Buldak-Style Cheesy Spicy Chicken Noodles
A homemade take on the viral Korean buldak noodle craze, real chicken thighs seared to build a browned crust rather than just simmered in the sauce, since a proper sear is where the savoury depth comes from in a dish that's otherwise built on chili paste and sugar. Adding the noodles to the pan slightly undercooked, so they finish in the sauce rather than being tossed with it afterward, is what lets them actually absorb the gochujang instead of just wearing a coating on top.
A homemade buldak-style spicy chicken noodle, the chicken seared hard before the sauce and the noodles finished undercooked in the pan.
Ingredients
Written for a 28 cm pan
Units
Temperature
Servings
Sauce and chicken
- 400 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3 cm pieces rounded
- 30 g gochujang rounded
- 15 g gochugaru rounded
- 3 garlic cloves, minced rounded
- 20 ml soy sauce rounded
- 25 g honey rounded
- 15 ml neutral oil rounded
Noodles and finish
- 2 Korean instant ramyeon noodle blocks, seasoning packets discarded rounded
- 100 g cabbage, shredded rounded
- 100 g mozzarella, shredded rounded
- 15 g toasted sesame seeds (optional) rounded
Method
- Whisk the gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, soy sauce and honey together in a small bowl.
- Heat the oil in a wide skillet over high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and sear for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Don’t move the pieces around too much; let them build real color.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodle blocks for 1 minute less than the package instructs, until still quite firm. Drain, reserving a splash of the noodle water.
- Add the cabbage to the skillet with the chicken and cook for 2 minutes, until just starting to wilt.
- Pour in the sauce and toss to coat. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Add the undercooked noodles and a splash of the reserved noodle water to the skillet. Toss constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, until the noodles are fully cooked and have absorbed most of the sauce.
- Scatter the mozzarella over the top. Cover and let sit off the heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until melted.
- Scatter with sesame seeds if using and serve straight from the pan.
Notes
- Sear the chicken hard and let it actually brown before it touches the sauce. A proper sear is where the savoury depth comes from in a dish built mostly on chili paste and sugar; chicken just simmered in sauce from the start tastes one-note by comparison.
- Undercook the noodles before they go into the pan. They finish cooking in the sauce and noodle water, which is what lets them absorb real flavour instead of just wearing a coating; noodles cooked fully first only ever sit on top of the sauce.
- A splash of the starchy noodle water helps the sauce cling. The sauce alone is thick and oily; the starch in the noodle water loosens and binds it so it coats evenly rather than pooling.
- Cover the pan off the heat to melt the cheese. Direct heat on the mozzarella risks it splitting into oil and rubbery curds; residual steam melts it gently instead.
Ingredient substitutions
- Any instant ramyeon works, though a chewier, thicker brand holds up best against this much sauce.
- A handful of sliced onion, added with the cabbage, is a good addition.
- Boneless chicken breast works in place of thighs, though thighs stay juicier through the hard sear.
Sources consulted
From Christoph Mayer