If you are a fan of Korean music, Korean movies, or simply a junkie for Korean food, you will definitely agree on one thing: Koreans are always crazy about fried chicken. If you have ever watched a Korean movie, you will often see scenes of characters sitting down to eat fried chicken, drink beer, and chat happily.
Fried chicken, according to some statistics, is said to appear in about 80% of Korean films from around 2010 to now with some classic scenes. For example, in the movie "My Love from the Star," the character orders fried chicken delivery and eats it deliciously, making the audience crave it. Or in the movie "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo," the athletes gather to eat fried chicken to relieve stress, or in "Crash Landing on You," the women in North Korea are obsessed with fried chicken. These scenes are not just ordinary scenes but also help promote fried chicken culture globally.
But why has fried chicken become a religion in Korea? And how has this dish not only become food but also a part of Korean culture?
In general, fried chicken in Korea is like pho in Vietnam. If you stroll through the streets of Seoul, day or night, what do you see? It’s fried chicken shops popping up like mushrooms, from major brands, famous Korean brands to small family-run shops. Korea has over 30,000 franchise fried chicken shops. Not to mention the retail shops that are hard to count. To visualize, in every square kilometer in Seoul, you can encounter at least one fried chicken shop. Fried chicken in Korea is not just a dish but also a cultural phenomenon. It appears in movies, in gatherings with friends, and even in major festivals.
But what has made fried chicken such a national dish?
To understand why fried chicken dominates Korea, we must once again turn back time. Fried chicken is not a traditional Korean dish but originated from America. That is, in the past, Koreans did not eat fried chicken like they do now but ate it like the Vietnamese. How did this foreign dish become a cultural symbol of the land of the morning calm? Fried chicken is believed to have appeared when the American military was stationed in Korea.
And then it became a trend in the 1970s when the Korean economy began to show signs of improvement and American fast-food chains like KFC and Popeyes opened in Seoul. At this time, Korea was developing economically, and after the war, people began to be curious about Western food. With money, they started to try strange dishes. Fried chicken with its crispy coating and accessible price quickly became a trendy dish, a youth trend similar to how fast food landed in Vietnam in its early years.
However, American fried chicken at that time did not really suit the taste of East Asians, specifically Koreans. Koreans prefer dishes with rich sauces and strong spices, while American fried chicken is often just battered and fried. This prompted Korean chefs to improve their fried chicken to make it more suitable for diners. By the 1980s, domestic brands in Korea began to emerge, marking a turning point for Korean fried chicken. They understood the taste of Koreans. They kept the characteristic crispy coating but added rich Korean sauces. For example, spicy sauce, honey sauce, or soy garlic sauce. These improvements made fried chicken more relatable to the Korean people.
The next major milestone was the establishment of Kyochon in 1991. Kyochon elevated fried chicken with its exclusive soy garlic sauce and double-frying technique for perfect crispiness. Since then, fried chicken has not only been a dish but has become an industry with a multitude of competing brands creating the best fried chicken. By the 2000s, fried chicken officially rose to prominence thanks to the explosion of Korean films and Korean music.
As mentioned, films often show scenes of the main characters eating fried chicken, creating an appealing image that Koreans enjoy it very much. These scenes also help promote Korean fried chicken globally, attracting tourists from everywhere to Seoul to try this divine dish. And it must be said that watching people eat in movies looks so delicious that I also want to try what Korean fried chicken is like. Moreover, Korea is also famous for its fast-paced lifestyle and high pressure. This is one of the countries with the highest overtime rates in the world.
Many people work more than 50 hours a week. Students also study extremely hard, and the pressure of exams is very intense. In this context, fried chicken is a way for Koreans to relieve stress, eat quickly, conveniently, and deliciously. For example, after a tiring day, you sit down with a plate of hot fried chicken, take a crunchy bite, sip a cold beer, and all worries seem to disappear. According to a survey in Korea, more than 60% of Koreans eat fried chicken at least once a month to relax and enjoy time with friends and family.
One of the most special points of Korean fried chicken is its flavor. Its taste is neither like KFC nor like McDonald's.
