Cheese buldak is a modern street food version of buldak, the Korean fire chicken that gets its name from the volume of chili paste and chili flakes in the sauce rather than from any open flame. The cheese layer on top is a newer addition, melted under the broiler at the end so it bubbles and browns over the red sauce. It sits in the same Korean comfort food shelf as my Korean instant pot short ribs and japchae on the site.

I came to this recipe through Maangchi’s Big Book of Korean Cooking, which is the cookbook I reach for whenever I want to learn a Korean dish from the source. The first time I cooked it I underestimated how fast the broiler would go on the cheese and pulled the pan a minute past golden, with the top edges crossed into black. I have made it dozens of times since then and the broiler-watching habit is now muscle memory, which is the single biggest change between my first attempt and the version I cook now.

This recipe is very easy to make, and in my experience, even beginner cooks can make it with confidence. I mix the chili sauce in a bowl, toss the cubed chicken in it to marinate while the pan heats, pan fry the rice cakes, cook the chicken in the same skillet with a splash of water, fold the rice cakes back in, then cover the top in sliced mozzarella and slide the whole pan under the broiler. I recommend making this the next time you want an easy one-pan Korean dinner. Just follow the recipe below, where I walk you through every step and share the tips I’ve learned after years of making it for my family.

Korean fire chicken with cheese

Ingredients

Most of this Korean Fire Chicken dish is pantry once you have a Korean grocery trip behind you. Here is what I use:

Chili sauce: I mix Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru) with gochujang, soy sauce, vegetable oil, ground black pepper, sugar, garlic, and ginger. Gochugaru and gochujang are both needed because they do different jobs, and I get into which is which in the FAQ below. Sugar is also important here because it balances the chili paste and pulls the sauce into a glossy coat instead of a chalky one.

Chicken and rice cakes: I go for for boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they survive the broiler finish without drying out. I cut them into small cubes so the lid-on simmer cooks them through in time with the rice cakes. Mochi rice cakes go in for the chewy contrast, sliced into rounds if I am using cylindrical garaetteok or kept whole if I am using the thinner oval shape.

Cheese topping: I cover the top with low-moisture mozzarella because it melts into a smooth blanket without breaking into oil pools the way fresh mozzarella does. Sliced gives me a cleaner top and shredded covers the surface faster, and I season the chicken with less salt when I use shredded cheese because the bagged shred is saltier than the sliced version.

How to Make

1. Mix the chili sauce: Combine the gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, black pepper, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. Stir until the sauce is smooth.

chili sauce in a bowl

2. Marinate the chicken: Add the cubed chicken to the bowl. Stir with a spoon until every piece is coated in the sauce.

Marinating the chicken

3. Pan fry the rice cakes: Heat a medium oven-safe 9″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the rice cakes. Cook, turning with a spatula, for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the rice cakes to a small bowl.

Pan fry the rice cakes

4. Cook the chicken: Add the marinated chicken, salt, and 1/4 cup of water to the same skillet. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes.

Cooking the chicken

5. Add back the rice cakes: Stir the rice cakes into the chicken. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 5 more minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

Adding back the rice cakes to pan

6. Preheat the broiler: While the chicken is finishing, preheat the broiler in the oven with the rack on the middle level.

7. Top with cheese: Lay the mozzarella over the chicken in one layer.

topping dish with cheese

8. Broil the cheese: Transfer the skillet to the oven under the broiler. Broil for 1 to 3 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and lightly charred. Watch closely and check every minute because broilers vary.

broiling cheese

9. Rest and serve: Remove the skillet from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes so the cheese sets enough to pull. Serve hot from the skillet as a main.

Cooking notes

Pick an oven-safe skillet that just fits the chicken: A 9 or 10 inch skillet is the right size for a single batch because the chicken should cover the bottom of the pan in one layer. If the pan is too big the chicken sits in a thin layer and the sauce pools into bare metal, which scorches under the broiler.

No broiler, no problem: If my oven-safe pan is in use or I do not want to fire up the broiler, I scatter the cheese over the chicken, cover the skillet, and let it melt on the stove over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. The top will not brown the way the broiler version does, but the cheese still pulls.

Test the gochugaru before you commit: Korean chili flake heat varies by brand, harvest year, and grind. I put a quarter teaspoon on the tip of my tongue before measuring out the recipe amount, and if the flake is hotter than usual I drop the recipe down by a tablespoon. Older bags lose color but not heat, so I judge color by eye before I commit to the full 1/4 cup.

Skim the surface fat before the cheese goes on: Chicken thighs release fat as they cook with the lid on, and a thin pool of red oil sometimes collects on top of the chicken before the broiler step. I tilt the pan toward one corner and spoon off the surface oil so the cheese melts onto the chicken instead of floating on top of a pool of fat.

Korean fire chicken with cheese

How to Serve

I bring the skillet straight from the broiler to the table because the cheese pull is the whole point and it does not survive a transfer to a serving plate. I set the pan on a trivet, hand out serving spoons, and we eat over bowls of plain steamed rice that I cook in the rice cooker while the chicken is on the stove. The rice catches the spicy sauce and tames the heat at the same time, which is why I never serve this dish without it.

