Korean fried chicken

Meat dishes

• Chicken (닭고기)Usually in itOnly this one→

  Plain, red-sauced or soy-glazed, every version starts from the same fried chicken — the sauce is brushed on after frying, so only the coating changes.

• Wheat (밀)Usually in itOnly this one→

  The coating is usually a frying or chicken powder built on wheat flour. You cannot tell from the crust what it was made with.

• Eggs (알류)Sometimes in itOnly this one→

  Some wet batters are mixed with egg before the chicken goes into the fryer, so the egg is inside the crust.

• Milk (우유)Sometimes in itOnly this one→

  Some kitchens soak the raw chicken in milk to brine it, or use milk in the batter — it is hidden in the meat and crust rather than served as a sauce.

• Soybean (대두)Sometimes in itOnly this one→

  Plain fried chicken may skip it, but both classic sauces carry soy: the red sauce is gochujang-based with soy sauce, and the brown glaze is soy sauce itself.

• Peanut (땅콩)Sometimes in itOnly this one→

  Chopped peanuts are sometimes scattered over the sauced chicken as a garnish, so they sit right on top of the sticky coating.

• Sesame (참깨)Sometimes in itOnly this one→

  Sesame seeds are another common garnish on sauced chicken, sprinkled on after it is brushed with the glaze.

• Tomato (토마토)Sometimes in itOnly this one→

  The sweet-spicy red sauce is often made with ketchup mixed into the gochujang, which gives it its tang.

• Garlic (마늘)Sometimes in itOnly this one→

  Minced garlic goes into the red sauce, the soy glaze is often garlicky, and some shops add garlic powder to the frying mix.

• Onion (양파)Sometimes in itOnly this one→

  Onion powder can be mixed into the coating flour and blended onion can be cooked down into the sweet red sauce of yangnyeom chicken.

• Mustard (겨자)Sometimes in itOnly this one→

  Green onion chicken is served with a soy sauce that has mustard mixed in.

Usually in it

Most kitchens put this in. Assume it is there unless the staff tell you otherwise.

Sometimes in it

It depends on the recipe and the brand of sauce, so it is worth asking.

Rarely in it

The usual recipe does not call for it, but some kitchens still use it.

Checked 11 of the 33 ingredients this site covers. An ingredient that is not listed here has simply not been checked yet — that is not the same as it not being in the dish.

⚠This page describes how the dish is usually made in Korea. Every kitchen works differently, so always show your card and ask the staff before you order.