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The Samyang Buldak Spicy Chicken Stir-Fried Ramen is the OG instant ramen that sparked the viral spicy noodle trend during the pandemic and put Samyang on the global map.
Produced in South Korea.
Table of Contents
- What’s in the Package
- How to Cook Samyang Buldak Spicy Chicken Stir-Fried Ramen
- How Does It Taste
- How Does It Compare
- How to Level Up Samyang Buldak Spicy Chicken Stir-Fried Ramen
- Final Verdict
- Tasting Notes
- Related Instant Ramen
- Where to buy Samyang Buldak Spicy Chicken Stir-Fried Ramen
- Community Ratings
- Leave Your Rating
What’s in the Package
Inside the packaging, you’ll find a large, thick block of fried wheat noodles and two sachets. The larger red sachet contains the famous liquid Buldak sauce. The smaller black-and-white sachet contains the flakes, which consist of toasted sesame seeds and dried seaweed to be used as a garnish.
How to Cook Samyang Buldak Spicy Chicken Stir-Fried Ramen
Cooking directions per package instructions:
- Add noodles into 20 oz. (600ml) of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
- Please keep 8 tablespoons of water. Add the sauce and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the flakes. Stir well and serve.
How Does It Taste
What makes this work is the balance. It’s not just heat for the sake of heat. There’s a sweet and spicy combination that keeps you coming back despite the fire. You can taste the fermented richness of the gochujang and doenjang underneath the heat and there’s a subtle seaweed note if you’re paying attention. James put the spice at a 4 out of 5. For me it’s comfortable. For most people it’s a challenge.
The sauce is potent enough that even if you accidentally leave too much water in the pan the flavor still holds. That’s how concentrated it is. The noodles are thick, sturdy, and chewy in a way that stands up to the sauce rather than getting lost in it. Getting them glossy and thick like you see in the videos comes down to technique. I put together a full guide on that here: How to Cook Spicy Buldak Noodles.
The sauce is quite sweet so it needs a salty element alongside it to balance out.
How Does It Compare
This is the baseline for the entire Buldak lineup. The 2x Spicy doubles the heat with less complexity. The Carbonara adds creaminess and sweetness. The Rose adds a tomato cream element. Every other Buldak flavor is a variation on what this one established. If you haven’t tried it start here before working through the rest of the lineup.
How to Level Up Samyang Buldak Spicy Chicken Stir-Fried Ramen
Pan-seared Spam is the salty sidekick the sweet sauce is asking for. If the heat is getting to you a splash of milk or cream tempers it without killing the flavor. Green onions and a soft-boiled egg for something with crunch and richness.
Final Verdict
The OG for a reason. The sweet spicy balance is good and the noodle quality is the best in the instant ramen space at this price. If you have spice tolerance this is a pantry staple. If you don’t it’s still worth trying at least once.
Tasting Notes
- Spice Level: 4/5
- Broth Viscosity: 0/5 (Stir-fry style)
- Noodle Thickness: 2/5
- Noodle Type: Wavy
- Topping Suggestions: Pan-Seared Spam, Milk or Cream, something crunchy
How do I rate my ramen? Check out the Ramen Rating Guide.
Related Instant Ramen
Community Ratings
It was good but i put all the spice in even though i have really bad spice tolerance
I used to love these but stopped eating them for 2 whole years and because of that I didn’t have very good spicy tolerance. When I ate these again after 2 years they were spicy. Then I ate them again and they felt like nothing at all. I would suggest everyone to buy this because it actually isn’t that spicy.
Way too hot for me… otherwise it’s delicious! 😋
My favourite noodle of all time. Perfect spicy kick with hints of chicken, goes with many toppings. Seaweed on top adds the perfect dimension of flavour.
The spiciest noodles I’ve ever had and I don’t dare to try any spicier 😂 The flavour is really delicious tho I loveee the Buldak sauce bottle they made and put it on basically everything I can. Honestly this is such a staple in my pantry don’t think I could live without Buldak ramen
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More to Try
- More from Samyang Buldak: Samyang Buldak Carbonara Chicken Stir-Fried Ramen, Samyang Buldak 2x Spicy Chicken Stir-Fried Ramen
- Topping pairing: Pork Chops
- Recipe to try: Simple Spicy Ramen Ham Grilled Cheese