For a larger Korean meal I serve this with a vegetable side and a different-protein dish to give the palate a break from the heat. Korean seafood pancake is my favorite partner, I also add a vegetable like a summer vegetable bibimbap for a fuller table, and on cold nights I make Korean army stew as the soup so everyone has something brothy to alternate with the cheese pulls.

Frequently Ask Questions

What is the difference between gochugaru and gochujang?

Gochugaru is the Korean coarse or fine red chili flake that gives the dish its red color and slow heat, sold in a bag. Gochujang is the fermented chili paste that comes in a tub, deeper in flavor, tastes spicier and saltier with a hint of sweetness, because it is fermented with rice and soybeans. Both are needed for this recipe because they do different jobs, and one cannot stand in for the other.

My cheese is not browning under the broiler, what do I do?

The most common reasons the cheese stays pale are a rack set too low in the oven and a broiler element that has not finished preheating. I position the rack on the middle level, not the bottom, so the cheese is close enough to the broiler to take color. If the broiler has only been on for 2 minutes when the chicken is ready, I leave the skillet under the heat with the oven door cracked and watch through the gap until the brown spots appear, usually around 4 to 5 minutes instead of the typical 2 to 3.

How long do leftovers keep in the fridge and freezer?

Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days, and I reheat them in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes or in the microwave for 90 seconds until the cheese softens again. I do not recommend freezing this dish.

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Buldak with strechy cheese

Korean Fire Chicken (Cheese Buldak)

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2 to 4 servings
Print
Korean fire chicken, or cheese buldak, is a one-pan Korean main I make with boneless chicken thighs, chewy mochi rice cakes, and melted mozzarella over a fierce gochugaru and gochujang sauce. My recipe is ready in 25 minutes, the kind of restaurant-style Korean comfort food I cook when my family wants a spicy dish on a weeknight.

Ingredients 

  • 1/4 cup gochu-garu (Korean hot pepper flakes) (*Footnote 1)
  • 2 tablespoons Gochujang
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons sugar (*Footnote 2)
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts) , cut to 3/4” (2 cm) cubes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (use 1/4 teaspoon if using shredded cheese) (*Footnote 3)
  • 1/3 cup mochi rice cakes , sliced (*Footnote 4)
  • 8 oz mozzarella cheese , sliced thin (or shredded mozzarella cheese)

Instructions

  • Combine the hot pepper flakes, hot pepper paste, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, black pepper, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the chicken. Mix with a spoon until it’s evenly coated.
  • Heat a 9" oven-safe skillet (*Footnote 5) over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the rice cakes. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning with a spatula, until the edges of the rice cakes turn light golden. Transfer the rice cakes to a small bowl.
  • Add the chicken, salt, and 1/4 cup of water into the same skillet. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes.
  • Add the rice cakes and stir to mix well. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.
  • While the chicken is cooking, preheat the broiler in the oven, with the rack positioned on the middle level.
  • Spread the mozzarella cheese over the chicken. Transfer the skillet into the oven under the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted completely, bubbling and lightly charred. You should keep an eye on it closely. It took me 3 minutes to melt the cheese, but you should check on it every minute or two.
  • Remove the skillet from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes to let the cheese set. Serve hot as a main dish.
  • The dish can be made in advance and warmed up in a 350 °F (176 °C) oven. You can heat up the leftovers in the microwave or in the oven.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. It might sound like a lot of chili pepper flakes. But as long as you use the Korean chili flakes, the result won’t be too spicy. If you do not have Korean chili flakes, I would use a combination of paprika and some other type of chili flakes as an alternative. The blend will depend on the type of chili powder you use and the desired spiciness. As a general guide, I would use 3 tablespoons of paprika powder, and 1 tablespoon or less of chili flakes (or powder).
  2. Maangchi’s recipe calls for 1/4 cup of rice syrup or 3 tablespoons of sugar. I’ve tried both but ended up liking the result made with sugar more. Rice syrup is hard to find and can be expensive, even in a grocery store. So I highly recommend you save yourself the trouble and use sugar instead.
  3. The original recipe doesn’t use any salt. However, I think the salt is very important to bring out the flavor of the chicken and sauce. You should use less salt if using shredded cheese, which usually tastes saltier than fresh mozzarella.
  4. The original recipe calls for 3 ounces of rice cake, which is only a few slices. I love the rice cake texture in the dish and increased the amount.
  5. A 9” round pan is perfect for cooking this dish. You can use a 10” pan, but the chicken will form a very thin layer. Avoid using a pan bigger than 10”, because the chicken won’t be enough to cover the bottom of the pan completely.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 466kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.7g, Protein: 39.8g, Fat: 26.2g, Saturated Fat: 9.6g, Cholesterol: 101mg, Sodium: 875mg, Potassium: 213mg, Fiber: 1.1g, Sugar: 10.6g, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 1mg

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