This decadent Cheese Tteokbokki recipe is our favourite spicy Korean comfort food to cook at home.
Our quick & easy homemade Cheesy Tteokbokki features chewy Korean rice cakes that are cooked with spicy gochujang marinated chicken thighs and topped with melted mozzarella.
Serve traditional Tteokbokki with Cheese as a main course at a Korean dinner party or as a late night snack with a cold beer.
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What Is Tteokbokki?
Literally translated as “stir-fried rice cake,” tteokbokki is a beloved Korean rice cake.
You can easily find Korean rice cakes sold as a street food in busy cities like Seoul or Busan, typically boiled in a spicy broth or grilled until crispy.
Tteokbokki is made with a type of rice cake called garaetteok, a cylinder-shaped white rice cake prepared with short grain rice. They have a distinctly chewy texture.
The thick type is sliced into thin oval shapes for making Tteokguk Korean Rice Cake Soup, while thinner, shorter rice cakes are used for making tteokbokki.
You can use either variety when cooking our Cheese Tteokbokki recipe. We prefer the larger cylindrical tteokbokki as they are easier to grab with chopsticks.
What Is Korean Cheese Tteokbokki?
Our Cheesy Tteokbokki recipe is inspired by the Korean dish Cheese Buldak, also known as Korean Fire Chicken.
The mouth-watering dish features chewy tteokbokki, spicy gochujang marinated chicken, and a mountain of melted mozzarella.
Tteokbokki with Cheese is the ultimate Korean comfort food for fans of spicy chicken and stringy melted mozzarella.
Travel to Korea by Cooking Cheese Tteokbokki at Home
I love traveling through Asia.
As a professional food and travel writer I’ve eaten my way through India, Maldives, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
My first visit to Asia had me living in South Korea for a year as an English teacher. That’s when I was first introduced to yummy fermented vegetables like kimchi.
In Korea, I’ve enjoyed many steaming plates of cheese tteokbokki at restaurants in Seoul, Suwon, Busan, Samcheok, Jeju and even the North Korean DMZ.
My first time eating cheesy tteokbokki was almost immediately after getting off the plane in Seoul. I spent my first week in Korea attending intensive teacher training classes. Whenever we’d break for lunch they’d serve us plates filled with bulgogi, mandu, tteokbokki with cheese and selection of healthy banchan.
This cheese tteokbokki recipe is a simple Korean dish that is quick and easy to make on the stove and finish in the oven. The dish features spicy gochujang marinated chicken thigh slices that are cooked in a skillet then topped with Korean rice cakes, cubes of mozzarella cheese and then baked in the oven until bubbling.
After enjoying your first few bites, you’ll realize why cheesy tteokbokki enjoyed with a cold pint of Hite beer is a must-try when visiting South Korea!
Where To Eat Cheesy Tteokbokki
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Korean restaurant that serves a traditional cheese tteokbokki recipe.
Haven’t traveled to Korea before? It may be helpful to first sample tteokbokki with cheese at a local restaurant to better understand how it is served. You’ll get an idea for the ideal rice cake to chicken ratio, how spicy to make the marinade, and the best side dishes to serve at the table.
In Toronto, popular Korean restaurants that may serve authentic cheese tteokbokki include Doma, Korean Village Restaurant, Arisu, Charcoal and Salt, Koko Share Bar, The Owl of Minerva, Seoul Shakers, Té Restaurant, Barrio Coreano, Momofuku Noodle Bar, Tofu Village and Korea House.
My Family Loves Tteokbokki with Cheese
My parents flew to Asia to visit me on holiday during the 12 months I lived in Seoul. Before landing at Incheon they visited Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan.
They had never been to a Korean restaurant at home in Toronto or Oakville before so every dish was a delight and surprise to their taste buds.
It’s no secret that my dad is a picky eater so I was a little nervous about him finding commonplace menu items like raw fish, spicy soup and fatty samgyeopsal to be unappealing.
Thankfully my parents both fell in love with the local comfort food cheese tteokbokki! They ordered the dish many times during visits to Insadong and Dongdaemun.
I knew my parents would love the dish because they enjoy cheesy recipes like Mac & Cheese, easy chicken dishes and rice.
