Korean dak-kkochi: barbecued chicken skewers with chicken skin crumbs recipe
Chicken skewers have long been one of the most popular Korean street foods, and it’s easy to see why. They’re the perfect food to grab on the go: moreish, meaty morsels conveniently stacked and glazed to perfection.
Food writer Su Scott, whose debut cookbook Rice Table celebrates the best of Korean food, describes the preparation of dak-kkochi chicken skewers as a performance. “Chefs get quite theatrical blow-torching the top of the skewers while the undersides grill slowly over the charcoal heat to create what literally translates as ‘fire taste’ (bul mat),” she says.
This recipe is an ode to those barbecued bites, which are just as good when cooked at home – the theatrics are completely optional. The sticky glaze that coats the skewers brings out the syrupy and umami flavours that characterise Korean barbecue. The real unsung heroes of this recipe though, are the crispy chicken skin crumbs. Think of them as like the coating on your favourite crisps (potato chips) – only even more delicious.
Things to note:
This recipe makes approximately 12 skewers, enough for 2 skewers per person.
The chicken needs to be marinated for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
The glaze can be made ahead and will keep for a few days in the fridge.
If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes before using them to avoid splinters.
For US ingredients and measurements, use the drop-down menu and select 'Cups'.
Ingredients
For the skewers:- 8 boneless chicken thighs, skin on
- 30 g ginger
- 4 tbsp full-fat milk
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 0.2 freshly cracked black pepper
- 12 spring onions, sliced into 3cm long batons
- 1 pinch fine sea salt, to season
- 2 tbsp pinch fine sea salt, to season
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chilli paste)
- 100 ml water
- 1 whole dried red chilli
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted
- 0.2 tsp sea salt flakes
Details
- Cuisine: Korean
- Recipe Type: Barbecue
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 35 mins
- Cooking Time: 45 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- To prepare the chicken, remove the skin from the meat. Scrape off any excess fat from the underside of the skin and lay it stretched out flat in a baking tray lined with baking paper (parchment). Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and refrigerate until needed.
- Cut the skinless thighs into bite-sized cubes or strips suitable for your choice of skewers, bearing in mind they’ll shrink a little when cooked, and transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
- Finely grate the ginger, place it over a fine mesh colander and squeeze out the pulp over the meat, so only the juice is collected in the bowl underneath. Discard the pulp. Add the milk, sake, vegetable oil, sea salt and black pepper. Massage everything together to combine. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all the ingredients for the glaze, except the dried red chilli, in a small saucepan.
- Once everything is well combined, add the chilli and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of clear honey.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Lightly grind the sesame seeds in a pestle and mortar. Stir in the flaked sea salt and transfer it to a small mixing bowl.
- Put the tray of chicken skins in the oven and cook for 30 minutes until crispy and puffed up in places. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess fat. When cooled down enough to handle, chop into crumbs and stir into the ground sesame and salt mixture. Set aside.
- Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto the skewers, alternating 2-3 pieces of meat and a piece of spring onion. Repeat the process until you have about 12 skewers.
- If you are cooking on an outdoor charcoal barbecue grill, cook the skewers on the hot grill when the layer of white ash is visible over glowing embers. Give them a quarter turn every so often to char them evenly. It should take about 6-8 minutes for the chicken to cook through and appear lightly charred and browned. Brush them with the glaze and let the sugar bubble and caramelise briefly before removing them from the heat.
- If you are cooking the skewers indoors, heat a griddle (grill) pan nice and hot over medium heat. Place the skewers onto the hot griddle (grill pan) and cook for 3 minutes on the first side, then turn to cook for a further 4-5 minutes until all sides are nicely browned. Brush them with the glaze and let the sugar bubble and caramelise briefly before removing them from the heat.
- Alternatively, cook them under the oven grill (broiler).
- To serve, you can either sprinkle the chicken skin crumbs liberally on top of the skewers or serve it as a dipping salt on the side.
Recipe adapted from Rice Table by Su Scott (Quadrille). Photography by Toby Scott.
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