A recipe for Dak-kkochi (Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken Skewers)! Pieces of marinated chicken are arranged on skewers with green onions and grilled with a sweet or spicy glaze.
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These Dak-kkochi (닭꼬치) are such a fun and delicious street food from South Korea.
After marinating for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, chicken pieces are arranged on skewers with Daepa (big green onion) pieces, grilled on each side, then brushed with a sweet or spicy glaze towards the end of cooking.
When updating the recipe, I loved how My Korean Kitchen made the Dakkochi with the option of a sweet or spicy sauce. This is especially perfect for our family with the spicy glaze for me and more sweet for the kids.
A Few Tips
I used an indoor grill for the chicken. Adjust the heat between medium high and medium low as needed to cook the chicken to at least 165˚F (74˚C).
If using an indoor grill pan, wipe it down between batches.
If cooking on an outdoor grill and using wooden/bamboo skewers, soak them in cold water for about 30 minutes before assembling.
The exact amount of skewers will depend on the size and how you arrange the meat. With 8 inch (20 centimeter) wooden skewers, I am able to get around 14-16 Dak-kkochi.
Try to keep all the chicken pieces and the Daepa roughly the same size so they cook evenly. I arranged the skewers in the following pattern: 1 piece chicken, 1 piece Daepa, 2 pieces chicken, 1 piece daepa, and finally 1 piece chicken on the end.
If you want to have just sweet or just spicy skewers, double the amount for that portion of the glaze.
Simmer the sweet glaze with the cornstarch only until slightly thickened.
Don’t brush the glaze over the Dakkochi until the chicken is cooked through. It will quickly burn if left over the heat for longer than about a minute.
Notable Ingredients
Daepa(대파), often labeled large/big green onions or Korean leek, look like a thin leek with a mild, sweet flavor. They can be found in the produce section of many Korean markets.
If unavailable, use the largest white and light green parts of a green onion as possible.
Gochujang (고추장, red pepper paste, red chili paste) is a fermented condiment traditionally made by aging gochugaru (Korean red pepper), chapssal (glutinous rice), yeotgireum (barley malt), mejugaru (fermented soybean), and salt in a clay pot in the sun during cooler months.
It is available in the condiment section of markets with Korean ingredients and on Amazon: Gochujang. Korean Bapsang also has a recipe for Homemade Gochujang.
For those in Northern Virginia, I was able to locate both of these ingredients at H Mart in Centreville.
Looking for more Korean recipes?
Try my:
- Hobak Jeon (Korean Pan-Fried Zucchini)
- Gyeran Mari (Korean Rolled Omelette)
- Dak Bulgogi (Korean Soy-Marinated Chicken)
This recipe was originally posted in November 2012 and updated in March 2023.
Dak-kkochi (Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken Skewers) Recipe
Adapted from Closet Cooking and My Korean Kitchen
Dak-kkochi (Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) rice wine
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 milliliters) soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 green onion white and light green parts minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch (2.5 centimeter) pieces
- 3 Daepa Big Korean green onions, white and light green parts cut into 1 inch (2.5 centimeter) pieces
Sweet Glaze:
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey
- 1 garlic clove peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) water
- 1/2 tablespoon (4 grams) cornstarch
Spicy Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) ketchup
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) gochujang
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) honey
- 1/2 tablespoon (7 milliliters) soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove peeled and minced
Instructions
To prepare the chicken:
- In a large bowl, combine the rice wine, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, green onion, and black pepper.
- Toss in the chicken pieces until well coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to overnight.
- If using wooden skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before assembling.
To prepare the sweet glaze:
- In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, honey, and garlic over medium low heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch.
- Once the sauce is simmering, stir in the cornstarch with water.
- Continue to cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
To prepare the spicy glaze:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, gochujang, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. Set aside.
To assemble and cook:
- Assemble the marinated chicken on the skewers with the Daepa pieces. I assembled them 1 piece chicken, 1 piece Daepa, 2 chicken, 1 Daepa, and 1 chicken.
- Place an indoor or outdoor grill over medium heat.
- Once heated, add the chicken skewers, in batches if needed, and grill the chicken on each side until cooked through.
- During the last minute of cooking, brush half of the skewers on each side with the sweet glaze and the other half with the spicy glaze.
- Serve immediately.
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