If there is one Korean food you should try at least once in Seoul, it is Korean fried chicken. Koreans simply call it chikin, and it is much more than a quick meal. Fried chicken is what friends share over beer on a Friday night, what families order to celebrate, and what fans eat while cheering for the national team. The pairing is so famous it has its own word: chimaek, from chikin and maekju, the Korean word for beer. But Korean fried chicken isn’t just one dish. It comes in several styles, from crunchy plain fried chicken to sticky sweet-and-spicy yangnyeom and savory soy-garlic ganjang, and it has a surprisingly rich history that runs from whole birds fried in neighborhood markets to a nationwide franchise boom. This guide explains where Korean fried chicken came from, the main styles and how to order them, where locals go to eat it, what it costs in 2026, and how Koreans enjoy it.
Quick Vocab
A few Korean words come up in this post — here’s how to say them.
fried chicken – chi kin
chicken and beer – chi maek
plain fried chicken – hu ra i deu
sweet and spicy chicken – yang nyeom chi kin
soy sauce chicken – gan jang chi kin
half and half – ban ban
whole fried chicken – tong dak
old-time whole chicken – yen nal tong dak
pickled radish for chicken – chi kin mu
boneless – sun sal
From Market Tongdak to “Chikin”: A Short History
Korean fried chicken as we know it is younger than many people think. Fried chicken started appearing widely in Korea in the 1970s, once cooking oil became easily available. At the time, the main form was tongdak, which means “whole chicken”: an entire bird deep-fried in oil, often sold at traditional markets. Early market tongdak typically used no batter at all. It was the only kind of fried chicken sold in Korea back then, and it’s considered the ancestor of today’s Korean fried chicken. That style is now nostalgically called yennal-tongdak, “old-time whole chicken,” and in the city of Suwon, just south of Seoul, an entire tongdak alley has dozens of restaurants that are more than 40 years old. You may read that Korean fried chicken started with American soldiers frying chicken after the Korean War, but food historians often treat that story as a myth; unlike budae-jjigae, it isn’t well documented. The modern era began in 1977, when Korea’s first fried chicken franchise, Lim’s Chicken, opened in the basement of the Shinsegae Department Store in Seoul and started selling chicken in pieces. It was so popular that customers lined up to buy it as a Christmas gift. KFC arrived in 1984, and by the late 1980s Korean fried chicken had taken over from rotisserie chicken. The real Korean twist came from Daegu. In 1982, a Daegu restaurant owner named Yun Jong-gye created yangnyeom chicken, coating fried chicken in a sweet and spicy sauce to soften its hard, palate-scraping crust. In 1991, Kyochon opened in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, with a soy-garlic glaze that created a third flavor beside plain and red chicken. Then came the 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Korea and Japan. Fans gathered to watch matches over chicken and beer, and the number of chicken restaurants jumped from around 10,000 to about 25,000 afterward. Chimaek had become part of Korean life.
Yangnyeom Chicken: Sweet, Spicy, and Sticky
Yangnyeom chicken is fried chicken covered in a glossy red sauce, and for many people outside Korea, it is simply “Korean fried chicken.” The name means “seasoned chicken,” and the sauce is typically made with gochujang, garlic, sugar, and other seasonings, so it tastes sweet, savory, garlicky, and mildly to moderately spicy. The sweetness usually comes through before the heat, so don’t assume the bright red color means it will be extremely hot. The New York Times once called yangnyeom chicken “the apotheosis of the Korean style,” and it’s easy to see why. Interestingly, the sauce also helped Korean fried chicken win over an older generation of Koreans who had found plain fried chicken too greasy. There is one thing to remember. Once the sauce is added, the crispy coating gradually becomes softer, so if you love maximum crunch, eat it soon after it arrives instead of letting it sit. Try yangnyeom if you like sweet and spicy flavors, garlic and chili, sticky sauces, and bold Korean flavors in general. It’s especially good with a cold beer, which cools the heat and cuts the sweetness. If you’re nervous about spice, start with a few pieces alongside a milder style, which is exactly why the next two orders are so popular.
Ganjang Chicken, Huraideu, and the Magic Word Banban
Ganjang chicken is fried chicken coated with a soy-based sauce, and many versions include garlic, creating a savory, slightly sweet flavor rather than the stronger spice of yangnyeom. Its color is brown to golden, and it’s usually mild, which makes it an easy introduction for anyone who doesn’t enjoy spicy food. Its salty, savory taste also works especially well with beer, balancing the beer’s bitterness. Kyochon, one of the biggest chains, is particularly associated with soy-garlic chicken, since that glaze was its original signature in the early 1990s. Then there’s huraideu, from the English words “fried chicken,” the basic crispy version with no sauce. It’s the purest way to taste the quality of a shop’s Korean fried chicken and coating. So how do you choose? You don’t have to. Banban, meaning “half and half,” is one of the easiest Korean food orders to remember. You can order half of the chicken as yangnyeom and the other half as ganjang or huraideu, so you get two flavors in a single order. For a first Korean fried chicken experience, banban is the most practical choice. Here’s a quick comparison of the two most famous sauces.
