It’s fried chicken coated in a sauce that’s fiery, sweet, fruity and salty with a subtle tang. The best thing about the sauce? You can always adjust the flavor balance. People have different tolerance levels for heat, for instance. If you just want a hint, use less chilies. If your taste buds are braver than others’, then, go ahead and add more.

Note, however, that chilies figure in the recipe in three forms. There’s fresh chili, there’s chili powder and then there’s gochujang — a Korean chili paste with all the umaminess of fermentation. Which of these must be dialled down for a less spicy dish? Not the chili flakes. Korean chili flakes are more sweet than hot. So, leave them alone. To tone down the heat, use less amount of fresh chilies or chili paste, or both.

The cooking process consists of two stages. The first stage is frying the chicken. The second stage is essentially glazing the fried chicken. Yes, it’s a fried chicken recipe! I did mention that earlier. It is fried chicken. But, after the frying, the chicken goes back into the pan and tossed with the sauce.

So, fried chicken. You may go the traditional way and deep fry the chicken. But let me tell you that roasting in an oven or using an air fryer are both convenient alternatives that deliver equally good results.

The sauce. Shallots, pear, garlic, fresh chilies, chili flakes, chili paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and honey. The solid ingredients are processed into a paste and mixed with the liquid ingredients. There is no harm in just throwing everything into a blender or food processor and let the machine do the work. But remember that you still have to peel the shallots and garlic. And all solid ingredients must be cut into small pieces before you puree them using a machine.

The sauce is boiled until syrupy before the fried chicken is added. The chicken pieces are turned over often so that the sauce coats them evenly as it thickens in the heat.

Korean-style fire chicken (buldak)

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.

Prep: 15

Cook: 20

Marinating time 8

Total: 8 35

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Label: Spicy

Print recipe Subscribe

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 Korean chili flakes (available in Asian groceries)
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 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.