Go Back
+ servings
Korean Chicken Bao

Korean Chicken Bao

Delicious Korean Chicken Bao filled with crispy chicken wrapped in soft, fluffy steamed buns, perfect for party food.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Proving Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours
Course Appetizer, Party Food
Cuisine Asian
Servings 20 buns

Equipment

  • mixing bowl
  • Rolling Pin
  • steamer
  • frying pan
  • thermometer

Ingredients
  

Bao Buns

  • 450 g plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 2 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon instant dried yeast equivalent to one packet or 7g
  • 3 tablespoon whole milk very soft
  • 210 ml warm water approx. ¾ cup + 2tbsp
  • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter very soft
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Chicken and Marinade

  • 4 pieces chicken breasts sliced into bite-size chunks
  • 240 ml buttermilk approx. 1 cup
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt
  • 0.25 teaspoon white pepper
  • 0.25 teaspoon garlic salt

Crispy Coating

  • 180 g plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 0.5 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 0.5 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 litre vegetable oil for deep frying

Korean Sauce

  • 2 tablespoon gochujang paste
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 4 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 2 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

To Serve

  • 1 small red onion thinly sliced
  • 0.25 piece cucumber chopped into small pieces
  • 1 bunch fresh coriander cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoon black and white sesame seeds

Instructions
 

Making the Bao Buns

  • Start by making the bao buns, Place the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a bowl and mix together.
  • Add the milk, warm water, and butter to a jug and stir together until the butter melts.
  • Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture at first with a spoon, and then with your hands. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
  • Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover and leave to prove until doubled in size - about 90 minutes - 2 hours.

Marinating the Chicken

  • Meanwhile, start on the Korean Chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour.

Preparing the Dough

  • After the dough has proved, tip it out of the bowl onto a floured surface. Knead the dough again and split it into 20 balls. Place a piece of baking parchment on your work surface and roll each ball into an oval.
  • Brush the ovals with the olive oil and fold each oval over, leaving a little space in the fold. Place each bun onto a small piece of baking parchment.
  • Place the buns on trays and cover each tray with clingfilm or a carrier bag and leave to prove for a further hour.

Cooking the Chicken

  • Preheat the oil for frying. Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a bowl.
  • Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture and fry in the hot oil until golden brown.
  • Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the chicken.

Steaming the Buns

  • Put a steamer pan on to boil. Place the buns in the steamer and steam for 10 minutes.

Making the Sauce

  • While the chicken and bao buns are cooking, make the sauce by mixing gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and sesame oil in a saucepan.
  • Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.

Assembling the Dish

  • Place all of the cooked chicken in a bowl and pour the sauce over the chicken. Toss together to coat.
  • Carefully open the steamed bao buns and stuff with the Korean chicken. Top with red onion, cucumber, fresh coriander, and sesame seeds before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bun
Keyword finger food, game day, handheld food, party food
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!