Satisfy all your spicy cravings with Cheese Buldak. Also known as Korean Fire Chicken, it’s a super spicy chicken dish that will make your mouth burn! Tender, juicy, bite-sized chicken. A special sauce that’s so spicy, it’s become an iconic flavor in South Korea. A generous shower of mozzarella adds cheesy decadence. A mouth-watering one-pan meal!
What is Cheese Buldak?
Cheese Buldak is a popular Korean dish that features grilled chicken covered in a mouth-watering spicy sauce with lots of gooey cheese. In Korean, Buldak literally translates to “Fire Chicken” because of the mouth burning spice. So spicy! So good!
Several components make Korean Cheese Buldak an iconic dish. Traditionally, the chicken is cooked over a charcoal grill. The chicken is tender and juicy with smoky, charred edges. Then, the grilled chicken is coated in a delicious sauce so spicy, it will make your mouth burn. Finally, a generous portion of mozzarella cheese is melted on top for a gooey, cheesy finish.
Korean Fire Chicken is for spicy lovers everywhere. The “fire sauce” is intensely spicy! A combination of Gochujang (Korean red chili paste), Gochukaru (Korean red pepper flakes), and Scotch Bonnet Chili Peppers create that signature spicy flavor.
Recently, Buldak has become a popular flavor in Korean cuisine. You can find Buldak ramen noodles and Buldak Sauce at most Korean grocery stores. Buldak always means the same thing: mouth-burning spice!
How spicy is it? The spice level is mouth-burning, nose-dripping, and forehead-wiping spice. The kind that leaves you spooning more rice into your bowl and constantly reaching for the water glass.
Ingredients
- Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs stay tender and juicy. If you prefer, swap with chicken breast.
- Chicken marinade: soy sauce, Mirin (sweet cooking wine), and honey.
- Gochukaru (red pepper flakes), Gochujang (hot pepper paste), soy sauce, sesame oil, Mirin (sweet cooking wine), and sugar.
- Scotch Bonnet Peppers. Creates that ultra-spicy flavor profile. Remove the seeds for less spicy flavor.
- Asian pear. Adds sweetness and a nice texture. Substitutions: Bartlett or Bosc pear OR Fuji or Gala apple.
- Onion + Garlic. Essential aromatics!
- Korean Rice Cakes (dduk/tteok). Although optional, chewy rice cakes take Cheese Buldak to another level! Choose the shape you like best. If frozen, defrost by soaking in cold water.
- Mozzarella Cheese. For that spectacular cheese pull at the end. FYI low-moisture mozzarella works better than fresh mozzarella.
How to make Korean Fire Chicken:
- Marinate the chicken. In a medium bowl, add soy sauce, Mirin (sweet cooking wine), honey, and oil. Whisk to combine. Add chicken thighs that have been cut into 2-inch chunks. Mix until the chicken is fully coated. Marinate for at least 1 hour and preferably overnight.
- Cook the chicken. In a large skillet, saute the chicken over medium high heat until golden brown on both sides.
3. Make the “fire” sauce. In a food processor, add the onion, Asian pear, garlic cloves, gochujang, gochukaru, soy sauce, sugar, scotch bonnet peppers, and sesame oil. Whizz until pureed.
4. Cook chicken and “fire” sauce together. Add the spicy sauce to the chicken in the pan. Cook over medium heat until the chicken absorbs all the good flavor and the sauce is reduced and somewhat thick.
5. Melt cheese. Add Korean rice cakes (dduk), if using. Cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake gently in the oven until the cheese melts.
6. Serve. Garnish with green onion. Serve immediately. Enjoy with white rice and various Korean side dishes.
PRO Tips
- GENTLY melt the cheese. A slow melt will ensure the cheese doesn’t harden and burn.
- Make ahead. Cheese Buldak is easy to make ahead, up to 1 day in advance. Complete all the steps except DO NOT add the cheese or rice cakes. When ready to serve, heat the chicken and fire sauce until hot and bubbly on the stovetop. Add dduk and cheese then gently melt in the oven.
- Adjust spice level. Feel free to adjust the spicy level to your liking. Use 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper instead of 2, remove the seeds, or leave out the Scotch Bonnet Peppers entirely.
What kind of pan should I use?
Any oven-safe skillet will work well. It should be a large skillet that can be used on the stove top and in the oven.
However, for the best flavor, I recommend a cast iron skillet. A heavy pan made of cast iron will char the chicken beautifully. All those tasty, browned bits add so much flavour.
*However, a cast iron is porous and absorbs the flavor of the fire sauce. After making Cheese Buldak, the skillet will impart a slightly spicy flavor to whatever you cook next — no matter how hard you clean or scrub the pan.
Serve with
More Spicy Food Inspiration
Cheese Buldak (Korean Fire Chicken) Recipe
Equipment
- 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet
- Food processor (You can also grate the onion and Asian pear with a box grater)
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 2-inch long strips
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp Mirin (sweet cooking wine)
- 1 Tbsp honey (sugar also works)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil (I use grapeseed oil)
Fire Sauce
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/2 large onion roughly chopped
- 1/2 large Asian pear peeled, cored, roughly chopped (can be subbed with Bosc pear, Bartlett pear, Fuji apple, Gala apple)
- 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers *or to taste (use 1 pepper for a less spicy version)
- 3 Tbsp Gochukaru (Korean red chili flakes)
- 3 Tbsp Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Cheese pull
- 1 cup Rice Cakes (dduk)
- 2 cups grated mozzarella loosely packed (about 8 oz)
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. In a medium bowl, add soy sauce, Mirin (sweet cooking wine), honey, and oil. Whisk to combine. Add chicken thighs that have been cut into 2-inch chunks. Mix until the chicken is fully coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour but preferably overnight.
- Cook the chicken. Heat cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1 Tbsp of oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken. Brown the chicken in batches, one layer at a time, making sure not to crowd the pan. It's ok if the chicken is not fully cooked. Transfer to a clean plate. Repeat process until all the chicken is cooked.
- Make the "fire" sauce. In a food processor, add the onion, Asian pear, garlic cloves, gochujang, gochukaru, soy sauce, sugar, scotch bonnet peppers, and sesame oil. Whizz until pureed.
- Add "fire sauce" to the chicken. Place all the browned chicken back into the skillet. Add the spicy sauce directly to the chicken in the pan. Mix around with a spatula or wooden spoon until the chicken is completely coated in sauce.
- Cook chicken and "fire sauce" together. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the sauce becomes dark red, thick, and reduced, about 12-15 minutes. The chicken and sauce should bubble somewhat vigorously. Lower heat, if needed. Feel free to add water if the sauce looks too dry (about 1 Tbsp at a time). Keep an eye on the sauce, mixing it from time to time.
- Preheat oven. While the chicken cooks, preheat the oven to 350F/176C.
- Melt cheese. Remove skillet from heat. Add rice cakes, if using, and scatter over the chicken and fire sauce mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the rice cakes and chicken. Make sure the top of the pan is evenly covered.Place skillet in oven until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. It should be a gentle melting. Watch carefully and make sure it doesn't overcook!
- Serve. Remove from oven. Garnish with sliced green onion and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Serve immediately with rice and enjoy!
Are the rice cakes pre-cooked, or added raw?
They come in the package, already pre-cooked. But you will need to heat them up so they are chewy and squishy. I take the rice cakes directly from the bag and add to the saucy chicken. While the cheese melts, it should be enough time to heat the rice cakes — about 5-10 minutes, as recommended in the recipe card. Enjoy!
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Made this for lunch and love it! What an amazing combination of taste, texture, east, west, and the addition of rice cake!
Thanks Kou-mei! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!