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Korean Food Culture | The History Of Fried Chicken

From King Sejong's royal table to present day dinner tables, the history of fried chicken in Korea

Jaeeun Jo
3 years ago

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken - person eating chickenKoreans eat a lot of chicken. As of 2019, the chicken restaurant count in Korea is 87,000!

Chicken is considered a soul food in Korea and has seen many different iterations throughout history.

Today let's learn about how chicken changed and evolved over the years to suit our taste preferences. 


The Joseon Dynasty | Pogye


The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: Pogye chickenSource: 대식가들 방송

You probably weren't expecting to hear about Joseon when talking about the history of fried chicken, were you?

Surprisingly, even back then there was a dish somewhat similar to modern fried chicken.

It is called Pogye (포계) and appears in a cook book called Sangayorok (산가요록), written by a royal doctor during King Sejong's reign.

Since King Sejong was known to love meat, it is believed this dish would have often been on the surasang (수라상), the Korean royal table.

Source: 네이버 지식 백과

To make Pogye, the chicken is first stir-fried and seasoned with soy sauce.

After that, a mixture of flour, soy sauce, and sesame oil is added to the pan.

Finally, vinegar and sesame oil are added as finishing touch.

It is very different from the fried chicken we know well now, but similarities can be found.

The biggest difference though is that this dish was reserved for the wealthy upper class as meat was very precious at the time. 


The 60s | Electric Rotisserie Chicken


The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: TV show talking about the history of chickenSource: 2TV 아침 방송

American fried chicken was first introduced to Korea during the Korean War.

Influenced by the way U.S. soldiers prepared chicken, Korean-style chicken dishes, which were typically boiled or steamed, began to change significantly.

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: vintage photo of Yeongtang Center and advertisementSource: 문화일보 Farminsight

Myeongdong's Yeongyang Center, a restaurant that opened in 1960, launched rotisserie chicken - whole roasted chicken.

Cooking oil was not commercialized, so instead of frying in oil, Koreans roasted chicken in electric ovens.

It was believed to be very healthy, since it was roasted rather than fried, hence the name Yeongyang (영양) which means "nutrition"

In1968, an advertisement was posted saying that delivery services were also available, and so chicken delivery in Korea was born.

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: chickens roastingSource: 어린이동아

As you can see in the photos, at this time chicken was roasted whole, unlike today where it is cut into pieces, so the term "tongdak" (통닭) meaning "whole chicken" was used.

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: Modern Yeongyang CenterSource: 아시아뉴스통신 / 문화일보

In the 1980s, the popularity of rotisserie chicken waned due to new chicken dishes.

To try to keep up with the times, people started installing ovens in vehicles, opening whole chicken food trucks.

Yeongyang Center in Myeongdong is still open and operating as it has for the last 50 years, but moved down the street a bit to Chungmuro.


The 70s | Fried Chicken Appears


The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: Lims ChickenSource: 아이뉴스24

In 1971, the food brand Haepyo began selling affordable cooking oil, making it easily accessible to many, and so true fried chicken started appearing in Korea.

Lims Chicken (림스치킨) is Korea's first fried chicken chain and started as a small shop at Shinsegae Department Store's headquarters.

Until then, whole rotisserie chicken was the trend, so it took a few months for the southern American-inspired cut up fried chicken to take off.

At the urging of regular customers to Lims Chicken, the restaurant began using flour to bread the chicken, and thus the fried chicken franchise concept was born.

At one point there were as many as 400 branch locations, but today there are a more modest 80 locations nationwide.


The 80s | Seasoned Yangnyeom Chicken


The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: Yangnyeom chickenSource: 유퀴즈 온 더 블럭 방송


In the 80s, the emergence of Yangnyeom chicken (양념치킨), fried chicken that incorporated Korean flavors, shook the fried chicken scene.

The sweet and spicy taste captivated Koreans' tastes and created a cultural phenomenon.

The Original Seasoned Chicken? | Mexican Chicken

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: yangnyeom chicken originsSource: 유퀴즈 온 더 블럭 방송

The first person to make the seasoning for yangnyeom chicken is Yoon Jong-gye, the founder of Mexican Chicken.

While in the fried chicken business, he witnessed customers leaving chicken that cooled down and lost its taste while eating.

So to deal with this issue, he developed a new iteration called yangnyeom chicken that could be enjoyed even when cold.

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: yangnyeom chicken originsSource: 2TV 아침 방송

It is said that he spent six months developing seasonings, but no matter how many ingredients he tried, no satisfactory results came out.

However, thanks to the advice from an older woman in the neighborhood to add cornstarch, he found the answer.

His iconic seasoning recipe incorporates Korean red pepper power (고춧가루) and carrots instead of red pepper paste (고추장) to preserve the taste and sticky texture.

