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    Home » Slow Cooker

    Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Napa Cabbage

    Published 01/22/2017. Updated 07/19/2018

    Jump to Recipe

    DSC 1844 e1485143898400 - Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Napa Cabbage

    This slow cooker version of a Korean chicken soup is so easy to make! It’s called dak baechu guk (닭배추국). Dak (닭) is chicken, baechu (배추) is napa cabbage, and guk (국) is soup. Baechu guk is usually made with beef broth or anchovy broth, and sometimes flavored with doenjang (fermented soybean paste). It also works very well with chicken broth!

    I oftenuse a whole chicken cut up, but you can use any (or any combination of) chicken parts you want. When I don’t use a whole chicken, I use bone-in, skin-on thighs and legs. They stay tender through long, slow cooking and add richness to the broth. That doesn’t mean you can’t use skinless chicken breast if you want a lighter and cleaner soup.

    DSC 1810 e1485144037279 - Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Napa Cabbage

    I really love the soft, sweet napa cabbage in this soup. Use an ample amount of the large, thick outer leaves. They cook down quite a bit, but hold up pretty well to hours of slow cooking.

    I like to serve up the soup as is along with dipping salt on the side, but you can remove the bones from the chicken pieces and shred the meat and add back to the soup to serve.

    It takes minimaleffort to put together the ingredients. The slow cooker does the rest to create a flavorful soup with tender chicken and soft vegetables!

    DSC 1892 1 e1485144086365 - Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Napa Cabbage

    DSC 1844 150x150 1 - Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Napa Cabbage

    Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Napa Cabbage

    4.4 from 41 votes
    Servings: 4
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 3 pounds cut chicken parts bone-in, skin-on preferably
    • 12 ounces napa cabbage thick, outer leaves preferably (see note)
    • 1/2 medium onion
    • 6 to 7 plump garlic cloves
    • 3 thin ginger slices about 1 inch round
    • salt and pepper
    • 2 scallions

    Instructions

    • Clean the chicken, trim off excess fat and place in the slow cooker.
      DSC 1789 e1485144798809 - Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Napa Cabbage
    • Roughly cut the cabbage leaves into big pieces. Cut the onion into 4 big wedges. Add the cabbage, onion, garlic, and ginger to the slow cooker. Add water to fill up to 2/3 of the slow cooker (about 8 cups). Add 1 tablespoon (2 teaspoons if using very fine salt) of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
      DSC 1806 e1485144936440 - Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Napa Cabbage
    • Cover, and cook for about 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Cut the scallions into about 2-inch length pieces, and drop into the soup, with a few minutes remaining. Add salt and pepper to taste.
      DSC 1816 e1485144981725 - Slow Cooker Chicken Soup with Napa Cabbage
    • Remove the excess fat. You can spoon off the fat, or use a fat separator. You can transfer the chicken and vegetables to another pot, and strain the broth if you like cleaner broth.

    Notes

    You can use the leftover napa cabbage for another soup - Baechu Doenjang Guk.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @koreanbapsang or tag #koreanbapsang!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. agria116 says

      February 16, 2021 at 10:02 am

      awww it’s lovely chicken soup *__* never tried with ginger and nappa cabbage before. It’s definitely a must-try for me.

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        February 17, 2021 at 12:05 am

        Great! Enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Justin Lau says

      December 22, 2020 at 10:47 pm

      4 stars
      I made this soup in an instant pot but it was probably not a good idea. The chicken seemed way overcooked. I was anticipating more of a poached chicken texture Where the pieces do not fall apart and are juicy but instead was very dry and flaky. It is a light flavored soup. I ladled the soup on some rice, and made a ginger scallion oil which I drizzled on top.

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        December 23, 2020 at 12:43 pm

        It won’t take much time to cook chicken pieces in the Instant Pot. Try reducing cooking time next time.

        Reply
    3. Molly says

      October 28, 2019 at 11:25 am

      5 stars
      I absolutely love this soup and it is one of my favorite comfort foods. I often add a few thinly sliced carrots. I also cook the onion in the microwave for 5 minutes to soften.

      Reply
    4. Sharon says

      September 11, 2019 at 12:22 pm

      5 stars
      This soup is one of my favorite comfort foods. So easy to prepare, delicious and freezes very well.

      Reply
    5. Linette Porter Metler says

      October 08, 2018 at 10:09 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you! I am a new convert to Korean cuisine since I’ve switched to whole foods diet. And I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food. Thank you for sharing your expertise!!

      Reply
    6. Thanh says

      January 31, 2018 at 2:09 pm

      Is it okay to add dried shiitake mushrooms to this recipe? When should I add it & how long do I cook it for?

      Reply
    7. Thanh says

      January 30, 2018 at 8:48 pm

      Can I add shiitake mushrooms to this recipe? If so, when should I add it & how long to cook it?

      Reply
    8. Kimie says

      January 06, 2018 at 9:17 am

      This came out so good! Thanks you for sharing this recipe. I love it!

      Reply
    9. Viviana says

      October 15, 2017 at 10:18 am

      Hi, thank you very much for a delicious and simple recipe. I was blown away but how delightful the broth came out. Your instructions and measurements are really clear, which is very helpful to me! I can’t wait to check out more of your recipes.

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        October 15, 2017 at 2:49 pm

        Hi Viviana — thank you so much for leaving me your feedback! It means a lot to me. Hope you find many more recipes to try!

        Reply
    10. Jane says

      August 28, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      This is a lovely recipe and thank you for another slow cooker recipe. . I served some to my visiting brother last week and he told me that our grandmother used to make it for him whenever he visited her in Pohang. She would deliberately under season hers and would serve it with a small dish of salt to the side. Yet another remind of how food is so important to keeping memories and passing on culture.

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        August 30, 2017 at 11:14 pm

        I’m so happy to hear this soup brought back your brother’s memories of your grandmother. Thank you for sharing your story!

        Reply
    11. Jeroen says

      February 17, 2017 at 5:23 pm

      Looks very nice. Do you add hot or cold water ?

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        February 20, 2017 at 11:59 pm

        Thanks! Cold water.

        Reply
    12. Jeannie says

      February 11, 2017 at 7:04 pm

      Can you use cornish hens instead of chicken pieces?

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        February 12, 2017 at 9:29 pm

        yes! It should work fine.

        Reply
    13. jenny says

      January 23, 2017 at 6:35 pm

      Hiiiii~~

      Sounds very yummy! Can this be done on a stovetop instead of slow cooker?

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        January 23, 2017 at 9:54 pm

        Thank you! Yes, you can do this on a stove top. Boil everything for about 20 minutes.

        Reply

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