Cheese Buldak. Literally “Fire Chicken,” this South Korean street dish will make your mouth burn. Rich, intensely spicy, and smothered in gooey cheese. Fiery Perfection.
One night, as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, I saw the most delicious looking dish that I wanted to eat RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT. It was some kind of red, spicy looking dish smothered with cheese. As I clicked “like,” I read my friend’s caption. She was craving Korean food but didn’t want to go out so whipped up this dish at home. #cheesebuldak
WHAT?!? MY THAI FRIEND MADE AND ATE A KOREAN DISH THAT I’VE NEVER HEARD OF MUCH LESS EATEN BEFORE?!?!?
I’m Korean American, by the way. I grew up in the States. I suffered through bad perms (Koreas love perms, I don’t know why) and lived in a house where we took off our shoes at the door and ate rice and kimchi with every meal. Our backyard had a clothing rack with dried fish hanging from it. Yeah, we were that family.
All to say, I loved Korean food and I knew how to cook Korean food. So why hadn’t I heard of this dish before?
I quickly googled “Cheese Buldak” and was shocked to discover that it actually existed. It was one of those modern Korean dishes with street food origins. Buldak – literally “Fire Chicken” – is renowned for its intense spiciness.
After tinkering around in the kitchen, Cheese Buldak became one of my favorite go-to dishes whenever I was in the mood for spice. Now, it can be yours, too.
How to Make Cheese Buldak:
Step 1: Marinate the Chicken.
Step 2: Make the “fire” sauce. Basically, whiz sauce ingredients in a food processor until it looks like very spicy baby food.
Step 3: Brown the chicken: in batches, one layer at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
Step 4: Coat the chicken in “fire” sauce. Cook until the sauce is reduced and somewhat thick.
Step 5: Add Korean rice cakes (dduk). Smother with cheese and bake until melted and gooey.
Korean ingredients
I’ve included both Gochukaru (Korean red chile flakes/powder) and Gochujang (Korean red chili paste) in this recipe. These are staples in any Korean kitchen.
For the Gochukaru (flakes), buy the smallest size bag and store in the freezer indefinitely. That’s where it keeps best.
For the Gochujang (paste), buy a small jar/box and it will keep for a very long time in the fridge. Although not indefinitely, probably a year or two.
Although some would be aghast at this statement, it doesn’t really matter what brand. Any kind will do, as long as it’s made by a Korean company. I usually buy what’s on sale.
Asian pear is a crisp, delicious cross between an apple and pear. They are round, about the size of a grapefruit, and covered with thick yellow skin.
Also, the Korean rice cake (dduk/tteok) is completely optional. I happen to love dduk, which is a pantry staple in my kitchen. I store dduk/tteok in the freezer. If it’s frozen, make sure to soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes.
Scotch Bonnet Peppers. For this recipe, I tried all kinds of spicy peppers to determine which tasted best: jalapenos, Thai bird chilis, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, and even different combinations of each. Scotch Bonnet Peppers with the seeds were my favorite.
This recipe is SPICY: 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers with the seeds. 3 Tbsp Gokucharu. 2 Tbsp Gochujang. Please adjust according to your own taste!! For me, it’s the perfect burning-in-your-mouth level of spiciness. For my husband, he prefers only 1 pepper (vs 2).
CHEESE. There is nothing sadder than making Cheese Buldak and overcooking the cheese. Watch the skillet in the oven carefully. You don’t want to miss that moment of sheer delight when the cheese pulls away from your spoon and you have to gobble it up before it falls on the table.
Once you start making this dish, you won’t be able to stop! Cheese Buldak aka Fire Chicken Addiction!! I love this dish so much! Enjoy!!
Literally “Fire Chicken,” this South Korean street dish will make your mouth burn. Cheese Buldak is rich, intensely spicy, and smothered in gooey cheese. Spicy Perfection.
- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch long strips
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp Mirin or rice wine
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/2 large onion roughly chopped
- 1/2 large Asian pear peeled, cored, roughly chopped
- 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers stemmed (keep the seeds), or to taste
- 3 Tbsp Gochukaru (Korean red chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsp Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup Rice Cakes (dduk)
- 2 cups grated mozzarella loosely packed (about 8 oz)
- 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet
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Place rice cakes into small bowl and cover with cold water, if frozen. Set aside.
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Combine Marinade ingredients in large bowl. Mix with spoon. Add chicken. Mix again until well combined. Cover and place in refrigerator.
(Let marinate at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.)
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Place Fire Sauce ingredients in food processor. Whiz until pureed. Set aside.
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Heat 10 or 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1 Tbsp of oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers, 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.
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Place all browned chicken back into the skillet. Pour the Fire Sauce on top. Mix around with a wooden spoon until chicken is completely coated.
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Continue cooking unti the sauce becomes dark red, thick, and reduced a bit, about 12-15 minutes on medium-high heat. The chicken and sauce should bubble somewhat vigorously but not burn. Lower heat, if needed. Also, feel free to 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.
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Remove skillet from heat. Drain rice cakes and scatter over the chicken and fire sauce mixture.
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Sprinkle the cheese on top of the rice cakes and chicken, making sure to coat evenly.
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Place skillet in 350 F oven until cheese melts, about 5-10 minutes. Watch carefully, making sure that it doesn't burn.
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Remove from oven. Garnish with sliced green onion and sprinkle of sesame seeds, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!
*If you don’t own a cast iron skillet, you can also cook all the components in a regular skillet and transfer to a baking dish after the chicken has cooked in the sauce. Then, add the rice cakes (dduk) and cheese. Bake in the oven, as per usual.
**When browning the chicken, you may need to add more oil depending on your cast iron skillet. My cast iron skillet is well seasoned after years of use so 1 Tbsp was perfect.
More Korean Food Inspiration:
Kimchi Stew aka Kimchi Jjigae. The best way to use up old kimchi and a one-pot meal to boot.
Gochujang Chicken Drumsticks. A spicy-sweet, easy-to-love favorite.
Beef Bulgogi. The classic that everyone knows and loves.
Korean Fried Chicken. Lip smackin’ good. The most popular recipe on the blog for a reason.
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!