Korean Chicken Bao (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Bao Buns
01 -
450g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
02 -
2 tbsp caster sugar
03 -
1/2 tsp salt
04 -
2 tsp instant dried yeast (one 7g packet)
05 -
3 tbsp whole milk
06 -
210ml warm water
07 -
3 tbsp very soft unsalted butter
08 -
1 tbsp olive oil for brushing
→ Chicken and Marinade
09 -
4 chicken breasts, sliced into bite-size chunks
10 -
240ml buttermilk (1 cup)
11 -
1/2 tsp salt
12 -
1/4 tsp white pepper
13 -
1/4 tsp garlic salt
→ Crispy Coating
14 -
180g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
15 -
1 tsp salt
16 -
1 tsp ground black pepper
17 -
1/2 tsp garlic salt
18 -
1/2 tsp celery salt
19 -
1 tsp dried thyme
20 -
1 tsp paprika
21 -
1 tsp baking powder
22 -
1 tsp chili flakes
23 -
Vegetable oil for deep frying (at least 1 liter)
→ Korean Sauce
24 -
2 tbsp gochujang paste
25 -
2 tbsp honey
26 -
4 tbsp brown sugar
27 -
4 tbsp soy sauce
28 -
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
29 -
2 tsp minced ginger
30 -
1 tbsp vegetable oil
31 -
1 tbsp sesame oil
→ To Serve
32 -
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
33 -
1/4 cucumber, chopped into small pieces
34 -
Small bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
35 -
2 tsp black and white sesame seeds
# Instructions:
01 -
Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Stir together milk, warm water, and butter in a jug until the butter melts. Add liquid to dry ingredients, mix with a spoon first, then your hands. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes (or use a mixer with dough hook). Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size (90 minutes to 2 hours).
02 -
While the dough is rising, place chicken pieces in a bowl with buttermilk, salt, white pepper, and garlic salt. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
03 -
After the dough has proven, knead it again and divide into 20 balls. Roll each into an oval (about 6cm x 9cm) on baking parchment. Brush with olive oil, fold each oval over using a chopstick in the middle to create space, then remove the chopstick. Place each bun on a small piece of baking parchment. Cover and prove for another hour until puffed up.
04 -
Preheat oven to low temperature (to keep chicken warm). Heat vegetable oil for deep frying. Mix all crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl.
05 -
Take chicken from the fridge, let excess buttermilk drip off, then dredge in the coating mixture. Fry in batches (10-12 pieces at a time) for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Keep warm in the oven while cooking remaining batches.
06 -
Bring a large steamer pan of water to boil. Steam the buns in batches (keeping them on their parchment) for 10 minutes. Place on a warm plate after steaming.
07 -
Combine gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, and sesame oil in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
08 -
Toss the fried chicken in the Korean sauce. Open the steamed bao buns and fill with the Korean chicken. Top with slices of red onion, cucumber, fresh coriander, and sesame seeds before serving.
# Notes:
01 -
These fluffy steamed bao buns filled with crispy Korean chicken make fantastic party food to impress your guests.
02 -
You can make both the bao buns and chicken ahead of time and assemble just before serving.
03 -
Bao buns can be frozen for later use - just steam them for 5-6 minutes from frozen to reheat.