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: yangnyeom chicken originSource: 유퀴즈 온 더 블럭 방송

At the time, the concept of patent rights for the general public was not yet common or customary, so Yoon Jong-gye did not register a patent for his sauce.

One of his employees registered a patent for the seasoning, which threatened Yoon Jong-gye's entire business as he would be unable to sell his chicken.

Fortunately, the court's ruled in Yoon Jong-gye's favor and the employee could have faced criminal charges; however, Yoon did not want to punish his colleague, so both ended up giving up the patent registration, making yangnyeom chicken available to anyone to make and sell patent-free.

The chicken radish, which Yoon also developed, is patent-free as well.

Despite all of this, he made a huge impact on the market and is remembered as the originator of the seasoned Korean fried chicken, which is satisfaction enough for him.

The perception of the chicken business was not very good previously, but thanks to the success of Mexican Chicken and all subsequent franchises, people's perceptions started to change and become more favorable.

The Original Seasoned Chicken? | Pericana Chicken

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: Pericana ad

If you ask my parents' generation about the origins of seasoned chicken, many will think of Pericana Chicken (페리카나치킨).

Pericana introduced a chicken seasoned with red pepper paste (고추장) and recruited Choi Yang-Rak, a famous comedian, as an advertising model.

The advertisement was very popular and people lined up 50m to buy their seasoned chicken.

Because of this, there was a controversy over the origins of yangnyeom chicken; however, Mexican Chicken was in fact the first to create seasoned chicken, while Pericana took the lead in popularizing the dish.

So both brands were instrumental in the yangnyeom chicken trend and definitely made their marks in the Korean chicken market.


The 90s | The Appearance Of Famous Franchises


The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: Kyochon box

Since the advent of seasoned chicken, the popularity of chicken has increased rapidly, with numerous chains emerging.

Several brands, including Kyochon Tongdak (the original name of Kyochon Chicken), Nene Chicken, BBQ, Hosigi Double Chicken, Byulhana Chicken (now BHC), which we all know well were all created in the 90s.  

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: bbq logo

Previously, chicken restaurants were viewed as places to drink and eat chicken as a side with your alcohol; however, BBQ has set itself apart by establishing an identity called a "chicken-oriented" pub (치킨을 위주로 하는).

Because of this, chicken came to be thought of as a main dish and not just a side dish for alcohol.


2000s To Now | Chimaek & New Flavors


From the 2000s to the present, the chicken industry has flourished, creating numerous new flavors and variations.

Boneless Chicken

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: soonsal chicken

It is not clear exactly when and by whom boneless chicken was first introduced.

Since boneless chicken has existed in different forms such as chicken nuggets and Japanese Karage for a while, it's difficult to pin point.

However one thing that is certain is that boneless chicken was a tremendous revolution for Korean consumers.

Removing the bones makes chicken more convenient to eat and also there is less waste to deal with.

Chicken & Beer

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: woman eating a drumstick

You may have heard the term "chimaek" (치맥) before which is a combination of the words "chicken" and "maekju" (beer). 

Since the 70s and 80s when most chicken restaurants were run in the form of pubs, Koreans have enjoyed the pairing of chicken and beer.

However, at that time, chicken was seen as a side dish for alcohol, whereas now it is more seen as a main dish that pairs harmoniously with beer.

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: chimaek cultureSource: 능력자들 방송

Chicken and beer culture started in 2002 during the Korea-Japan World Cup. 

At that time, the Korean national team made a huge achievement by advancing to the semifinals, and whenever people watched the game, they ordered chicken as the main food and drank beer together. 

Green Onion Chicken

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: Padak

Around 2010, Gyowon Chicken in Daejeon and Wangcheon Chicken in Sejong presented fried chicken served with green onion salad, called padak (파앍).

Both restaurants are cited as the originators of this take on fried chicken, which has become popular across the country.

Seasoning Chicken

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: seasoning chicken

Seasoning Chicken (시즈닝 치킨) is sprinkled with cheese powder and has become very popular for its unique taste.

BHC's Bburinkle Chicken, one of the famous types of seasoning chicken was released in 2014; however Nene Chicken actually came out with Snowing Chicken in 2009 and so they sued BHC for patent violation, but the court ruled in favor of BHC.

As we saw with the case of yangnyeom chicken, patent rights also play a very important role in chicken recipes.

This is because more customers flock to original and unique menu items, which greatly affects the companies.

Honey Butter Chicken

The History Of Korean Fried Chicken: honey butter chicken

In 2015, honey butter chicken (허니버터 치킨) was released.

Inspired by the famous Korean potato chips, there are very few franchises that don't currently serve honey butter chicken.


That brings us to the end of our blog on the history of Korean chicken.

The history is deep and diverse, and I think even many Koreans don't know all of this interesting info.

I learned a lot writing this and I hope you learned something too!

Let us know what you thought in the comments.

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