Korean Buldak, Fire Chicken with Melted Cheese

🎁 You have 30 days of free full access to every recipe. Join the Kitchen Club to keep it →
Andong Hahoe Village

📍 Where this dish comes from: Andong · Andong Hahoe Village
Discover the history of this region →
Korean Buldak, plated and ready to serve

Buldak means "fire chicken," and it lives up to its name: chicken coated in an intensely spicy red sauce, then smothered in melting mozzarella to cool the burn. It was a huge craze in Korea and is still a favorite with friends and a cold drink. Adjust the heat to your own courage.

Per serving: 472 calories · 5.1 g net carbs · 56 g protein · 23 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Korean Buldak

Korean Buldak, plated and ready to serve

Korean Buldak, Fire Chicken with Melted Cheese

Buldak means "fire chicken," and it lives up to its name: chicken coated in an intensely spicy red sauce, then smothered in melting mozzarella to cool the burn. It was a huge craze in Korea and is still a favorite with friends and a cold drink. Adjust the heat to your own courage.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 472kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • Sauce: 3 tablespoons gochugaru, 2 tablespoons Keto Gochujang-Style Paste (Chapter 10) or store-bought gochujang, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons allulose, 5 cloves garlic minced, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 or 2 fresh red chilies minced
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 2 scallions sliced

Instructions

  • Mix the sauce ingredients and toss with the chicken. Let stand for 10 minutes.
  • Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauce and cook, stirring, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce clings.
  • Heat the broiler. Scatter the mozzarella over the chicken.
  • Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling with a few browned spots.
  • Sprinkle with scallions and serve straight from the pan.

Notes

This is very spicy at full strength. Start with 1 1/2 tablespoons of gochugaru and one chili, then add more next time if you want the full fire. Keep a glass of milk handy.
Chef's Tip: Add a few drops of capsaicin hot sauce if you want true restaurant-level heat. Korean buldak restaurants were known for their extreme spice.
Keto Swap: Store-bought buldak sauce is loaded with corn syrup. Allulose and the keto paste keep the heat and gloss without the sugar; store-bought gochujang adds about 3 grams of net carbs per serving.
Success Tip: Serve with steamed egg (Chapter 1) and cold cucumber salad (Chapter 9) to cool things down.
Nutrition is calculated from the ingredients and is an estimate per serving. Net carbs exclude fiber and allulose.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 472kcal | Protein: 56g | Fat: 23g | Fiber: 2.2g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Cooking Korean Buldak in the kitchen

About This Dish

Buldak became a nationwide craze in Korea in the early 2000s, when restaurants competed to serve the spiciest chicken. Some say people sought out fiery food as a way to relieve stress during tough economic times. The name later inspired one of Korea’s best-known instant noodle brands, whose extremely spicy noodles became a global social media challenge. Bul means fire, and dak means chicken. Melted cheese became the standard topping because it softens the burn.

Pairs Well With

This recipe is from The Ultimate Korean Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 5: Chicken (Andong Hahoe Village). See all Korean recipes

Scroll to Top