Buldak-Style Cheesy Spicy Chicken Noodles
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
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
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.