Kimchi Chicken and Cabbage Stir-Fry Recipe

By
Yvonne Ruperti
A photo of Yvonne Ruperti, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Yvonne Ruperti
Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and cookbook author. She is also an adjust professor of baking at the Culinary Institute of America in Singapore.
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Updated Apr. 20, 2020
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Yvonne Ruperti

Why It Works

  • Cutting the chicken into thin strips ensures that it cooks quickly without drying out and absorbs a lot of flavor.
  • Fresh cabbage is added in addition to kimchi to keep the strong kimchi flavors from overwhelming the dish.

I never take for granted that I live in such a food-rich city. Not only is Singapore teeming with Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Thai, and Malay restaurants, but there must be at least 20 Korean eateries (including a Korean market) within a stone's throw of my apartment. As a lover of kimchi—an assault-on-the-senses but addictive dish made of hot and sour, crunchy fermented cabbage—this makes me a happy camper.

So potent is kimchi that it's mostly served quite modestly in tiny dishes as a complement to your meal, but if you're like me, that's not enough kimchi action. Kimchi can be so much more than a side dish—kimchi soup and kimchi fried rice are some examples. Here, I pair kimchi with chicken in a delicious main course.

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This chicken stir-fry comes together at lightning speed. Instead of the usual large chunks of meat (which would end up dry and flavorless in a stir-fry), the lean meat is cut into thin julienne-like strips for maximum absorption of flavor and to ensure a quick cook. Kimchi, with its mouth-burning heat, briny acidity, and fishy undertones, can overwhelm this dish, so to rein in its potent flavor, a few handfuls of fresh napa cabbage are tossed into the wok (or skillet) towards the end of cooking. And if you're game, adding a tablespoon of Korean chile sauce and a few teaspoons of fish sauce at the end will ensure that this is no timid dish. But the best part? It all comes together in about 10 minutes. That's right—10 minutes.

Mellow out this wildly intense dish with a fresh bowl of steaming white rice. Serve with an ice cold soju and you'll want nothing more.

Recipe Facts

4.7

(3)

Active: 10 mins
Total: 10 mins
Serves: 4 to 6 servings

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin 1/4-inch strips (see note)

  • 4 teaspoons sesame oil

  • 4 teaspoons sesame seeds

  • Table salt

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 5 cloves garlic, sliced

  • 2 cups kimchi, drained (see note)

  • 12 ounce head napa cabbage, horizontally sliced into 1-inch strips

  • 1 to 3 teaspoons gochujang or other chile sauce

  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce (optional, season to taste)

  • Rice, for serving

Directions

  1. Toss chicken with sesame oil, sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon salt, and soy sauce; set aside. Heat vegetable oil in wok or large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add kimchi and heat until hot. Add chicken and cook until almost cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes.

  2. Add cabbage and cook until cabbage is just beginning to wilt, about 1 more minute. Season to taste with chile sauce and fish sauce. Serve immediately with rice (see note).

Notes

To cut the chicken into 1/4-inch strips, cut chicken into 1/4-inch slices, then cut each slice into 1/4-inch strips. This shape ensures minimum cooking time and maximum flavor.

Kimchi is a Korean fermented cabbage. It can be found, along with chile sauce, in the refrigerated section of your local Asian market. The amount of chile sauce and optional fish sauce will depend on the strength of your kimchi. Season to taste.

The longer the dish sits, the more liquid will collect at the bottom from the weeping cabbage. It's best to serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Wok or large skillet

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
237 Calories
9g Fat
12g Carbs
26g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 237
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 12%
Saturated Fat 2g 8%
Cholesterol 64mg 21%
Sodium 798mg 35%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 26g
Vitamin C 3mg 14%
Calcium 70mg 5%
Iron 3mg 16%
Potassium 351mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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