Buldak (Spicy Korean Chicken)

Step 1

Place the minced garlic, gochujang, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil into a small bowl and stir with a spoon until the mixture is smooth and uniform with no lumps, about 1 minute. This is your sauce.

Step 2

Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels by pressing the towels against the surface until no moisture comes off. Dry chicken will brown better when cooked.

Step 3

Lay each chicken thigh flat on a cutting board and slice it against the grain into strips about 1.5 inches wide and 3 inches long. The grain runs side to side; angle your knife to cut perpendicular to it.

Step 4

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the surface is too hot to hold your hand 2 inches above it, about 2 minutes. Do not add oil; you'll use the fat from the chicken.

Step 5

Lay the chicken strips in the hot skillet in a single layer without overlapping. Let them sit undisturbed for 3 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown, watching for the color to shift from pale to honey-gold.

Step 6

Flip each chicken strip to the other side using tongs or a spatula. Cook for another 2 minutes until this side is also golden brown.

Step 7

Pour all of the sauce over the chicken and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes, coating every piece. The sauce will bubble and smell strongly fragrant.

Step 8

Continue cooking and stirring for 1 more minute until the sauce thickens and clings to the chicken, turning glossy and dark. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.

Step 9

Transfer the chicken and sauce to a serving plate using a spatula, scraping the bottom of the skillet to capture all the caramelized bits.

Step 10

Scatter the sliced scallions evenly over the top of the chicken as a thin green layer.

Step 11

Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the scallions in a light, even distribution. Serve immediately while hot.