Korean fried chicken
In its own language: 치킨
Crispy fried chicken from South Korea, often served with sauces and pickled radish
Korean fried chicken is a style of fried chicken from South Korea, known for its thin, crisp crust and tender meat. It is made by seasoning and frying small or medium chickens, then often brushing them with a sweet, spicy, or soy-based sauce. Eaten as a meal, snack, or with drinks, it is commonly served with pickled radish and beer.
- Has a thin, crackly crust and tender meat
- Often served with pickled radish and beer
- Yangnyeom chicken is coated in sweet-spicy sauce
- Over 40,000 fried chicken restaurants in South Korea
- Popular as a meal, snack, or with drinks
What is Korean fried chicken?
Korean fried chicken is made from small or medium-sized chickens, cut into pieces, coated with flour, and deep-fried. The result is a thin, crisp, and almost transparent crust that cracks when bitten. The chicken is usually seasoned with a mix of spices, sugar, and salt, both before and after frying. Some versions are brushed with sauces such as sweet-spicy gochujang (Korean chili paste), soy-garlic, or honey. It is typically served hot, often with pickled radish and a cold drink.
Where does Korean fried chicken come from?
While frying chicken has roots in Korea as far back as the 15th century, the modern style of Korean fried chicken began to take shape in the 1970s, after cooking oil became widely available. American deep-fried chicken influenced its development, especially after the Korean War. The first major fried chicken franchise in Korea opened in Seoul in 1977. The spicy, sauced variety, yangnyeom-chikin, was created in Daegu in 1982 to make the crust easier to eat. Since then, Korean fried chicken has become a staple in South Korea and has spread internationally.
How is Korean fried chicken made?
The process begins with cutting up young chicken, which is then coated in flour and seasoned with spices, sugar, and salt. The chicken is deep-fried until the crust is thin and crisp. After frying, it may be brushed with a thin layer of sauce, such as sweet-spicy gochujang, soy-garlic, or honey-based sauces. Some styles use shredded scallions or serve the chicken whole. The sauce is usually applied by hand with a brush for an even coating.
How and when is Korean fried chicken eaten?
Korean fried chicken is eaten as a main dish, a snack, or as anju, which means food served with alcoholic drinks. It is popular at lunch, dinner, or late at night. Pickled radish is a common side, and beer is the classic drink pairing, a combination called 'chimaek' (chicken and maekju, the Korean word for beer). It can also be enjoyed with carbonated drinks. It is served hot, often in restaurants, at home, or as takeout.
Kinds of Korean fried chicken
There are many types of Korean fried chicken. Huraideu-chikin is the basic, unseasoned fried chicken. Yangnyeom-chikin is coated in a sweet and spicy gochujang-based sauce. Ganjang-chikin uses a soy-garlic sauce, while padak is topped with shredded scallions. Honey-chikin is sweeter and stickier. Banban offers half seasoned, half plain. There are also boneless (sunsal-chikin) and whole fried chicken (tongdak) styles.
What Korean fried chicken means
Korean fried chicken is a common part of daily life in South Korea, with tens of thousands of restaurants serving it. It is especially popular as a food to share with friends over drinks. The pairing of chicken and beer, known as chimaek, is a cultural phenomenon. The dish has become a symbol of Korean food culture and has spread to many countries through Korean restaurant chains.
Questions people ask about Korean fried chicken
What is Korean fried chicken made of?
It is made from small or medium-sized chickens, coated in flour and seasoned with spices, sugar, and salt. After deep-frying, it may be brushed with sauces like sweet-spicy gochujang or soy-garlic.
Where does Korean fried chicken come from?
Korean fried chicken was developed in South Korea, with its modern form emerging in the 1970s. It was influenced by American fried chicken and has become a staple in Korean cuisine.
How is Korean fried chicken different from other fried chicken?
It is known for its thin, crisp, and almost transparent crust, and is often brushed with sweet, spicy, or soy-based sauces after frying. The meat is usually more tender because smaller chickens are used.
When is Korean fried chicken usually eaten?
It is eaten as a meal, snack, or with drinks, especially beer. It is popular at lunch, dinner, or as late-night food, and is commonly shared with friends.
What are the main types of Korean fried chicken?
Popular types include plain fried (huraideu-chikin), spicy-sauced (yangnyeom-chikin), soy-garlic (ganjang-chikin), scallion-topped (padak), and honey-sauced chicken. Banban offers half seasoned, half plain.
Good reading and sources
- ‘I never really buy anything ready-made – not even sandwiches’The Guardian, Article
- How Korean Fried Chicken, AKA "Candy Chicken" Became a Transnational Comfort FoodSmithsonian Magazine, Article
- Korean fried chicken on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Korean fried chicken", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes, and it is not dietary or allergy advice: recipes differ from cook to cook. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
More from South Korea
All the food of South Korea
KabochaVeganカボチャ
🇯🇵 Japan and 5 moreA sweet, dense winter squash with edible skin, used in Japanese and Asian cooking
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Bibimbap비빔밥
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreKorean rice bowl with mixed vegetables, meat, egg and chili paste
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Udonうどん / 饂飩
🇯🇵 Japan and 4 moreThick wheat noodles served hot or cold in Japanese cooking
Noodle or pasta dish, Lunch, Dinner
Its cousins elsewhere
All main dishes
Kotlet schabowyMeat
🇵🇱 PolandPolish breaded pork cutlet, fried and served hot as a main dish
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Arroz chaufa
🇵🇪 PeruPeruvian fried rice with meat, egg, vegetables and soy sauce
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Fried chickenMeat
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreChicken pieces coated in seasoned flour or batter and fried until crisp
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Corned beefMeat
🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreSalt-cured beef, often pink, eaten fresh or canned in many countries
Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch