Korean Fire Wings with Cheese

If you know me you know I love spice...and cheese. I love spice so much that when I was in high school my parents were afraid I would develop a stomach ulcer. I love cheese so much...I don't even have to say anything other than I am lactose intolerant LOL. So it just makes sense to combine the two right? And of course, it has to be done with wings! Wings make everything so much better!

If you're looking for a way to spice up your weekend then this is exactly what you need. The heat is brought in by the gochujang paste, Buldak hot sauce (you can replace with sriracha if you don't have) and chili flakes. The red color is enhanced with paprika, and then a little honey is added to balance everything out just a tad. If I am being honest, you can definitely add more spice. I would add more of the Buldak/sriracha hot sauce or chili flakes for the heat, preferably the chili flakes. Gochujang paste does not add very much spice because a lot of the brands have a decent amount of sugar to balance the spice out. These wings are meant to be spicy, but you can adjust to your spice tolerance. The cheese helps calm down the heat though, so if possible, push your limits a tad 😉

This recipe is easy and fun to make! It is the perfect social dish. Make it for friends and family and enjoy watching everyone sweat 😈 no but really it's not that spicy 🤥

Substitutions:

-Use tofu, seitan, or mushrooms instead of wings if vegetarian/vegan, just fry the tofu or bake for 10 minutes. Mushrooms you can cook in the sauce, add them once the onion, ginger, garlic paste is browned.

-Use vegan mozzarella if vegan

-Adjust spice to your liking

-Can use any good melting cheese. Cheddar and pepper jack would work!

Korean Fire Chicken with Cheese

Servings: 2-3| Prep time: 15 minutes| Total time: 30-60 minutes

Ingredients

½ onion

3 cloves garlic

1-2 inch ginger

1 tbsp canola oil

2 tbsp gochujang paste

1-2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp buldak hot sauce (or sriracha)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 ½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp cumin

3 tsp chili flakes

4-8 tbsp water

1 tbsp ketchup

10-15 chicken wings

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cream of tartar

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp salt

1-2 cups mozzarella and Colby jack (cubed or shredded)

Directions

1. Marinate wings in 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp cream of tartar, and 3 tbsp cornstarch for 15 ish minutes (or one night if possible).

2. Preheat oven to 450F.

3. Bake wings for 10-15 minutes each side (might have to do 20 minutes depending on your oven).

4. While wings bake, blend onion, garlic, and ginger into paste, heat 1 tbsp oil in pan to medium and brown the paste. Takes around 2-3 minutes, mix to prevent burning.

5. Add gochujang paste, honey, buldak hot sauce, soy sauce, paprika, cumin, chili flakes, ketchup and water (start with 4 tbsp if need more add once the wings are ready.

6. Once wings are ready, mix in the sauce, put in oven-safe dish (I like using a cast iron), cover in cheese and broil for 1-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly brown on top.

7. Serve hot and ENJOY!

I am telling you this is the perfect dish to make when hosting people. Everyone will love it. You can serve it with some cheese sauce on the side too, homemade or store-bought, for all the people who need a little something extra to calm down the heat. You will love it! Let me know what you think when you make it! 😁 ENJOY!