Korean buldak, also known as spicy chicken, is a beloved dish that tantalizes taste buds with its fiery and distinctive flavor. Originating from South Korea, this dish has gained immense popularity worldwide, captivating food enthusiasts with its delectable combination of sweet, savory, and spicy elements. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the realm of Korean buldak, exploring its history, variations, and the secrets behind achieving the perfect balance of flavors. Get ready to embark on a culinary journey as we uncover the best recipes and techniques for creating this irresistible dish in your own kitchen, transforming your taste buds with each savory bite.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
BULDAK (KOREAN FIRE CHICKEN)
Multiple layers of peppers provide a fiery kick that's tempered by a layer of melted mozzarella in this deeply satisfying Korean dish.
Provided by Joshua Bousel
Time 1h25m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 16
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)
Cheese buldak is a Korean dish that is incredibly easy to prepare: a marinade of red-pepper paste and red-pepper flakes that becomes a fiery sauce for braised chicken, which is then served beneath a cloak of broiler-melted mozzarella. A child could do it, or an adult who often acts like one. Mine is an adaptation of a recipe that owes its deepest debt to Emily Kim, the Korean web star known as Maangchi, whose video for cheese buldak has been viewed on YouTube more than seven million times. (Omit the rice cakes if you can't find them easily!) Thanks to subtitling by her fans, the video can be read in 24 languages. There are thousands and thousands of comments below it, mostly positive. One reads, "Can you be my mom?"
Provided by Sam Sifton
Categories dinner, quick, weeknight, finger foods, poultry, main course
Time 30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
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.
CHEESE BULDAK
When you know this dish translates to 'Fire Chicken' then you can guess what this dish is all about!
Provided by Richard
Categories Chicken
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 16
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1119, Fat 67, Carbohydrate 39, Sugar 25, Protein 88, Sodium 2414
FIRE CHICKEN WITH CHEESE (CHEESE BULDAK: 치즈불닭)
Today's recipe is super-spicy chicken, called buldak in Korean. The Korean word bul means fire, and dak means chicken, so you can call this "fire chicken." I first heard about this dish years ago, when I still lived in Korea. One evening I saw a truck on the street selling barbecued chicken. The...
Categories Main dish
Time 37m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
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.
Tips:
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients. This will make a big difference in the final flavor of your dish.
- Don't be afraid to experiment with different cooking methods. There are many ways to cook buldak, so feel free to try different methods until you find one that you like.
- Be patient. Buldak takes time to cook, so don't rush the process. Let the chicken cook slowly over low heat until it is fall-off-the-bone tender.
- Serve buldak with a variety of sides. Some popular sides include rice, noodles, vegetables, and kimchi.
- Enjoy! Buldak is a delicious and satisfying dish that is perfect for any occasion.
Conclusion:
Buldak is a versatile and flavorful dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Whether you are a fan of spicy food or not, there is a buldak recipe out there for you. So next time you are looking for a new and exciting dish to try, give buldak a try. You won't be disappointed.
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