Buldak directly translated into Korean is “fire chicken,” and refers to a spicy chicken dish featuring a hot, savory and sweet sauce. This spicy chicken dish is often served as anju, or food that is served alongside alcohol. When one hears the word “buldak” they often think of the popular Korean Spicy Chicken Noodle (buldak bokkeum myun) that is enjoyed by spice enthusiasts across the globe, but today’s Buldak Cream Pasta recipe is related to the firy chicken dish I grew up loving. This Korean Fire Chicken Cream Pasta is another fusion noodle dish that is sure to pack a punch!
This Buldak Cream Pasta features a spicy, creamy sauce, fettucine noodles, mushrooms and, of course, chicken! The idea for this dish came to me when I was making fire chicken for a quick meal one night, and decided to toss pasta into the mix. The cream helps to mellow out the spice of the sauce, as well as bind the sauce to the noodles for a luscious bite. I’ve found that a lot of strong Korean flavors go very well with cream, as they cut through the richness and add a ton of dimension.
You can adjust the spice level of this dish by decreasing the amount of gochugaru (Korean Red Pepper Flakes) you use, as well as by using a milder form of gochugaru. Little known fact, there are different spice levels to gochugaru. The spicier versions often are labelled as such, and the standard gochuagaru is usually milder in spice.
This pasta is spicy, creamy, and packed with flavor. It’s the perfect anju, date night dinner, or lunch. I’ve had this dish 5+ times in the past few weeks to perfect the recipe, but also just to enjoy some spicy pasta. If you enjoy this recipe, make sure to check out my Kimchi Cream Pasta for some more fusion pasta goodness.
Korean Fire Chicken Creamy Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Large boneless skinless chicken thigh
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 0.5 lb Fettucine
- 4 White mushrooms
- 0.5 tbsp Grated parmesan cheese
- 3 Green onion
Chicken Marinade
- 0.5 tbsp Gochujang Korean red pepper paste
- 1 tbsp Gochugaru Korean red chilli flakes. I used two different kinds: 2/3 regular gochugaru, 1/3 spicy gochugaru.
- 0.5 tbsp Sugar
- 0.5 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 clove Garlic Minced
- Pepper
Cream Sauce
- 1.5 cups Heavy cream
- 0.5 tbsp Soy sauce
Instructions
- Cut chicken into small bite size pieces. Mix all chicken marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Add chicken and mix. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes.
- Add chopped green onion and soy sauce to heavy cream. Cover and set aside.
- While chicken marinates, bring a large pot of water to a boil, cook fettucine to al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat and add your chopped green onion. Let cook for about 1 minute and then add your marinated chicken. Let chicken cook through, about 2-3 minutes, then add in your quartered mushrooms. Cook for about 2 minutes and reduce heat to medium. Add in your cream sauce and let simmer for about 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.
- When pasta is done, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain and add to your cream sauce. Toss to coat, add cheese and little bit of pasta water. Serve topped with more green onion and cheese.
