Tender Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes
This is a hearty and delicious Korean side dish that can be enjoyed all week long for the price of one meal out. It's a dish even picky eaters will love.
📝 Editor's Notes
Tender Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes is a sweet and savory homemade side dish featuring crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside chicken thighs and soft potatoes.
Its simple cooking process makes it easy for beginners, and the short 5-minute cooking time is a big advantage for busy daily life.
With its universally appealing flavor, it's perfect for the whole family and especially great with rice.
It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, making it an excellent make-ahead side dish.
🛒 Ingredient Tips
For the chicken thighs, the key ingredient in this recipe, it's important to choose fresh ones.
Select chicken that has a bright pink color, a glossy sheen, and is firm to the touch.
Using high-quality products, such as Harim Natural Farm antibiotic-free chicken thighs, will result in a more delicious dish.
For potatoes, choose those with unblemished skin, firm texture, and no sprouts.
New potatoes (햇감자) have a high moisture content, making them good for a fluffy texture, while autumn potatoes are higher in starch, offering a richer flavor.
For Korean chives (부추), choose those with vivid green leaves that aren't wilted to add a fragrant aroma.
🔄 Substitution Guide
Chicken breast can be used instead of chicken thighs.
Chicken breast is leaner but may not achieve the same moist texture as thighs.
In this case, reduce cooking time slightly or add a little milk to the sauce for tenderness.
Sweet potatoes or pumpkin can be used instead of regular potatoes for a different sweet flavor.
Sweet potatoes may take longer to cook than regular potatoes, so it's best to cook them first.
If rice syrup (조청) is unavailable, any sweetener such as corn syrup, oligosaccharide, honey, allulose, or sugar can be used.
Note that sugar is sweeter, so adjust the amount accordingly.
🥘 Ingredients
👨🍳 Cooking Points
There are two key cooking points for this dish.
First, lightly sprinkling cornstarch on the chicken thighs helps achieve a crispy exterior and a moist interior.
The starch forms a thin film on the meat's surface, preventing moisture loss and adding crispness.
Second, after browning the chicken thighs and potatoes, add the sauce and cover with a lid to cook.
Cook the chicken over medium heat until the skin is crispy, then add the sauce and cover for about 5 minutes to steam-cook.
This makes the meat tender and the potatoes fluffy throughout.
Be careful not to cook for too long over high heat, as the sauce may burn.
👨🍳 Directions
Cut 2 medium potatoes into large pieces and soak them in water.
Lightly sprinkle cornstarch over the meaty side of 350g boneless chicken thighs.
Place the chicken thighs and potatoes in a pan and cook until golden brown.
Flip occasionally, cooking until the outside is crispy and chewy, and the inside is moist.
Add 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp mirin (Korean cooking wine), 1 tbsp rice syrup (조청), and 1 tbsp minced garlic, then mix lightly.
Cover with a lid to steam, cooking the meat and tenderizing the potatoes.
Chop the Korean chives and sprinkle them over the braised dish.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds to finish, then transfer to a side dish container.
Add rice and 1 tbsp oyster sauce to the remaining sauce and make fried rice.
💡 Tips
Potatoes can be frozen and thawed, and still taste delicious.
Sprinkling cornstarch on the chicken thighs helps them cook up crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.
If you don't have rice syrup (조청), you can substitute it with corn syrup, oligosaccharide, honey, allulose, or sugar.
Tender Braised Chicken Thighs (포슬포슬 닭다리살 조림) can be frozen for storage and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week.
📦 Storage & Reuse
Store the finished braised chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.
For longer storage, divide into single portions and freeze.
It is recommended to consume frozen portions within one month.
Thaw frozen portions in the microwave or reheat gently in a pan over low heat.
When reheating, if the sauce has reduced, add 1-2 tbsp of water to maintain its moisture.
Leftover potatoes or chicken can also be finely chopped and used in kimchi fried rice (김치볶음밥) or curry.
🥢 Who This Is For
This braised chicken thigh dish is an absolute 'rice thief' (밥도둑 – so delicious it makes you eat a lot of rice) when served with warm rice.
It's great as a side dish for kids and a perfect accompaniment to drinks for adults.
The hidden gem of this recipe is making fried rice with the leftover sauce, adding rice and oyster sauce – be sure to try it!
For accompanying dishes, we recommend refreshing bean sprout soup (콩나물국), seaweed soup (미역국), or crispy cucumber salad.
This is a highly recommended family meal that will fill you up deliciously.
🔥 Nutrition Info
This braised chicken thigh dish is estimated to be approximately 450-500 kcal per serving (about half of this recipe's total yield).
It is estimated to contain about 30-35g of protein, 25-30g of fat, and 25-30g of carbohydrates.
Chicken thighs are rich in high-quality protein, iron, and B vitamins, which help in restoring energy.
Potatoes are rich in vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber, promoting immune health and gut health, while starch provides energy.
Due to seasonings like rice syrup (조청) and soy sauce, there may be some sodium and sugar content, so it's advisable to consume in moderation for health.
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