Name: Cheese Buldak (Korean Fire Chicken)
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: ⅓ cup water; ¼ cup ssal-jocheong (Korean rice syrup), brown rice syrup, or light corn syrup; ¼ cup finely ground spicy gochugaru; 2 tablespoons gochujang; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons mirin; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger; 1 teaspoon pepper; 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch pieces; ¾ teaspoon table salt; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided; 8 ounces sliced rice cakes; 1 onion, halved and sliced thin; 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed and sliced thin; 8 ounces preshredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese (2 cups); 2 scallions, sliced thin on bias

Why This Recipe Works

Our version of cheese buldak, or Korean fire chicken, is a spicy, savory-sweet, one-pan drinking snack or quick meal of tender chicken thigh chunks and chewy rice cakes, all simmered in a thick red chili sauce and topped with a layer of gooey mozzarella. Searing the rice cakes before simmering them adds toasty browning and leads to a delightfully crisp-turned-soggy texture once they’re fully hydrated. The stir-together sauce is spicy thanks to gochugaru (red chili powder), gochujang (fermented red chili paste), and black pepper, but it’s also deeply savory and plenty sweet thanks to the gochujang’s umami-rich complexity plus lots of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, mirin, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and Korean rice syrup, a sweetener that counterbalances the heat and helps the sauce cling to the meat. Thin-sliced onion and jalapeño add extra savor, heat, and a hint of crunch. A blanket of melted mozzarella cheese on top helps to quell the burn and makes the dish especially irresistible.

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Before You Begin

Gochugaru is sold as finely ground powder or coarse flakes and varies in heat level. Choose a spicy powder for this recipe. Find sliced rice cakes, refrigerated or frozen, in Asian markets, some supermarkets, or online. If using frozen rice cakes, defrost them before cooking and separate any that are stuck together. You can also omit the rice cakes, if preferred; reduce the water to ¼ cup. For an even spicier dish, use a serrano chile instead of the jalapeño. The starch added to commercial shredded mozzarella cheese helps it stay fluid once melted; if shredding the cheese yourself, toss it with ¼ teaspoon of cornstarch. Serve with rice.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Combine ⅓ cup water, ¼ cup Korean rice syrup, ¼ cup finely ground spicy gochugaru, 2 tablespoons gochujang, 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, and 1 teaspoon pepper in bowl; set aside. Toss 2 pounds chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch pieces, and ¾ teaspoon table salt together in second bowl; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in 12-inch cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 8 ounces sliced rice cakes and cook until light golden brown and crispy on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to plate. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook until chicken is cooked through and skillet is almost dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to second plate.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 onion, halved and sliced thin, to again-empty skillet and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add 1 thinly sliced jalapeño and cook until just softened, about 1 minute. Stir in sauce and rice cakes and bring to simmer. Cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until rice cakes are almost fully tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken and any accumulated juices and cook until bubbling throughout, about 2 minutes.

Off heat, sprinkle with 2 cups preshredded whole-milk mozzarella. Broil until cheese is melted and just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with 2 scallions, sliced thin on bias, and serve.