[Korean Culture & Language] A Different Kind of KFC


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Photo by Tim Toomey on Unsplash


The acronoym “KFC” is widely known in the United States as “Kentucky Fried Chicken” but in Korea, KFC might as well refer to “Korean fried chicken,” given the number of fried chicken restaurants exceed the number of McDonalds across the country (as of 2013).


To start, Korean fried chicken is made with a double-frying technique that involves fine flour and results in a thin and crispy crust that differs from American fried chicken, which is usually dredged and fried with a thick buttermilk or flour batter. This type of fried chicken dates back to the 1950s, when U.S. troops stationed in Korea during the Korean War decided to celebrate Thanksgiving with chicken, since turkey was unavailable. They decided to fry up the bird, share it with the Korean troops, and the rest is history.


The first-ever restaurant to sell fried chicken in Korea can be accredited to Lims Chicken, which opened inside the Seoul Shinsaegae department store in 1977 and first sold a ginseng chicken six-piece set, which isn’t surprising considering chicken was mostly eaten boiled or in a stew such as 삼계탕 (sam-gye-tang, chicken stew with ginseng). A decade later, Kentucky Fried Chicken landed in Korea and soon after, in the 90s, chicken franchises like BBQ and KyoChon began cropping up.


source: https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/치킨_(한국_음식)

Korean fried chicken comes in an endless variety of flavors such as the ever-popular 양념 (yang-nyum, a sweet and spicy seasoning) flavor, soy garlic, cheese truffle, honey butter, and even mint chocolate. This beloved Korean food is usually paired with beer, known as a combination called chimaek, or with soju, known as chiso (chicken and soju). And of course, one can’t forget about the essential 무 (mu, Korean radish). Much like how tangy kimchi must accompany rice, 무 that’s meant to be paired with chicken is served pickled and diced into small cubes to cut the greasiness of the chicken with its vinegary taste.


While it was considered a delicacy several decades ago, Korean fried chicken is now considered a casual dish one can have with friends and family over a drink (or two). As of 2019, about 87,000 fried chicken restaurants existed in Korea and as of 2020, there were nearly 100 Bonchon (another well-known Korean fried chicken franchise) locations in the United States. Not to mention, Mom’s Touch, a Korean fried chicken sandwich franchise, opened their first U.S. location just a few months ago. 


It’s clear Korean fried chicken is here to stay, and is continuing to win the hearts of chicken lovers all across the globe.

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