Crunch time for Korean fried chicken as franchises return to where it all started

Korea's leading fried chicken franchise, BHC, has released the KwaSakKing, a reinvention of the plain original that started the craze.

BHC's fried chicken [BHC]

Korean fried chicken first made a name for itself with its signature spicy-and-sweet yangyneyom variety.

An array of innovative flavors soon followed, from garlic-packed soy sauce to cheese powder paired with yogurt sauce, going viral on various SNS platforms to help shape the global fame of today's Korean fried chicken.

But beneath the saucy, eye-catching varieties lies the foundation of it all — classic, unsauced fried chicken that is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, a balance that can, at times, be even harder to hit in staying true to the original flavors of the ingredients.

After introducing a range of creative flavors, some Korean chicken franchises are now circling back to where it all began — classic fried chicken — driven by the push for innovation and the enduring popularity of this steady seller with a loyal fan base. Where did it begin?

Before the era of extravagant flavors, chicken in Korea was primarily enjoyed boiled until the 1950s, followed by a rotisserie version that gained popularity in the 1960s.

Roasted chicken eateries, with rows of whole chickens glistening as they slowly spun over electric heat, became a signature sight on Korean streets at the time.

Rows of whole chickens glistening as they slowly spin over electric heat [JOONGANGILBO]

The fried chicken of today is believed to have been introduced to Korea in the late 1960s around a U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, though its batter was thicker and greasier than the lighter, crispier Korean version seen today.

The launchpad for "K-style chicken" was the debut of the yangyeom flavoring by local franchises in the early 1980s.

That was when Korea's fried chicken truly underwent "Koreanization," according to Prof. Moon Jung-hoon of Seoul National University's Department of Information Management in Agriculture and Food Business.

“Korean fried chicken began to rapidly expand following the introduction of yangnyeom chicken,” Prof. Moon said.

In the years that followed, this trend sparked a wave of creative, sauce-centric variations that define Korean fried chicken today. While sauce-covered options remain popular, the push for innovation — combined with classic fried chicken’s status as a steady seller with a loyal fan base — has led some franchises to refocus on the original, now presented in a more elevated and refined way. Franchises double down on the basics Leading the return to fried chicken’s roots is BHC, Korea’s top-performing chicken brand. The franchise recently launched KwaSakKing, a menu item aimed at mastering the signature crunchiness and juiciness of classic Korean fried chicken.

“We already had classic items like our Hot and Classic Fried Chicken,” said Lee Seok-dong, a menu developer at BHC, in an interview with Korea JoongAng Daily. “Both are fairly popular, but neither really stood out as a signature. So we began planning something new.”

Lee Seok-dong, team leader of Menu Development Team 1 at chicken franchise BHC, poses for a photo at BHC's research and development center in Songpa District, southern Seoul. [WOO JI-WON]

Responding to customer demand for classic fried chicken that’s “extra crispy, less greasy and has long-lasting crunch,” the development team spent seven months inventing the recipe — with three of those months devoted solely to perfecting the coating, according to Lee.

Made from a blend of potato, corn and rice, the batter mix was tested and refined repeatedly, using over 1,000 chickens to achieve the ideal balance of texture and flavor.

The chicken — which sold approximately 600,000 boxes within its fifth week in Korea, according to BHC operator Dining Brands Group — has yet to launch overseas, including in the United States, Hong Kong and Thailand, but the brand sees strong global potential.

Kyochon, another major chicken brand and the third-highest in sales revenue in 2023, also launched a new classic fried chicken menu item this March.

“The new Kyochon Fried Chicken uses specially developed batter to maximize its crispy-yet-juicy texture, giving customers the clean, savory flavor unique to classic fried chicken,” said a Kyochon F&B representative. “We aim to strengthen our menu competitiveness by offering classic fried chicken enjoyed by many.”

Smaller brands such as Gamachi, which focuses on the old-school method of whole fried chicken with thinner coating, are also riding high on the latest newfound demand for non-saucy fried chicken. It opened its 800th store last December, just eight years after its launch in 2016, demonstrating a strong fan base for classic fried chicken.

Some franchises, meanwhile, have long seen the value of the simple classic. BBQ, consistently one of Korea’s top three chicken franchises, has relied on its Golden Olive Fried Chicken — a plain fried chicken — as its best-seller since its debut more than two decades ago.

Recognizing the strong demand and potential of original fried chicken, even the chicken burger chain Mom’s Touch jumped on the fried chicken business.

Leveraging the know-how from its signature Thigh Burger — known for its large, juicy and crispy chicken patty — the brand introduced a boneless fried chicken made with thigh meat in 2021. It was later rebranded in 2024 as Big Thigh Boneless Chicken, now the brand’s signature chicken item.

Mom's Touch's Big Thigh Boneless Fried Chicken [MOM'S TOUCH]

“Compared to the original Thigh Boneless Chicken, we’ve doubled the meat per piece, enhancing the juicy, tender and chewy texture of chicken thigh,” said a Mom’s Touch representative.

Priced affordably between 11,900 won ($8.30) and 14,900 won, the thigh chicken series has steadily gained traction. Mom’s Touch reported a 60 percent jump in fried chicken sales — from 71.2 billion won in 2022 to 116.7 billion won in 2024. Not just a happy accident

At a recent tasting hosted by BHC in central Seoul, the Korea JoongAng Daily sampled the franchise's latest menu item. True to its name — "Kwasak" being a Korean onomatopoeia for “crunch” — KwaSakKing delivered a loud, crunchy bite. Wrapped in a golden, textured crust flecked with bits of rice and corn, a subtle heat in the batter helped offset the oiliness.

The magical combination of crispy exterior and juicy interior isn’t accidental, according to the BHC developer; it’s the result of meticulous science.

“Korean chicken is scientific,” said BHC's Lee. “From the marination process to the frying batter mix and frying techniques, every step involves incredibly detailed work. Korean fried chicken is only going to get better over the next 10 years.”

While international fans often point to double-frying as the reason for Korean fried chicken’s signature crispiness, that’s not necessarily the case these days.

“In countries abroad, they often still double-fry chicken. That’s because dining in is more common there. They’ll do a first fry, and then fry it again when the customer orders it.

"But since Korea has a strong delivery culture, we focused more on improving each individual ingredient instead to make it crispier."

BHC’s KwaSakKing [WOO JI-WON]

Even the chicken’s size is intentional. Korean fried chicken typically uses smaller birds — weighing between 950 and 1,050 grams (33 and 37 ounces) — much lighter than the 2.4-kilogram chickens commonly used in the United States.

And yes, even how the chicken holds up during delivery or after reheating has been factored in.

“If the weather’s humid or the chicken is delivered, it can lose its crispiness,” Lee said. “So we take that into consideration. We also tested how it holds up after refrigeration and air-frying — all to ensure it stays crispy in any situation.”

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]