Fresh chilies, chili flakes and chili paste are combined to provide the “fire” in this Korean fried chicken.
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 but simmered in it to really catch all the flavors.
Buldak: Korean “Fire” Fried Chicken
The ingredients list is long, I grant you that, but don't be tempted to omit anything from the list. It is the combination of all these ingredients, even in small amounts, that really makes this spicy fried chicken dish rock.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs bone-in
For the marinade
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons rice wine
- 1 stalk scallion finely sliced
- ½ 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.
