Korean Fried Chicken Chains: What to Actually Order

"Fried or sauced?" is only the first question. Each of Korea's big chicken chains made its name on one menu, and knowing which one saves you a lot of scrolling in a delivery app.

Kyochon: which sauce should you pick?

Kyochon is really a sauce brand. The soy series uses a sauce of whole Korean garlic and fermented soy, so it's salty and savory. The Red series (2004) is built on pressed and reduced Korean red chili (cheongyang, 청양고추), and the heat arrives a beat after the first bite. The chain's single best-selling menu is Honey Combo (2010), glazed with acacia honey, sweet and salty in equal measure. "Combo" means wings and drumsticks only, no breast. If an older blog tells you to order "Kyochon Original," look for Ganjang Hanmari (간장 한마리) instead; the chain renamed its menu in June 2025.

BBQ: is Golden Olive still fried in olive oil?

Golden Olive (2005) is the plain-fried benchmark: no sauce, just the crust. It became famous as the chicken fried in olive oil. Since September 2023, after olive-oil prices spiked, BBQ has used its own blend of 50% olive oil and sunflower oil. If crunch matters more to you than sauce, start here.

bhc: what is Bburinkle?

Bburinkle (2014) is crisp fried chicken dusted with a seasoning of blue cheese, cheddar, onion and garlic. It comes with a yogurt-and-cheese dipping sauce, and dipping is the point. It's the salty-sweet powder that ends up on your fingers, and it's worth trying at least once.

Goobne: why is it oven-roasted?

Goobne has built its brand since 2005 on roasting chicken in an oven instead of deep-frying it. Its signature, Gochu Basasak (고추바사삭, 2013), has a crisp, green-chili-coated skin and comes with a creamy "marbling" dipping sauce.

What should you know before ordering?

• Half-and-half (banban, 반반): most chains let you split one chicken between two flavors. For a first order, fried plus sauced, or Kyochon soy plus Red, is hard to get wrong.
• Chicken radish (chikin-mu, 치킨무): sweet-sour pickled radish cubes come with almost every order.
• Price: delivery apps can charge more than the counter. Kyochon and bhc franchisees set their own delivery prices, while BBQ keeps one recommended price. If you're walking past a branch, compare the in-store price for takeout.
• Ordering: for the apps, see our food delivery guide. Chicken on a mat at the Han River or in the stands at a baseball game is chimaek (chicken and beer) the way locals do it.

A Note From Daniel — our real human editor

There are far more chicken brands in Korea than these four; Norang Tongdak, Puradak and 60 Gye are a few more you'll see everywhere. If you're watching what you eat, I'd point you to Goobne. Because it's roasted rather than fried, it's known as the lighter, lower-calorie choice, and personal trainers here tell clients to order it when a chicken craving hits mid-diet. Piece size differs, too: BBQ's pieces run big, Kyochon's small, and bhc and Goobne sit in between. Almost every chain also does boneless (sunsal, 순살), so pick whatever suits you.

Mina's Tip

No time to try all four? Order twice: once for sauce (Kyochon), once for crust (BBQ). That's the fork Korean fried chicken takes, and you'll know which side you're on after one night.