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 guy had set up a homemade grill with real fire underneath, and was barbecuing huge chunks of chicken covered in a thick, spicy paste. With the flames and the smoke, it was a real festive sight, and there was a crowd of people gathering around, some to buy his chicken and some to just take part in the revelry.

He had a banner on the side of his truck that said “불닭” (buldak). I had never heard the name before, but between the spicy chicken and the fire he was cooking it over, it seemed like a great name to me. I bought some and brought it home to my family. It was fantastic!

These buldak trucks caught on: they would come out in the evenings, set up their makeshift fire pits, and grill spicy chicken over the flames. People would come out and take part in the fun.

I can’t set up a fire pit in my apartment, but my version is still plenty fiery! This buldak is spicy, a little sweet, and plenty soft and juicy. The crunchy rice cakes are my own variation and optional, but they give the dish a wonderful texture. If you want to make it less spicy, cut down on the hot pepper flakes, or use milder flakes. I use chicken breast in my recipe, but you could use chicken thigh, too.

I hope you love this recipe! Let me know if you try it!
buldak with cheese (치즈불닭)

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 2 pounds of chicken breast, cut into ¾ or 1 inch cubes
  • ½ cup Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons hot pepper paste
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ⅓ cup rice syrup (or corn syrup, sugar, honey)
  • 6 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
  • 1 pound mozzarella cheese (optional), cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup of sliced rice cake (optional)
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • ¼ cup water

buldak-mozzarella

Directions

  1. 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.
  2. Add the chicken and mix well by hand.
    buldak with cheese (차즈불닭)
  3. 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.
    sliced rice cakes
  4. 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.
    buldak with cheese (치즈불닭) buldak with cheese (치즈불닭)
  5. Uncover, stir and turn over the chicken with a wooden spoon. Add the rice cakes to the top of the chicken.
    buldak with cheese (치즈불닭)
  6. 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.
  7. 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.buldak in the oven
  8. Remove and sprinkle with the chopped green onion. Serve hot.
    buldak with cheese (치즈불닭)buldak with cheese (치즈불닭)

Posted on Thursday, March 19th, 2015 at 10:13 pm. Last updated on August 2, 2021.
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138 Comments:

  1. Carol56 Durham,NC joined 1/22 & has 1 comment
    Posted January 7th, 2022 at 11:55 am | or create a profile.

    Just discovered you on Tic Tock and went right to your site! I will try this weekend and I can’t wait! I love your videos! Thank you!

  2. anyaleigh New York joined 12/21 & has 1 comment
    Posted December 3rd, 2021 at 6:51 pm | or create a profile.

    i made an account just to tell you how much i love this recipe! i’m making it again tonight and my mouth is watering just thinking about the delicious combo of spicy chicken with melty cheese. i wish i could find rice cakes to go with it, i’ve had them at korean restaurants and loved them and i bet they’d be delicious here.

    i usually add a veggie to stretch the meat for budget and nutrition reasons. i’ve done cauliflower in the past but tonight will probably use some shredded green cabbage. everything is so yummy in that sauce! i’m excited to explore other recipes, and i really appreciate how easy and accessible you make this recipe, especially for those of us who might not have access to all the authentic ingredients

  3. tulips2kiss Oregon joined 7/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted July 16th, 2020 at 12:13 pm | or create a profile.

    my family is really pick and they LOVE this dish!! my mom requested that I make it tonight but we only have fresh mozzarella, I’m afraid the water content will be too high…. will it work?

  4. Jessicaf North carolina joined 6/20 & has 14 comments
    Posted July 6th, 2020 at 7:48 pm | or create a profile.

    Sooo good. Crazy idea I’ve yet to try: omitting rice cakes and using as topping for Fire chicken pizza. Salivating just thinking about it. I don’t usually think of cheese going well with Asian style cuisines. How wrong I was! Very unique dish.

  5. ilovepastry Toronto, Canada joined 5/20 & has 16 comments
    Posted May 17th, 2020 at 9:15 pm | or create a profile.

    Wow~ They don’t call it Fire Chicken for nothing! Tasty, but quite spicy. Thanks again, Maangchi!


    See full size image

  6. michelefernandez19 KL, Malaysia joined 4/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted April 5th, 2020 at 11:38 pm | or create a profile.

    I tried making this the other day maangchi, and it was amahzing!! <3 Thank you maangchi!

  7. celzalejandro Manila joined 4/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted April 3rd, 2020 at 4:53 am | or create a profile.

    This is the 4th time I’ve made buldak, and each time I use your recipe! I’ve since tried to be more creative with it, but oh man I really think your recipe is the best Maangchi!

  8. Gdasau London, Canada joined 2/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted February 23rd, 2020 at 10:43 am | or create a profile.

    Made as directed other than used jaggery instead of the Korean Rice Syrup (ssalyeot). Delicious !! Easy to make! Thanks.

  9. Katsqwerl Oxfordshire joined 2/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted February 15th, 2020 at 2:46 pm | or create a profile.

    I have made this twice and it is incredible. I have subbed honey or golden syrup for the rice syrup and it works just fine. Thanks Maangchi!

  10. ax89 Ottawa, ON joined 1/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted January 30th, 2020 at 11:11 pm | or create a profile.

    I made this recipe without the cheese so I just cooked it on the stove top. I did not have the rice cakes.

    I did not find it very hot, surprisingly. Maybe my pepper flakes were a bit old. I ate this with some basmati rice – very delicious! Thank you Maangchi.

  11. dub3dude Australia joined 1/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted January 9th, 2020 at 10:40 pm | or create a profile.

    Thanks Maangchi!
    Love your videos, love your cooking.
    Making this tonight. Really looking forward to it!

  12. Remigius the Netherlands joined 12/19 & has 1 comment
    Posted December 6th, 2019 at 11:52 am | or create a profile.

    Hi,

    Love the recipe and i am wondering what kind of cast iron pan you are using.

    Thanks

    Nick

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