There are hundreds of weeknights in a year. That’s a lot of dinner! Test kitchen editor Kendra Vaculin is here to help. In her series Speedy Does It, she shares whoa-worthy meals you can get on the table like *snaps fingers* that.
Buldak, or fire chicken, is a spicy, saucy Korean dish that practically begs to be served with a cold beer. This one-skillet weeknight-friendly version swaps in simply marinated chicken breast pieces (no separate grilling required) that get stir-fried right alongside chewy, bouncy rice cakes before getting a blistered finish under the broiler. (You could also swap in skinless, boneless chicken thighs if you’d like.) The aromatic sauce gets its fiery goodness from a combination of gochujang and gochugaru; the paste adds spicy-sweet flavor and fermented depth, while the pepper flakes add earthy heat. For the savoriest chicken flavor, chicken stock is the way to go, but if your cabinet is out, vegetable broth or water work as well. Don’t be tempted to use fancy fresh mozzarella cheese here—cheese buldak relies on a blanket of the super-melty, low-moisture variety, like Polly-O. And don’t skip the pop of scallions (a.k.a. green onions) on top.
Recipe information
Total Time
30 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat broiler. Place 1½ lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 3 medium), cut into 1" pieces, in a large bowl and season with kosher salt; toss to coat. Add 4 garlic cloves, finely grated, one 2" piece ginger, peeled, finely grated, ⅓ cup gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste), 2 Tbsp. gochugaru (coarse Korean red pepper powder), 1 Tbsp. honey, and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce and stir to coat chicken. Let sit at least 10 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, place 1 lb. Korean rice cakes, preferably cylindrical, in a medium bowl; pour in cold water to cover. Let sit 10 minutes, then drain.
Step 3
Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, scraping in marinade from bowl, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth or water, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Stir in rice cakes, then cover and cook until rice cakes are partially tender, 1–2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring often, until chicken and rice cakes are cooked through and sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 4
Scatter 12 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely grated (about 2 cups) over spicy chicken and rice cakes and broil until cheese is melted and lightly blistered and golden brown in spots, about 4 minutes. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions just before serving.
Do Ahead: Chicken can be marinated 2 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
