Korean Rice Cakes with Chicken

I absolutely love Korean rice cakes-- they are tender and chewy and SO good in a stir-fry and soups. If you're new to cooking with Korean rice cakes at home, or you aren't sure where to purchase them, check out the sections below for more information. This recipe is a stir-fry of rice cakes, chicken, and snap peas (or any veggie you'd like to sub) tossed in a glossy brown sauce. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare stir-fried rice cakes, but this sauce is not a traditional/authentic sauce for rice cakes. A spicy sauce is one of the most common sauces for Korean rice cakes, and if you're looking for a good one, check out this recipe from my favorite Korean recipe blog, Korean Bapsang.

In this recipe, the chicken breast pieces are tenderized with a simple velveting process using baking soda, which helps keep them super tender. I really love how the chicken turns out when prepared in this way, so you'll find a number of recipes that include this process on the site. You can skip it if desired, but I never do!

What are Korean rice cakes?

Korean rice cakes have nothing in common with the puffed rice crackers that many Americans think of when they hear "rice cake". Korean rice cakes, called "tteok" or "dduk", are soft and chewy "cakes" made of primarily rice flour and water. They are very similar to Japanese mochi, but tend to be a bit more firm and chewy. They don't taste like much on their own, so they are a great vessel for tasty sauces.

They primarily come in two shapes, ovals (as pictured in this recipe) and rods. You'll see both styles of rice cake used in stir-fry recipes, but when it comes to soup, typically only the oval style are used. I tend to only stock the oval shape at my house, but both styles are appropriate for this recipe.

Where to buy Korean rice cakes.

The best option for purchasing Korean rice cakes is to find a Korean grocery store, which may be difficult depending on where you live. Other Asian markets are likely to have at least 1-2 options for rice cakes, but this isn't always a guarantee. I primarily purchase my rice cakes from a local Korean grocery store.

Since rice cakes are growing in popularity, they are becoming available through more retailers in the US! Trader Joe's just recently began carrying rice cakes, and you can find them on Amazon as well. I've given the Trader Joe's rice cakes a try and I thought the texture was a little bit off, but they're still a great choice if they're the only rice cakes available in your area.

Rice cakes may be found in the freezer, refrigerator, or unrefrigerated sections at the grocery store. Typically, the use-by dates are the longest for the freezer, followed by the fridge, and shortest for the unrefrigerated option. I've had the best results with refrigerated rice cakes, so that's typically what I buy.

Key Tips - Korean Rice Cakes with Chicken

The rice cakes will soften quickly, and continue to soften after they're removed from heat.

• The easiest way to mess up this recipe is by over cooking the rice cakes to the point that they're mushy. The texture we want to shoot for is chewy but firm, a bit like al dente pasta.
• You can check the texture of the rice cakes by pressing them with your spatula/tongs or pulling one out to take a bite. Because the rice cakes will continue to soften as they sit, I try to pull them off when they are just slightly underdone.
• If you're new to cooking rice cakes, getting a feel for the appropriate time to pull them off the heat may take a few batches, but even if you end up with slightly overcooked rice cakes, they're still delicious!

Don’t skip the chicken tenderizing process.

• There are a few ways to “velvet” chicken, but the one used in this recipe is quite simple. All you do is lightly dust the chicken in baking soda, let it sit, then rinse it off. This step can be omitted, but it helps keep the chicken tender and will make sure the meat isn’t overcooked, so I highly recommend it. See the section below for more details!

Substitute broccoli or your favorite stir-fry veggie.

• This dish is also delicious with broccoli, broccolini, carrots, snow peas, bean sprouts, mushrooms, or whatever veggie you prefer!

The sauce can be mixed ahead of time.

• If you’re looking to prep portions of the meal in advance, mixing the sauce ahead of time is an easy way to speed up the process when you go to make the meal. The chicken can also go through its baking soda process and then be returned to the fridge and cooked later in the day.

Dietary Restrictions - Korean Rice Cakes with Chicken

This dish is naturally Dairy-Free.

Make it Gluten-Free.

• Most oyster sauce contains gluten. Use gluten-free oyster sauce to make this dish gluten-free. (Both Kikkoman and Lee Kum Kee brands offer a GF oyster sauce)
• Make sure you're using gluten-free soy sauce, such as tamari, and gluten-free dark soy sauce.

A Note On Serving Sizes

Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it very difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. While this is listed as 4 servings, some people may prefer to have more than one serving.

If you like this recipe, you may also like...

If you enjoy this recipe, you may also enjoy my Easy Baked Orange Chicken, Velvet Chicken, and Garlic Eggplant & Crispy Tofu.

Send me pictures of your creations -- it'll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!