[FOOD COURT] It's fried chicken, but not necessarily as you know it

Food & Travel

Published: 01 Sep. 2022, 08:45 Updated: 03 Mar. 2023, 17:53

[FOOD COURT] It's fried chicken, but not necessarily as you know it

Hyodo Chicken's fried chicken with small anchovies and peppers [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Koreans love fried chicken. That's a well-established fact, and the big franchise brands like Kyochon, BBQ and BHC are a reliable way to fulfil your fried chicken needs wherever you are in the country.

But if you're in Seoul, there are a few more options to break out of the franchise mold and try some truly unique chicken.

While chimaek, a shorted name for chicken and maekju, or beer, usually indicates a combination of fried chicken and beer, some of the local hotspots offer charcoal grilled chicken as well. Places newly popping up also offer different spices and marinades over their fried chicken to allure consumers who are looking for something a bit different.

Find your own flavor by exploring some of these one-off chicken joints.

Hyodo Chicken

Korean banchan, or assorted small dishes that are served alongside the staple rice and soup, is what makes fried stuff at Hyodo Chicken special. One of the most common banchan, myeolchi bokkeum, or stir-fried dried anchovy with green peppers, is what coats the fried chicken here.

Different fried chicken dishes available at Hyodo Chicken [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Hyodo also has a spicy version, covered with fried lotus roots. Fried lotus roots seasoned with spicy and sweet gochujang (fermented hot pepper paste) sauce is another commonly eaten banchan at Korean homes, and the restaurant took the motif there to make its version of spicy fried chicken.

It is a good place to take friends traveling from overseas who want to get a unique taste of Korean food as fried chicken seasoned with Korean banchan is a truly rare find. The restaurant also serves some other Korean delights like bibim guksu, or noodles mixed with spicy gochujang sauce, and bugak, or fried seaweed.

@hyodochicken
Four branches in Seoul: Gwanghwamun in Jongno District, Hannam in Yongsan District, Nonhyeon and Garosugil in Gangnam District

Keumkang Barbecue

The place is popular among office workers in the southern Gangnam area who look for some hearty bites of chicken and crisp sips of beer after a hard day's work. It’s better known for its charcoal-grilled chicken than its fried chicken, perfect for those who want smoky flavors in their meat.

Keumkang Barbecue's charcoal-grilled chicken[SCREEN CAPTURE]

Both fried and charcoal-grilled chicken are available marinated with a spicy sauce mixed with garlic. The plain version is cured with salt. Both versions have a half and half option, so that you can try both plain and marinated versions at the same time.

Keumkang Barbecue's fried chicken [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The microwavable rice the restaurant offers is another reason why many choose this place to fill their chicken needs. Some diners like to remove all the bones and put smaller pieces of marinated chicken on top of the rice to finish up their meal.

349 Sapyeongdae-ro, Seocho District

What a Cr!sp

Delivery-only Chicken de Chef changed its name to What a Cr!sp to offer even crispier fried chicken. Its batter is inspired by sourdough bread. The dough for the chicken is fermented to add a deeper gamchilmat or umami, and an extra crispy texture.

What a Cr!sp's fried chicken with candied maple sauce and spicy cheongnyang pepper [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Still only available for home diners, it offers fried chicken covered in some exotic sauces. It has Thai Pok Pok inspired by Thai spices, Truffle Axel that brings out hints of truffles and Midnight Mara with spicy mala sauce.

With a little help from human chefs, chicken here is fried by robots.

@whatacrisp
(070)-8834-0521

Jackson Fried Chicken

One of the newest edition to the Seoul’s chicken scene is Jackson Fried Chicken, a sister restaurant to Jackson Pizza that’s been expanding in Korea. Different from most of the chicken restaurants that sell a whole chicken, Jackson Fried Chicken offers its meat by weight. The minimum order starts from one pound.

Fried chicken wings at Jackson Fried Chicken [LEE SUN-MIN]

For those who want some carbs to their protein, the restaurant offers noodles and rice as well. Garlic Noodle is one of the restaurant’s popular items, which is garnished with only garlic to really focus on the flavors of the root vegetable. Its Jasmine Rice is served with sweetcorn and sweet and spicy sauce, and the staff recommends putting the leftover chicken pieces on top of the rice and mixing it all together.

@jacksonfriedchicken
46 Dokseodang-ro, Yongsan District
(02) 793-0601

BY LEE SUN-MIN [lee.sunmin@joongang.co.kr]