Buldak Fire Chicken Recipes

BULDAK (KOREAN FIRE CHICKEN)

Steps:

• To make the sauce: In medium bowl, whisk together chicken stock, soy sauce, rice syrup, gochujang, gochugaru, and sesame oil. Set aside.
• In medium saucepan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add in garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, but not browned, about 1 minute. Add in chilies and black pepper and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in gochujang mixture and Sprite. Bring to a rapid simmer and continue to cook, stirring and scraping down sides of saucepan occasionally, until reduced by about half and sauce coats the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and place skin-side down on cutting board. Working with one thigh at a time, run knife down either side of bone without cutting all the way through the thigh flesh and skin. Run knife under bone to detach it from the meat. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs. Transfer chicken to a large Ziploc bag and pour in half of the cooled sauce. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible, and toss to distribute sauce evenly. Place bag in refrigerator for at least 45 minutes, up to overnight. Transfer remaining sauce to an airtight container and store in refrigerator until ready to use.
• Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate. Place bones and chicken, skin side down, over hot side of grill and cook, flipping occasionally, until well charred all over, about 10 minutes total. Move bones and chicken to cool side of grill and, using poultry shears, cut chicken into roughly 1 1/2-inch pieces. Brush chicken all over with reserved sauce and move back over to hot side of the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until well charred, about 2 minutes more. Transfer chicken and bones to a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
• Preheat broiler. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella evenly over chicken pieces. Place skillet under broiler and cook until cheese is completely melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

MAANGCHI'S CHEESE BULDAK (FIRE CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Combine the gochugaru, gochujang, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and black pepper in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and stir until it is well coated.
• If you're using the rice cakes, swirl the oil into a large, oven-safe skillet set over medium-high heat and wait for it to shimmer. Add the rice cakes and cook, turning the cakes often, until they are a little crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the rice cakes to a small bowl and set aside. If you're not using rice cakes, simply swirl the oil into the pan and move along to the next step.
• Add the chicken mixture to the pan along with ¼ cup water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, adding the rice cakes halfway through, if using. Meanwhile, heat the broiler in your oven.
• Remove the chicken from the heat. Cover the pan with the sliced mozzarella, then slide the pan under the broiler. Cook until the cheese has melted and browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with scallions. Serve immediately, with rice.

FIRE CHICKEN WITH CHEESE (CHEESE BULDAK: 치즈불닭)

Steps:

• Combine hot pepper flakes, hot pepper paste, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, ground black pepper, rice syrup, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Mix it well into a sweet and spicy paste.
• Add the chicken and mix well by hand.
• Heat up a skillet with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add the sliced rice cakes and fry them for a few minutes. Turn them over with a spatula once or twice until both sides are crispy and light golden brown.
• Place the marinated chicken into a heavy pan, preferably cast iron. Use the water to rinse the bowl and get the last of the sauce into the pan. Cover and cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes. If you use a normal frying pan, it will take 7 to 8 minutes. Be sure not to burn the chicken.
• Uncover, stir and turn over the chicken with a wooden spoon. Add the rice cakes to the top of the chicken.
• Turn down the heat very low. Cover and let cook another 10 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked. If you're using cheese, pre-heat the oven broiler.
• When the chicken is cooked, put the cheese over the top. Slip it into the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Remove and sprinkle with the chopped green onion. Serve hot.

CHEESE BULDAK

Steps:

• Chop up the chicken breast into bite sized pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Slice the spring onion and leave to one side for now.
• Add all of the marinade ingredients to the bowl and mix well with the chicken pieces. Pop into the fridge and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
• While the chicken is marinating it's now time to prepare the sauce. Finely chop the chilli pepper and add to a bowl along with the remainder of the sauce ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
• When the chicken has finished marinating, remove it from the fridge and add it to a hot frying pan. Cook the chicken for 2/3 minutes on both sides until cooked through.
• Drain off any liquid from the frying pan and then add the chicken to a large heavy pan. Add the sauce mixture on top and mix well.
• Drizzle a small amount of sesame oil over the chicken and cook over a medium/low heat for 5 minutes. Stir the chicken often to ensure it doesn't stick to the pan.
• Pre-heat a grill, add your mozzarella to the chicken and put the whole pan under the grill for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan to ensure you don't burn the cheese. It's ready to remove from the grill when the cheese has melted and has started to turn golden brown on top. * I have used sliced mozzarella balls in this recipe. They contain more water than grated mozzarella which will dilute the sauce somewhat when it's under the grill. This does mean though that you will be left with some delicious sauce in the bottom of the pan when you've finished which is perfect for adding some rice to. Almost like a bonus second course :) If you'd prefer dryer Buldak then use grated Mozzarella instead of balls.
• Place the pan in the center of your dinner table (on a coaster!) and enjoy with a side bowl of fresh rice.