Rookie Pan
← All recipes
Korea, Asia · Dakgalbi (Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken)

Dakgalbi Cheese Quesadillas

Sweet-spicy dakgalbi stir-fry folded into flour tortillas with mozzarella, cheddar and perilla, toasted until crisp and served with lime sour cream.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time32 min
Marinating+ 10 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Cut the chicken into small 1.5 cm pieces and toss with the gochujang, chili flakes, soy sauce, honey, garlic and smoked paprika; leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, finely shred the cabbage (3 mm), thinly slice the onion, and seed and slice the jalapeño.

    Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs 240 gGochujang (Korean chili paste) 1 tbspKorean chili flakes (gochugaru) 1 tspSoy sauce 1 tspHoney 1 tspMinced garlic 1 tspSmoked paprika ½ tsp

  2. Heat the oil in a 24 cm pan over medium-high heat and stir-fry the chicken, onion and jalapeño, adding the cabbage for the last minute, in total. When there's almost no liquid left and the sauce clings, tip it into a bowl and wipe the pan with kitchen paper. A wet filling makes soggy tortillas.

    Add in this stepCooking oil 1 tbspOnion 60 gJalapeño (or other fresh green chili) 1Cabbage 80 g

    medium-high heat

  3. Squeeze the lime juice into the sour cream and stir to make the dip. If using cilantro, chop it finely and mix it in.

    Add in this stepSour cream 5 tbspLime ½Cilantro (optional) to taste

  4. Lay out a tortilla. On one half, layer half the cheese, the dakgalbi filling, the perilla leaves and the rest of the cheese, then fold over and press down.

    Add in this stepFlour tortillas (25 cm) 2Grated mozzarella 80 gGrated cheddar 40 gPerilla leaves (or basil leaves) 4

  5. Heat the wiped pan, dry, over medium-low heat. Cook the quesadilla for , until the underside is golden and crisp, flip carefully with a spatula and cook for more to melt the cheese. You're making 2 in total; cook them one at a time.

    medium-low heat

  6. Rest for 1 minute, then cut each into 3 wedges and serve with the lime sour cream. Cut too soon and the cheese runs out.

Cook's tip

High heat burns the outside before the cheese melts, so stay at medium-low. The perilla links the gochujang and cheese beautifully; don't skip it if you can find it. Chopped leftover dakgalbi lets you skip steps 1 and 2.

Cooking it at camp

Cook the filling at home and bring it in a sealed container; at camp you just toast. Use a cast-iron pan or griddle; over a charcoal grill, wrap each quesadilla in foil and turn it as it cooks.