(The following text is referenced from "Chicken" by - Amos Farooqi)
Hello, this is the second addition to my blog series of 'Food in Korea' along with 'beef'. Chicken in Korea is consumed as a dish of its own, usually with vegetables especially radish shaped in squares. It is uncommon to see chicken consumed with rice, unless the chicken is dipped in a soup, or stew.
In Korea, chicken is the second most consumed meat after pork. Although the concept of western KFC style fried chicken was a recent addition to the Korean diet, chicken in general is nutritious, high in protein, has healthy fatty acids and is easy to digest. You can often see fitness trainers or people on diet consume chicken breast, due to its low calory, but high protein intake.
Drumsticks, are one of the most expensive and prized parts of the chicken, and in Korea, there is an interesting culture in which taking both chicken legs when sharing friend chicken with your Korean friend is taboo.
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Chicken Cuts / Parts
Whole Chicken | Samgyetang, Fried Chicken, Jjimdak | |
Wings | Savory, high in collagen | Buffalo Wings |
Drumstick / Thigh | Chewy, Consist of Dark Meat Only | Dakgalbi, Cutlet |
Breast / Tenders | Soft white meat, contains little fat | Dakgalbi, Salad |
Feet | Full of Collagen, mostly skin | Spicy Dakbal |
Gizzard | Very Chewy | Deep-fried, Stir-fried |
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Korean Dishes / Menus made from Chicken
1. Fried Chicken
The national craze for chicken came about during 2002 World Cup, as chicken was the perfect food to eat while watching the game. In addition, chicken also became commonplace as delivery services in Korea developed.
Chimeak has spread out across the world as hallyu fans spotted their favorite celebrities having chimaek in a number of K-Dramas. For instance, when the drama "My Love from the Stars" was on air in China, people lined up 5 hours to eat chimaek at Chicken restaurants.
- Popular Variations of Fried Chicken:
- Fried Chicken - Basic crisy fried chicken without any sauce, or toppings
- Yangnyeom Chicken - Fried Chicken Coated with a signature style sweet and spicy sauce.
- Ganjang Chicken - Fried Chicken coated with sweet soy sauce and sprinkled with nuts and chilli
- Gu-un Chicken - A Roasted version of Fried chicken
- Tongdak - A whole chicken deep-fried or roasted
- Soonsal Chicken - Boneless Fried Chicken, a lot more pricy
Where to eat?
- Below are some of the hottest Chicken franchises and restaurants across Korea. Don't forget that most of these franchises also provide delivery service!
- BBQ (Currently number one franchise in Korea, as of 2018)
- BHC (The chicken brand which was featured in "My Love from the Stars")
- Nene Chicken (Promoted by the famous comedian/entertainer Yu Jae Seok)
- Pericana (One of the first to come up with Yangnyeom Chicken)
- Kyochon (More popular in the southern parts of Korea, than in Seoul)
- Mom's Touch (A typical chicken fast food restaurant like KFC, but much cheaper)
- Goobne (One of the first 'baked' chicken franchises)
- Hosigi Dumari (Basic menus consist of two chickens, but the price is similar to other major franchises)
- Mexicana (Famous for creative chicken menus)
2. Samgyetang

(Photo from Korea Tourism Organization)
Samgyetang is usually eaten by Koreans during the hottest days of summer to regain energy and stamina, but it is still popular all year-long round.
There are many varieties of samgyetang depending on what goes in the soup, such as hanban samgyetang (herb) or jeonbok samgyetang (abalone)
Where to eat?
- Samgyetang is not a regional dish, and you will be able to find franchises and great family-run restaurants serve samgyetang. Samgyetang is usually served in a clay pot, or ttukbaegi, and it may take some time to boil the chicken in the soup. It is recommended that if you know the number of the restaurant, you can call to reserve samgyetang beforehand, and have it served right away when you arrive.
3. Jjimdak
There many are other varieties of jjimdak such as cheese jjimdak or gochujang jjimdak.
Where to eat?
- For the most authentic taste visit the Jjimdak Alley in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk Province, where more than 20 thousand visitors from all over the country come every weekend to indulge in this delicious dish.
There are several variations and franchises that serve dakgalbi. The most popular addition is cheese, and bogkeumbap (fried rice), after you finish the dakgalbi.
This is one dish that many foreigners abhor, not just because of the creepy shaped feet which has hardly any meat, but also because of the extreme spiciness.
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Welcome to my Blog
Harry
Hello, and welcome to my blog! My aim is to provide new tourists and expats information and daily tips about living in Korea. These tips will be ranging from visa, some history and overview, food, popular attractions, and general information about Korea.