Korean Fried Chicken

Korean fried chicken is an absolutely glorious thing. There are two schools of thought when it comes to the term "KFC"- for many people it brings up images of a white-haired dude in a suit, and for the rest it conjures crisp, crackling batter encasing steaming hot chicken in a rainbow of sauce options served with little cubes of sweet-tart pickled radish to cleanse your palate. For me, I'm firmly in the latter camp. No trip to Seoul is complete without eating some chicken at some point, it's a cultural institution! You can get it delivered anywhere, whether you're next to a river watching the sunset or nestled in at home against the winter cold. Out and about? You can pop into any number of chains that serve it up fresh from the fryer, or grab some in a cup from a streetside stand. And did I mention the seasonings?! Good lawd, there's so many options! You can go with a dry approach, where your hot chicken is doused in the powdery seasoning that packs a serious punch, with flavors ranging from sweet corn to cheese... or you can opt to go the saucy route, as I did, and drench your bird in the flavor. 

 

Being a girl who loves all things hot and spicy, I'm partial to the yangnyeom sauce, which is sweet and spicy and all around delectable. It's a popular sauce, but there are countless options ranging from mild and sweet to face-melting and each chain is going to have their own unique options to choose from, too. This chicken came fresh from a little shop on one of the main roads in Hwajeong, about a block and a half walk from where I resided. Along the way, I'd pass a farmer's market, ssamgyupsal restaurant, quick-casual noodle joint serving $3 jjajjangmyun and $5 jjampong, a pizza place, and a cellphone store. I went to this restaurant a couple of times, though, because it was really good! They had some goofy mottos on the bags, too, something like "Mom chooses the best chicken and papa provides for happy family" or something... Always interesting to encounter random English on otherwise native language packaging. It was a lot of chicken, so I had leftovers for a day or two, though it's never as good the next day... They definitely intend for this to be a family portion! There were several side dish options, like corn or rice cakes, but I already had more than enough food to contend with when it came to just the chicken alone, so I never opted for more. Those radish pickles are absolutely essential, however, and come included I believe. They're so refreshing, cool, crisp and cleansing after mowing through a spicy-sweet mass of chicken.  

If you ever find yourself in Seoul, don't hesitate to stop into a chicken restaurant and indulge. It's so very worth it!

Cheers!

🍗

XOXO,

NAU