Korean fried chicken has characteristics that make it legendary and irresistible to anyone who eats it. The first point that makes Korean fried chicken conquer every diner is its crispy outer layer while the meat inside is tender and juicy, not dry at all. The secret lies in the double-frying technique. The chicken is fried at a low temperature to cook evenly, then fried again at a high temperature to achieve perfect crispiness. But what truly makes Korean fried chicken different is the sauce.
Perhaps in the West, people do not pay much attention to sauces like the way Easterners do. Not only is it fried and eaten, but Korean chicken is often coated with a rich, sweet, spicy, sour, and fatty sauce. Some classic sauces that are often mentioned include sweet and sour sauce, honey sauce, cheese sauce, or soy garlic sauce. And Korean fried chicken does not stop at just regular frying; people have also created dishes like grilled chicken, stir-fried chicken, cheese-covered chicken, etc. This creativity transforms fried chicken from a fast food into a true culinary experience in Korea.
Speaking of Korean films, you are probably familiar with the scene of characters sitting in a restaurant eating fried chicken while drinking beer. This is called Chimaek, a combination of "chikin" in chicken meaning chicken, and "maek" meaning beer. Chimaek is not just about eating and drinking but is a real culture in Korea, a way for Koreans to relax and bond. It began to explode in 2002. Do you know what event happened that year? It was when Korea and Japan co-hosted the World Cup and Korea reached the semifinals.
In the end, they lost in the third-place match and secured fourth place in the FIFA World Cup. People poured into the streets to celebrate, gathering at fried chicken shops to watch football. Eating chicken while drinking beer in the lively atmosphere of watching football made Chimaek a national combo. Since then, whenever there is a sporting event or simply a gathering of friends, Chimaek is always the number one choice. This combo is not only for the youth, students, office workers, but even families love this combo.
From the famous branded shops in Seoul that are often crowded at night, especially on weekends, to roadside shops, fried chicken dishes always attract diners. In Korea, this is not just food but a way to share joy and dispel fatigue. Another reason why fried chicken is loved in Korea is that it suits all ages. According to a survey by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in 2023, fried chicken is the most loved dish in family meals, even surpassing kimchi. This shows that its appeal lies not only in flavor but also in diversity.
For children, they love honey-glazed chicken, which is mildly sweet and not spicy. For the youth, teenagers go crazy for spicy chicken or cheesy chicken. For older adults, they prefer grilled chicken or soy garlic chicken with less oil, which is both delicious and healthy. This diversity has made fried chicken the perfect choice for every occasion. Quick meals? Fried chicken. Birthday parties? Fried chicken. Family gatherings? Fried chicken.
According to surveys in Korea, this dish is considered a popular food, affordable if converted to Vietnamese money, approximately 400,000 to 600,000 VND for a meal for two to three people, meaning it suits every budget. Therefore, the fried chicken industry in Korea is also extremely developed. This is a real competitive battlefield. The franchise fried chicken industry is valued at about 2.2 billion USD in Korea. This is a huge number that shows the great appeal of this dish.
Today, delivery service is an important factor that helps fried chicken become popular. In Korea, just like in Vietnam, you only need to open the apps, choose your favorite chicken dish, and within 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes, hot fried chicken will arrive at your door. Over 70% of fried chicken orders in Seoul are placed through delivery apps, especially in the evenings or on weekends, according to statistics from the Korea Times. Korean fried chicken is not only a storm in its homeland but also conquers diners globally.
According to the prestigious magazine Fox, Korean fried chicken is one of the hottest food trends of the decade alongside Vietnamese pho and Japanese sushi. In Vietnam, you can find Korean-style fried chicken shops in areas with a large Korean population, and these places are also frequented by many Vietnamese. With flavors sometimes slightly localized, such as adding chili sauce or reducing spiciness. The spread of Korean fried chicken is also thanks to the Korean cultural wave as K-pop and K-drama have become popular. Many people want to try the dish that their idols love, want to try the dish that appears in movies, and fried chicken has become the culinary ambassador of Korea.