| Yangnyeom | Ganjang | |
|---|---|---|
| Say it | yang nyeom chi kin | gan jang chi kin |
| Flavor | Sweet and spicy | Soy and savory |
| Color | Red | Brown to golden |
| Spicy? | Usually some heat | Usually mild |
| Best for | Bold flavors | Savory flavors |
| With beer | Excellent | Excellent |
Where Locals Go, and What It Costs in 2026
You don’t need to find the most famous restaurant to eat great Korean fried chicken. Seoul has countless neighborhood chicken shops, and the traditional chicken hof, part chicken restaurant and part casual beer pub, is where many locals go after work. These places are usually simple, lively, and inexpensive compared with trendy restaurants, and they’re perfect for a relaxed evening. If you want something easy to find, the major chains, including Kyochon, BBQ, BHC, and Pelicana, which started in 1982 with gochujang-based yangnyeom chicken, have locations throughout the country, and almost all of them offer yangnyeom, soy-garlic, and half-and-half combinations, as well as boneless options. For a nostalgic, old-fashioned experience, look for yennal-tongdak, the whole fried chicken sold at traditional markets. It’s often cheaper than franchise chicken, comes hot and crispy straight from the fryer, and gives you a taste of how Korean families ate chicken decades ago. Suwon’s tongdak alley is the most famous place for this style if you’re willing to take a day trip. Delivery is another huge part of Korean fried chicken culture; many Koreans order chicken to their homes, and some even have it delivered to parks for a picnic, though delivery apps can be tricky for visitors without a Korean phone number. As for price, fried chicken has become noticeably more expensive. In 2023, Kyochon raised prices by up to 3,000 won, and its signature Honey Combo rose to 23,000 won, sparking talk of the “30,000-won chicken era.” In 2026, a Kyochon combo ordered through a delivery app can run about 25,000–26,000 won before the delivery fee, which can bring one chicken to roughly 30,000 won in total. Neighborhood shops and market tongdak are often a better value.
How Koreans Enjoy It — and How It Compares With American Fried Chicken
The classic combination is simple: fried chicken plus cold beer equals chimaek. You can enjoy it at a chicken hof, order it to your accommodation, or bring it along to a riverside picnic. Don’t forget the little container of chikin-mu that comes with almost every order. These cubes of pickled radish are soaked in a sweet and sour brine, and taking a bite of radish between pieces of chicken refreshes your palate and cuts through the oil, so you can keep eating. Chicken is also a social food. It’s ordered for birthdays, sports games, late-night study sessions, and celebrations, and a single order is usually shared by the whole table. Korean fried chicken is typically double-fried, which renders out the fat and leaves a thin, crackly crust, and its coating often uses starch for extra crunch. The biggest difference, though, is the sauces. American fried chicken is usually eaten plain or with dipping sauces on the side, while Korean chicken is often tossed in glazes like yangnyeom and soy-garlic, creating flavors you won’t find at a typical American fried chicken shop. Korea’s chicken obsession shows in the numbers, too: the country now has so many chicken shops that one food writer compared the total to the number of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide. My simple recommendation is this. For your first taste of Korean fried chicken, order banban, with one side yangnyeom and the other ganjang or huraideu. Then, if you can, visit a traditional market and try an old-style tongdak. And if you want the experience to feel truly local, skip the fanciest restaurant, find a small neighborhood chicken hof, order chicken and a cold beer, grab some pickled radish, and enjoy a relaxed Korean evening.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is “huraideu”?
Huraideu comes from the English words “fried chicken” and refers to the basic, crispy version with no sauce.
Is Korean fried chicken very spicy?
Not usually. Yangnyeom has some heat but is mainly sweet and savory, while ganjang and huraideu are mild. If you’re unsure, order banban.
Can I order boneless chicken?
Yes. Most chicken shops and chains offer boneless chicken, called sunsal, often for a slightly higher price than bone-in chicken.
What is the pickled radish for?
Chikin-mu cleanses your palate between bites and balances the richness of fried chicken. It comes with almost every chicken order in Korea.
My Take
My first chicken was market tongdak, in a brown paper bag inside a black plastic bag. On weekends, my father would bring it home. It was just a whole chicken fried as is, and we dipped it in salt and pepper. Later, that culture grew into yangnyeom and ganjang flavors: a little spicy and sweet, or sweet and salty — a mysterious, addictive taste. Chimaek was my favorite thing about my thirties. These days, there are so many mixes that go way beyond yangnyeom and ganjang that I honestly don’t know what to order. You might think, “How hard can choosing chicken be?” But go to a Korean chicken place once, see all the menu options, order a few different kinds, and you’ll understand exactly what I mean. And I strongly recommend trying chicken from a traditional market, too.
Sources
- Wikipedia – Korean fried chicken: wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia – Yangnyeom chicken: wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia – Tongdak: wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia – Chimaek: wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia – Pelicana Chicken: wikipedia.org
- Seoulz – The Other KFC: Korean fried chicken history, from a 1960 rotisserie to a 30,000-won bird: seoulz.com
- The Korea Times – Kyochon heralds 30,000 won fried chicken era: koreatimes.co.kr
- Expat Guide Korea – The history of Korean fried chicken: expatguidekorea.com
- Rimping – Korean fried chicken: from war-torn roots to global icon: rimping.com
Suggested Reading
Korean Drinking Culture (2026): Soju, Makgeolli, Somaek, and the Etiquette You Should Know
Chimaek’s best friend at the table — how Koreans drink, toast, and pour for each other.
Korean Traditional Markets: Gwangjang, Tongin’s Coin Lunchbox, and How to Shop
Where to find old-style market food in Seoul — including the kind of tongdak Koreans grew up with.