I often cook this cheese tteokbokki recipe during the colder months of the year in the Fall and Winter. After spending a day outdoors in the cold there’s no better way to heat up your chilly bones then forking through a comforting bowl of cheese and chicken topped chewy Korean rice cakes.
Your hungry (and thawing) dinner guests will be smiling from ear to ear, chopsticks on the ready!
Cheese Tteokbokki Recipe Cooking Tips
This tteokbokki with cheese recipe is quick and easy to make at home. It’s inspired by Korean food blogger Maangchi’s recipe for Buldak “Fire Chicken with Cheese.”
- We suggest using a large oven-safe cast iron skillet or pan to prepare this dish. You cook the majority of the dish over the stove but pop the skillet in the oven to melt the cheese.
- You can purchase Gochujang, Gochugaru, Tteokbokki at an Asian supermarket, Korean grocer or on Amazon.
- We suggest using boneless skinless chicken thighs as they are most flavourful and tender. You can substitute with sliced chicken breasts if you prefer.
- We usually top the tteokbokki with cubes of cheese but you can also sprinkle the top of the dish with shredded mozzarella.
Health Benefits
Our homemade Cheese Tteokbokki recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Ginger contains at least 14 phytochemicals, many of which have impressive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It also has a good source of copper, which supports your bones, blood and nervous system.
Chicken is high in protein and provides B vitamins such as niacin, which helps your body access the energy in foods.
Chili in the gochujang has been proven to help reduce the duration of sickness, prevent heart disease, and promote weight loss.
Consuming dairy products (such as milk and cheese) provides health benefits — especially improved bone health. Dairy foods provide nutrients that are vital for health and maintenance of your body. These nutrients include calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein.
Nearly 50% of the people in the world get over 50% of their daily calories from rice. If eating brown rice featuring nutritious bran you’ll enjoy health benefits like cancer risk reduction and diabetes control.
Scallions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
What To Serve with Cheese Tteokbokki
There’s nothing more comforting than cozying up to a bowl of cheesy tteokbokki!
In Korea the spicy chicken dish is typically served with a local beer like Hite or Cass. An ice cold lager does a great job at quenching your thirst while eating this carb, cheese and chicken packed comfort food.
If you’re celebrating a special occasion unscrew a bottle of freezer-chilled soju before serving each of your guests a steaming bowl of tteokbokki with cheese!
Since the dish is hearty we suggest pairing it with healthy side dishes (banchan) like kimchi or a fresh Korean salad.
You May Also Enjoy These Korean Recipes…
- Spicy Korean Kimchi Soju Cocktail
- Homemade Korean Strawberry Milk
- Oven Roasted Korean Gochujang Pulled Pork Shoulder
- Korean Breakfast Recipe Gochujang Baked Eggs & Potato
- Korean Beef Bulgogi Noodles
- Sangchu Geotjeori Sweet and Sour Korean Lettuce Salad
- Crispy Vegan Pan Fried Korean Tofu
- Buchimgae Buchu-Jeon Korean Chive Pancake
- Spicy Gukbap Korean Rice & Beef Soup
- Homemade Spicy Pork Bibimbap
- Baked Korean Gochujang Chicken Wings
- Peanut and Sesame Noodle Bowl with Korean BBQ Pork and Pickles
- Korean Ssamjang Chicken Kimchi Nachos
How To Make Korean Cheese Tteokbokki (RECIPE VIDEO)
Spicy Korean Chicken Cheese Tteokbokki
Equipment
- French knife
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Skillet
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs sliced
- 1/2 cup Korean Hot Pepper Flakes Gochugaru
- 2 tbsp Gochujang
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Canola Oil
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/3 cup Honey
- 8 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 tsp Ginger minced
- 1 lb Mozzarella Cheese cut into small cubes
- 600 g Tteokbokki Korean Rice Cake
- 1 Scallion sliced
- 1/4 cup Water
Instructions
- Combine Gochugaru, Gochujang, soy sauce, 2 tbsp canola oil, black pepper, honey, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Mix until combined into a smooth paste.
- Turn down the heat to low. Cover and let cook another 10 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked. Meanwhile preheat your oven broiler.
Nutrition
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