If you’ve never had Korean pop chicken before, it’s quite unique when compared to other fried chicken.
This chicken has a crunchy texture yet is non-greasy. It’s also perfectly juicy inside and tends to be spicy in flavour.
To get the best experience, You should try the original fried version and the four most unique flavours.
1. Yangnyeom
Of all the flavours, yangnyeom is the most popular of all. Made with a glaze from gochujang, a sweet and spicy Korean paste used in many sauces, it creates a sensational taste and sticky texture. Don’t forget to lick your fingers after each bite!
2. Flavoured Powders
If you can’t decide which one to try first, go with the flavoured powders that you can either get on the side or have directly coated onto the chicken. You can even create your own ‘banban’ which is when you get half of your order seasoned and the other half plain.
These flavour powders come in a wide variety like cheese or even a more unusual sour-lime spice, among others.
3. Soy Sauce
With this soy sauce style of pop chicken from Korea, it has a sweet, garlicky, and savory flavour. Thin slices of scallions are usually added on top which adds a sharper taste while cutting down on the greasiness.
4. Honey Sauce
If you like the taste of the soy sauce version of this pop-able chicken but want something a little sweeter, the honey sauce is for you. It has that signature stickiness like the yangnyeom style but more of that soy sauce taste, making it a winning combination on the palate.
What to Know About How to Order Korean Pop Chicken
Korean pop chicken isn’t served with blue cheese, carrots, or celery. Instead, you’ll get pickled radish which goes astounding well with your order.
This provides the perfect palate cleanse to refresh, especially between chicken flavours. Instead of fries, you’ll find things like rice cake sticks, salads, or tteokbokki – chewy rice cakes in a spicy sauce.
The best way to order is to drink it with a light beer. In Korean, they combine their words for chicken and beer to make a unique word, ‘Chimaek.’
It is suggested that you order your Korean chicken with beer, making it the perfect combination.
If you’d rather though, you can go for a soju with your chicken order.
It has a slightly sweeter taste but is much stronger than beer. Make sure you eat enough with it though otherwise, you’ll get a little drunker than you likely intended before the night has even begun!