh says
I was so excited to find a recipe for Instant Pot dak doritang! It tastes great, and I’m pumped to have an IP recipe for this.
H says
Thank you for making an Instant Pot-specific recipe! I always ask my umma for cooking instructions but when she’s busy your website is my go-to.
Steven Thomas says
What an awesome recipe ! I made this tonight to christen my new Instant Pot Duo60 and it turned out amazing. Followed your recipe exactly.
Thank you for the recipe.
Ryan says
Thank you for the recipe! However can I make this without searing the chicken first?
Hyosun says
Simply omit the process and add a couple more minutes to cooking time.
Niki says
If I don’t have doenjang what can I substitute? Thanks!!
Hyosun says
You can leave it and just add more soy sauce, about 1 tablespoon.
P says
Thank you for the recipe! It was quite spicy for me but tasty so I will maybe use 2 tablespoons of gochugaru next time haha. I added more potatoes (4 medium sized), 5 small carrots and 1 whole medium onion as I really like the veges in this dish. I didn’t have rice wine and sugar so I used rice wine and maple syrup. I will try using guk ganjang next time as I wonder if there will be a major taste difference between oyster sauce.
Also I didn’t have the same pressure cooker so had to estimate, tried 10 mins, then another 15 and another 15 with the cuckoo cooker. So about 40 mins altogether. Potatoes and carrots were cooked just enough with room for more heating (I didn’t want them to be too soft on the first serve as there would be left overs). Amazing how the instant pot cooker used in this recipe cooks this in 10 mins!
Ash says
I’m new to the instant pot but this was so easy and absolutely delicious! Definitely putting this on rotation. Thank you so much!!
Hyosun says
Awesome! Happy to hear that!
Jessica Winn says
Are you using a six quart or eight quart instant pot?
Hyosun says
6 qt
CHRIS BARRETT says
The ingredients simply says “Sauce” – what is this?
Hyosun says
Sorry it should have been a subheading. Fixed it. Thanks!
Jessica says
This has quickly become a favorite comfort food in our house. The instructions are very easy to follow and turns out perfect every time. I used this for making dakbokkeumtang for myself for the very first time!
On a side note to anyone checking comments for tips:
I cook mine with boneless skinless chicken thighs on high pressure for 8 minutes.
Split the sauce in half, half for the dish and the other half I add 1 c. chicken broth to and freeze for sipping when we don’t feel good.
I forgot to buy an onion once and added 1.5 tsp onion powder to the sauce and it turned out fine.
Angela says
Just made this tonight, and it tastes exactly the same as my mother’s cooking growing up! My family really enjoyed this delicious home-cooked meal like mom’s.Thanks so very much! 🙂 Can’t wait to make the other recipes on your website!
Hyosun says
Thank you! That’s great to hear!
M Red says
This is a staple recipe especially in fall/ winter. I add shitake mushrooms and have swapped out most of the sugar with a little bit of spicy honey and including sweet potato pieces. Delicious every time! I also like to repurpose the sauce to make fried rice. Thank you for the recipe!
Christy says
Fabulous recipes!!!!!
Rachel says
Can I use my Cuckoo JHVR1009F Smart IH pressurized rice cooker instead of an Instant Pot for this recipe?
Hyosun says
Hmm I don’t know that one, but why not?
Dae says
Thanks for posting this! At our house we like to cut the sugar down to 2 tbps and add a little bit more veggies – the potatoes and carrots are an especially big hit 🙂
Also I’ve found that this recipe tends to result in the Instant Pot saying “burn” – anyone else have this problem? I usually add 1/2 cup of water instead of 1/4 cup and this happens less often.
Thanks for posting this recipe! It’s great!
Stephen S says
Seems like the newer IPs are much more sensitive. I get the burn notice everytime I saute something. Scraping with a little moisture and trying again seems to always work but since it comes in just after it hits full pressure, I just now saute in another pan. That will work perfectly here.
Chris says
Great recipe. I’ve made this a few times now and I’ve made some adjustments for larger quantities in the instant pot.
