Korean Fried Chicken Origins
Korean Fried Chicken, sometimes called Chiken, is a lightly battered style of chicken that is then deep-fried or baked in oil. The batter generally consists of flour, salt, sugar and other spices. It can be eaten plain or with a multitude of different sauces or flavors. Everything from spicy chili sauces to powdered cheese is put on top of the delicious chicken. For centuries Korean recipes to fry chicken have been around, but the modern fired chicken that we think of was only popularized in the 1960s an 70s.
Earlier in the 50s though American troops celebrated thanksgiving with fried chicken and shared it with local Koreans. It quickly caught on with locals as they had never tried fried chicken in this way. In the 60s and 70s the country began industrializing and wealth increased. This led to easier access to chicken and the oil needed to fry it. In 1977, after watching the American chain Kentucky Fried Chicken in the US sell its pieces separately, a man named Lim opened Lim’s Chicken. It was wildly popular and soon more and more places started opening their own Korean fried chicken places.
The ability to get fried chicken delivered in the dense city center of Seoul created a new wave of fried chicken hysteria in the mid 90s. Today, Korean chicken is spreading across the world as you no doubt have seen in Chicago. The savory, sweet, and sometimes spicy combination is tough to go wrong with.
For a more in depth history read this excellent blog!
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