Cheonan chicken stew with no extra noodles: Sottture Dakdoritang

For anyone who considers themselves a chicken stew connoisseur in Cheonan, it would honestly be a shame not to know this place, right?

I went after hearing the buzz this time, and the presentation and portion size completely blew me away haha.

Visiting Sottture Dakdoritang in Seongjeong-dong

This is Sottture Dakdoritang in Seongjeong-dong, one of Cheonan's good-eats neighborhoods. Doesn't the name itself have a certain presence?

Sottture Dakdoritang in Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan has a clean black-toned exterior, with a cute chicken drawing on the sign. Parking is available behind the building, so it should be convenient for anyone driving.

There is a huge cauldron in front of the restaurant. I wondered whether they make the broth in it themselves—the steam rising from it was so fascinating haha. Open from 11:00 to 23:00, it is perfect for lunch or drinks.

Tablet ordering and the self-service bar

Once seated, I looked over the menu and found that ordering by tablet was easy. We got the whole chicken stew for 2–3 people at ₩35,000, plus a rolled omelet on the side.

After ordering, I looked around the restaurant and spotted a tidy self-service bar on one side. It was nice to be able to help ourselves to more side dishes without feeling self-conscious.

The basic side dishes were kimchi, pickled onions, and spicy-sweet seasoned danmuji (pickled radish). They all paired well with the chicken stew, making them great for cleansing the palate before the main dish arrived!

Even the water was not plain bottled water but a nutty tea, something like heotgae tea, which felt like such a thoughtful touch from the owner haha. This kind of drink freshens up your mouth when you are eating spicy food, you know? And it was ridiculously delicious...!

A whole chicken without extra noodles

The main dish finally arrived—look at that chicken topped with quail eggs haha. It was so cute that I could not not take photos! There were also heaps of green onion and mushrooms on top, so my anticipation was already exploding before it even came to a boil.

After letting it bubble away, the broth reduces to just the right amount. This is seriously the most delicious moment. It is about as spicy as kimchi, so it is barely spicy and even people with a low spice tolerance can enjoy it.

Is that chicken leg size even real? The meat was cooked so tender that it slipped beautifully right off the bone. It had soaked up the broth, so it was not bland at all—just that ideal, classic chicken stew richness!

It also comes with rice-cake noodles by default, and their chewy texture was excellent. The two of us are seriously big eaters, but we were shocked by how much food there was even with just one whole chicken and no extra noodles.

A generous spread with rolled omelet

Adding the ₩10,000 rolled omelet made the table feel like it might collapse under the food haha. The thick omelet came generously drizzled with ketchup and mustard, in a flavor kids would love too!

In the end, there was so much that we could not finish it all. Sob sob sob. Still, it had that perfectly classic delicious flavor, so I recommend it!

The best way to eat it

The wall has tips for enjoying it: bring it to a rolling boil over high heat for 2–3 minutes, then lower the heat and eat the rice cakes first. Following that order, the chicken was seasoned just right and tasted even better.

Sottture Dakdoritang in Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan was a truly generous spot I discovered after a long time. Next time, I almost want to order one and a half chickens and split it across two meals haha. I recommend it for a hearty family meal or for enjoying a bottle of soju with friends!