Korean Fire Chicken (Cheese Buldak)
I call this fire chicken “Korean pizza”. It features chunky, juicy chicken swamped in a chili sauce with chewy rice cakes and melty cheese. It contains all the essence of a pizza and it’s addictively good. It’s extremely easy to put together and takes no time to make. If you’re looking for a quick one-pan dinner recipe, look no further! {Gluten-Free adaptable}The recipe is slightly adapted from the Cheese Buldak from Maangchi’s Big Book of Korean Cooking: From Everyday Meals to Celebration Cuisine.It yields two big servings, or 4 small servings if you intend to serve it with various other dishes, family style. Although I could eat the whole thing myself. Double the recipe if you need to serve 4 people, or if you want leftovers (believe me, you want leftovers).To make the dish gluten-free, use tamari or coconut aminos to replace the soy sauce. Make sure the Gochujang brand you use is gluten-free.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Korean hot pepper flakes (gochu-garu (*Footnote 1))
- 2 tbsp Gochujang ((Korean hot pepper paste))
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (, seperated)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp sugar ((*Footnote 2))
- 3 clove garlic (, minced)
- 1 tsp ginger (, minced)
- 1 lb (450 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts) (, cut to 3/4” (2 cm) cubes)
- 1/2 tsp salt ( (use 1/4 teaspoon if using shredded cheese) (*Footnote 3))
- 1/3 cup mochi rice cakes (, sliced (*Footnote 4))
- 8 oz . (225 g) mozzarella cheese (, sliced thin (or shredded mozzarella cheese))
Instructions
- 1
Combine the hot pepper flakes, hot pepper paste, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, black pepper, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the chicken. Mix with a spoon until it’s evenly coated.
- 2
Heat a medium-sized oven-safe skillet (*Footnote 5) over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the rice cakes. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning with a spatula, until the edges of the rice cakes turn light golden. Transfer the rice cakes to a small bowl.
- 3
Add the chicken, salt, and 1/4 cup of water into the same skillet. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes.
- 4
Add the rice cakes and stir to mix well. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.
- 5
While the chicken is cooking, preheat the broiler in the oven, with the rack positioned on the middle level.
- 6
Spread the mozzarella cheese over the chicken. Transfer the skillet into the oven under the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted completely, bubbling and lightly charred. You should keep an eye on it closely. It took me 3 minutes to melt the cheese, but you should check on it every minute or two.
- 7
Remove the skillet from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes to let the cheese set. Serve hot as a main dish.
- 8
The dish can be made in advance and warmed up in a 350 °F (176 °C) oven. You can heat up the leftovers in the microwave or in the oven.