7 Korean fried chicken dishes explained — what's in each one, how spicy it is, and how to order it.
Korean fried chicken is double-fried for an extra-crisp crust and ordered as a whole chicken (한 마리, han mari) or boneless (순살, sunsal). The classic orders are plain fried, yangnyeom (sweet-spicy glaze) and soy garlic — and if you can't decide, ask for half and half (반반, banban).
Every order comes with pickled radish cubes (chicken-mu), and chicken is eaten with beer: chimaek, from chicken + maekju. Most people order through delivery apps, and many chicken shops stay open late.
From our dish notes. Recipes vary, so ask if an ingredient matters to you.
All of them.
Chimaek (치맥) is fried chicken with beer (maekju, 맥주) — the classic Korean pairing for watching sports or eating by the river.
Plain fried chicken and soy garlic chicken are not spicy. Yangnyeom chicken is sweet with mild heat; some shops also sell much spicier versions.
Not spicy: Korean Fried Chicken, Soy Garlic Fried Chicken, Garlic Fried Chicken.