Korean Fried Chicken후라이드 치킨
Korean-Style Double-Fried Chicken
Double-fried Korean chicken with a shatteringly thin, crackly skin that stays crisp for hours — the plain version is mild and the whole country eats it with beer.
- Spice
- 0/5
- Vegetarian?
- No
- Beginner?
- Yes
- Similar to
- Think of it as the crispier, lighter cousin of American fried chicken — closer to the shatter of a good tempura or a twice-cooked french fry than to a thick, craggy Nashville or Southern crust. If Buffalo wings are the American drinking-food default, Korean fried chicken is the Korean one.
Want to try Korean Fried Chicken?
Find Korean restaurants near you on Google Maps — see who serves it, with hours and reviews.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
What is Korean Fried Chicken?
Korean fried chicken (we usually just say "chikin") is fried chicken taken to an almost obsessive level of crispiness. The single most important thing that makes it different from American fried chicken is that it is fried twice. The chicken is fried once at a lower temperature to cook it through, rested, and then fried a second time hotter to crisp and dehydrate the skin. That second fry renders out the fat under the skin, so instead of a thick craggy Southern-style crust you get a thin, glassy, cracker-like shell that audibly shatters when you bite it. The batter is also much thinner and lighter — often just a light flour or starch coating rather than a heavy buttermilk dredge. The result stays crisp even after it sits, which is exactly why it survives delivery. In Korea, chicken is delivery food and drinking food more than it is a Sunday family meal. There are two classics you will see everywhere: plain (huraideu, literally "fried") and yangnyeom (the sweet-spicy red-sauce version). This page is about the plain original.
What does it taste like?
Clean, savory, and deeply crunchy. The plain version tastes of well-seasoned chicken and hot oil and not much else — it is meant to let the texture be the star. The skin is salty and paper-crisp, the meat inside stays juicy because the fast double-fry does not overcook it. It is far less greasy on the tongue than you would expect from something this crispy, because the second fry pushes out the fat.
🌶️ Heat: Plain (huraideu) fried chicken is not spicy at all — it is just salty and crunchy, safe for anyone including kids. If you want heat, you order the yangnyeom (sauced) version instead, or ask for a spicy variety. The plain kind usually comes with a small dish of pickled radish (chikin-mu) and sometimes a salt-and-pepper dip.
🎬 Korean Fried Chicken in K-dramas & K-pop
Korean fried chicken and beer ('chimaek') owes much of its global fame to one mega-hit drama.
- My Love from the Star (2013-14) — The heroine's obsession with chimaek — fried chicken and beer, ideally in the first snow — set off a chicken-and-beer craze across China and Asia that restaurants still feel today. ▶ Watch on YouTube
- Idol and variety content — 'Chimaek' is a constant on idol livestreams and variety shows as the ultimate casual reward after a long day. ▶ Watch on YouTube
Scenes are described for reference only; we do not host any clips or images.
🧾 Key ingredients
- Chicken (usually cut into small bone-in pieces, or boneless)
- Potato starch or a thin flour batter
- Frying oil
- Salt and pepper
- Pickled white radish cubes on the side (chikin-mu)
🥗 Dietary notes
This is a meat dish and not vegetarian. Plain fried chicken is often naturally dairy-free (no buttermilk), but it is fried in shared oil and coated in wheat-based batter, so it is not gluten-free or safe for a strict fryer-allergy situation. If you have a soy or wheat allergy, ask, because starches and marinades vary by shop.
How to eat Korean Fried Chicken
Eat it hot with your hands or with the plastic gloves many places provide. Pair it with cold beer — the combination is so beloved it has its own word, "chimaek" (chicken + maekju, the word for beer). Dip pieces in the salt or the side sauce if you like, and eat the pickled radish between bites to cut the richness. A whole chicken's worth is a normal order to share between two or three people over drinks.
🍜 Common variations
- Huraideu (plain) — the original, just salt and crunch
- Yangnyeom — coated in sweet-spicy red sauce (see its own page)
- Ganjang (soy-garlic) — glazed in a savory-sweet soy garlic sauce
- Half-and-half ("banban") — half plain, half yangnyeom in one order
- Snow cheese / onion / green onion (pa-dak) toppings
- Boneless (sunsal) versions for easy eating
💡 Insider tips
- If it is your first time, get the half-and-half ("banban") so you can taste both the plain and the sauced version side by side.
- Order it fresh and eat it fast — even the best Korean fried chicken is at its magical crispiest in the first 20 minutes.
- Do the full experience: order it as delivery to wherever you are staying, with cold beer, and you have done "chimaek" properly.
- The pickled radish cubes are not garnish — eat them. They reset your palate and keep the chicken from feeling heavy.
- Boneless (sunsal) is a good pick if you do not want to deal with small bones, though bone-in has a bit more flavor.
Korean Fried Chicken — FAQ
＋ − Why is Korean fried chicken so much crispier than American fried chicken?
Because it is fried twice. The first fry cooks the meat, and the hotter second fry renders out the fat under the skin and dehydrates the coating, leaving a thin, glassy crust instead of a thick one. The batter is also lighter, so there is less to go soggy.
＋ − Is plain Korean fried chicken spicy?
No. The plain version (huraideu) is just salty and crunchy with no heat at all. Only the sauced versions like yangnyeom or spicy specials bring the spice.
＋ − What is "chimaek"?
It is the pairing of chicken and beer — "chi" from chicken and "maek" from maekju, the Korean word for beer. It is one of the most popular ways Koreans hang out in the evening.
＋ − Is it a whole meal or a snack?
In Korea it is mostly drinking food and shared delivery food rather than a formal dinner. One order (a whole chicken cut into pieces) comfortably feeds two or three people alongside beer.
Sources & further reading
Written from first-hand experience. Recipes and spice levels vary by cook, region, and restaurant. If you have food allergies, always confirm the exact ingredients before you eat.