Food - Drink
Buldak: The Fiery Korean Chicken Perfect For Game Day
By VANESSA NIX ANTHONY
What is buldak?
Buldak is a spicy Korean dish that translates to “fire chicken,” since “bul” means fire and “dak” means chicken. Bulsak consists of spicy marinated chicken (usually chicken thighs) that is fire-grilled, topped with mozzarella and/or other kinds of cheese, then put in the broiler to let the cheese melt.
History Of Buldak
Buldak originated in 2001, and in 2002, Hong Seong-pyo, creator of the dish's signature sauce, opened his first Hongcho Buldak restaurant. In 2003, a recession hit Korea, and endorphin-inducing spicy foods exploded in popularity, including buldak; Hongcho Bulda went on to open over 100 new locations that year.
Ingredients
Hongcho Buldak’s sauce recipe is a secret, but most homemade recipes include soy sauce, sweetener (rice syrup, corn syrup, honey, sugar, or even Sprite), black pepper, garlic, ginger, water or chicken broth. The most important ingredients are gochujang, a funky chili paste, and gochugaru, Korean chili powder or flakes.
How To Make Buldak
After marinating the chicken in half of the prepared sauce, reserving the other half, grill the chicken, cut up cheese into bite-size pieces, cover the chicken with the rest of the sauce and cheese, and put it in the broiler until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Before serving, sprinkle green onions and sesame seeds on top.