I regularly double the amount of meat and marinade for 5-6lbs and use just chicken drumsticks. I saute in heavy pan instead of instant pot while veggies are cooking and recombine everything in this at the end.
I double the garlic, reduce the sugar by half to 1tbs to taste, and only add sesame oil and seeds at the end if necessary as stew can be oily from the chicken. Gochugaru quality varies so I use half fancy spicy rough and half plain powder gochugaru,reduce by 1 TBS or more if too spicy. I first pressure cook 2 chopped carrots and 5 quartered potato for 5 minutes in steamer basket. Remove the water, adding about half cup to the marinade paste if it’s too thick to coat chicken. Pressure cook chicken for 22 minutes, natural release 4 minutes. Combine chicken and sauce with vegetables. Optional light stir fry the veggies with some chopped Korean long hot peppers to keep them warm while chicken is cooking.
Hyosun says
Thanks! Sounds like you are a great cook, Chris!
Poly says
Hi Hyosun, a quick question on the 1/4 cup of water/broth — does this go in the sauce mixture? I wasn’t sure. Thank you! Can’t wait to try this.
Hyosun says
Yes. It just needs a little more liquid than what the seasoning ingredients produce for pressure cooking.
Kim says
I used my 3qt instant pot duo and used manual high pressure mode for 10 minutes. It worked out well.
Hyosun says
Great to know! Thank you for the great review!!!
Jane says
This is such an easy recipe! Spicy and yummy food too! Thank you!
Demosthenes Pasadis says
Delicious! Loved it.
Used less gochugaru (chili flakes) and added more carrots and potatoes.
Great website.
Lucy says
What size of instant pot do you use? I got the burn message and wondered if I should increase the liquid (1.5-2 cupsminimal for 8qt pot per the manual). I’ve tried the slower cooker version and it was VERY tasty. I certainly hope this could work in the IP (and many other recipes) as it saves time. Thank you for all the great recipes!
Hyosun says
My pleasure! Mine is 6 qt.
AH says
I tried this recipe and it was great, thank you for sharing! It’s so fast in the Instant Pot and the potatoes and carrots had the perfect texture with the time cooked. I saw other recipes that called for less sugar so wondering how different it would tast with less.
Hyosun says
You’re welcome! And thank you! Try with less sugar. It’s all about personal preference.
Angie Lee says
Is this recipe very spicy? If yes, can I just put in 1 tablespoon of gochugaru?
Hyosun says
Hi Angie – Yes it’s quite spicy. You can certainly reduce gochugaru to 1 tablespoon. Hope you try it!
Lee says
I’ve attempted this recipe twice and each time the gochugaru sticks to the bottom and burns, making my instant pot unable to build up enough pressure. how did you get it to work with this recipe?
Hyosun says
hmmm that’s interesting! I make this recipe all the time and never had that problem. Did you use all the sauce ingredients? Did you use all the vegetables in the recipe? You should have plenty of liquid to generate the steam as you can see all the liquid still remaining in the final step photo.
Lee says
yup, all the ingredients. maybe it has to do with the kind of gochugaru i have. it’s very coarse. maybe there is a finer powder i can buy that will suspend in the liquid, as opposed to drop down to the bottom and burn.
Kim says
Try to put the onion at bottom of the pot. The onion will protect the sauce building up at the bottom and will produce enough moisture not to burn the pot.
Hyosun says
Great tip!
Myles says
Also sounds like you’re using gochuGARU instead of gochuJANG, the latter of which is a paste versus your chili flakes (gochugaru). Hope this helps.
dannie says
the sauce has definitely given the chicken pieces good colour that makes the dish attractive to the eyes,for me I would add a little bit of spices to make the dish interesting.
Stephanie says
Can I still make this dish if my family doesn’t eat spicy food? What ingredient would I leave out? Thanks!
Hyosun says
Yes you can. Omit gochugaru or use the sauce from this recipe:
https://www.koreanbapsang.com/2014/01/slow-cooker-dakjjim-korean-braised.html