Name: Buldak: Korean "Fire" Fried Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 515 min
Ingredients: 8 chicken thighs (bone-in); 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons honey; 3 tablespoons rice wine; 1 stalk scallion (finely sliced); 1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil; 2 bird’s eye chilies; 1 teaspoon chili flakes; 1 teaspoon gochujang ((Korean chili paste available in Asian groceries)); 1 ripe pear (cored); 2 shallots; 4 cloves garlic; 4 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil; 2 tablespoons honey; cooking oil for deep frying; sliced scallions (to garnish)

Buldak: Korean “Fire” Fried Chicken

Connie Veneracion

Fresh chilies, chili flakes and chili paste are combined to provide the "fire" in this Korean fried chicken.

And you can adjust the heat level in two ways — by using less chilies in the marinade or in the sauce. Yes, it isn’t just in the marinade that heat is added to the chicken. There are chilies in the sauce as well. And the fried chicken isn’t just tossed in the sauce before serving.

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Marinating time 8 hrs

Total Time 8 hrs 35 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Korean

Servings people

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs bone-in

For the marinade

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons rice wine
1 stalk scallion finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil

For the sauce

2 bird’s eye chilies
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon gochujang (Korean chili paste available in Asian groceries)
1 ripe pear cored
2 shallots
4 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons honey

To complete the dish

cooking oil for deep frying
sliced scallions to garnish

Instructions

Rinse the chicken thighs and pat dry. Place in a bowl.
Add the soy sauce, pepper, honey, rice wine, sliced scallion and sesame seed oil. Mix well.
Cover and marinate in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
In a blender or food processor, finely chop all the ingredients for the sauce. Taste, adjust the seasonings according to your preferences and set aside.
Lift the chicken thighs from the marinade.
Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan or wok. Fry the chicken thighs until browned and cooked through.
Pour off the oil.
Pour in the sauce and allow to caramelize a bit (DO NOT ALLOW TO BURN!).
Add the chicken thighs and cook over high heat, turning often, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken thighs.
Arrange the chicken on a serving plate. Sprinkle with finely snipped scallions (or toasted sesame seeds) and serve hot.

Notes

Updated from a recipe originally published in July of 2012. The only difference between the old and updated recipes is the addition of gochujang.

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