Pork belly bao buns for a really impressive and grown up party food? Soft and fluffy steamed mini bao buns filled with crispy Korean chicken are the answer! Everyone raves about them when I make them.
A fantastic party food idea that will really impress your guests! I’d love to tell you these Korean Chicken Bao Buns are really quick to make, but I’m gonna say it right now. They do take a bit of time and effort. The recipe itself is easy, there are just quite a lot of steps and a bit of proving time.
It really is worth it though. Make them as a Christmas party food, make them for dinner, make them for an indulgent lunch. Steam in a steam pan for 10 minutes. I normally start marinading the chicken when the buns are going through their first prove.
Then I shape the bao buns and let them prove a second time. Then I fry the chicken at the same time as I start steaming the bao buns. For the chicken: Marinade the chicken in buttermilk, salt, white pepper and garlic salt for at least an hour. The chicken is then fried, before being coated in spicy gochujang sauce.
Carefully open the steamed bao buns and stuff with the Korean chicken. I’ve got a few tips in the recipe card below if you’d like to make any parts of the recipe ahead of time. Gochujang is a Korean fermented red chilli sauce or paste with a smoky-sweet and slightly spicy flavour. Some brands are spicier than others.