Maangchi’s Cheese Buldak (Fire Chicken)
Updated February 9, 2020
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¼ cup gochugaru (Korean red-pepper flakes)
2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red-pepper paste)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ¾-inch cubes
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or peanut
4 ounces sliced Korean rice cakes (optional)
6 to 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 scallions, sliced, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
37 grams carbs; 146 milligrams cholesterol; 520 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 24 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 942 milligrams sodium; 38 grams protein; 9 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
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.
- Step 2
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.
- Step 3
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.
- Step 4
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.
Private Notes
Comments
Sadly made this for the first time on election night in 2016. It was delicious, but I can never eat it again.
Here's the link to the video by the way since Sam "forgot" to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9uI1-6Ac6A
This was easy and great. The gochujang was even available at my regular grocery, but I could not find the Korean pepper flakes even at the Asian groceries near me so I used a tablespoon of red pepper flakes and it worked great. I know its kinda lame to leave a review if you've changed the recipe a bit, but this was so good over rice that I thought others should give it a go even if they can't find the gochugaru. Oh, and I didn't have ginger so I used ginger ale instead. Haha. Just kidding! :0)
This dish was really delicious. I only used about 2 teaspoons of the gochugara spice. I followed the recipe exactly after that. So quick. Soooo good. Many thanks.
While I was surprised by the amount of heat from Korean spices, mostly gochugaru, I enjoyed the taste as it was not sharp. Next time I will halve gochugaru amount. I also cooked the chicken five extra minutes with extra water as mine dried out (used cast iron skillet) and added corn per someone's recommendation.
This was delicious.!! So yummy. I cut back on the pepper flakes bc I was serving people who can’t take a lot of spice. I’ve made twice and still haven’t made full force. With about 3/4 of the pepper flakes than the recipe suggests, it gives great heat and lots of flavor. Neither time did I do the rice cakes (couldn’t find) but served over rice. Everyone raved, different recipients :) Reheats perfectly too.