A friend of mine and I have been having the same argument for about nine years. He says bhc. I say Kyochon. We’ve had it in a car, at a wedding, and once at a table with both brands’ boxes open in front of us as physical evidence, which settled nothing.
That argument isn’t unusual here. Ask five people in Korea which chicken chain is best and you’ll get five answers, and at least one of them will get genuinely worked up about it. Fried chicken is a national opinion more than a national dish.
So let’s be clear before we start. What follows is my taste, nothing more. I’d expect half of Seoul to shuffle this list and be perfectly right about it. If you’re annoyed with me by the third section, good — it means you already have a chain.
What I can offer that isn’t just opinion is the lanes. Each of the big chains staked out a flavor identity years ago and has mostly stayed in it, which means you can order by craving instead of by luck.
The lanes, at a glance
| Chain | Generally known for |
|---|---|
| Kyochon (교촌치킨) | Soy-garlic (ganjang) style; often credited as the pioneer of it, with a honey-soy signature |
| bhc | Bold, heavily seasoned and often spicy flavors, including powdered-seasoning styles like Bburinkle; a very large domestic chain |
| BBQ (Genesis BBQ) | Olive-oil frying as its marketed differentiator; one of the widest international footprints of any Korean chicken brand |
| Goobne (굽네치킨) | Oven-roasted chicken rather than deep-fried |
| Pelicana (페리카나) | One of the oldest chains, generally cited as dating to the early 1980s, with an “original recipe” legacy identity |
1. Kyochon, for the soy-garlic purists
Kyochon is often credited as the brand that made ganjang — soy-garlic — a mainstream Korean fried chicken flavor rather than a niche one. If you’ve ever eaten a piece that was glossy, dark, salty-sweet and faintly garlicky rather than red and spicy, this is where that lane starts.
The version people talk about most is the honey-and-soy-garlic combination. It’s sweeter than the plain soy version and sticky enough to require the plastic gloves that come in the box. What I like is the restraint. The coating is thin. You can still taste chicken.
Ordering is straightforward: bone-in or boneless (sunsal, 순살), and most branches sell a wings-and-drumsticks-only option if you have opinions about which parts are worth eating.
2. bhc, when you want the seasoning to be the whole event
bhc is one of the largest chains in the country and it’s known for going loud. Where Kyochon polishes one idea, bhc keeps launching flavors, several of which crossed over into that state where people assume every chicken shop has one.
The best-known is the powdered seasoning style — the Bburinkle wave, a savory-cheesy dust shaken over freshly fried chicken so the crust stays dry and crackly instead of getting glazed. That’s a completely different textural strategy, and it’s why bhc gets picked for group orders. There’s usually a spicier option alongside it, plus variations that arrive with rice cakes tucked in among the chicken.
If your instinct at a menu is to pick the thing you can’t describe, this is your chain.
3. BBQ, the one you’ve probably already seen abroad
Genesis BBQ markets its olive-oil frying as the thing that sets it apart, and that claim has been front and center in its branding for years. Whether you can taste it is exactly the sort of question my friend and I have failed to resolve. What I’d say is that the crust runs lighter and cleaner, and the plain golden version is a good way to find out whether you like Korean fried chicken as fried chicken rather than as a sauce delivery system.
BBQ also has one of the largest international footprints among Korean chicken chains, with branches in the United States and elsewhere. If you’ve eaten Korean fried chicken outside Korea without planning to, there’s a decent chance it was here — which makes it a fair control group.
4. Goobne, the one that never touches a fryer
Goobne roasts its chicken in an oven instead of deep-frying it. That’s the whole identity, it’s right there in the name, and it’s why the brand has a devoted following that doesn’t overlap much with anyone else’s.
The texture is completely different. The skin tightens and browns rather than forming a shell, so you get more chicken flavor and none of that shattering crunch. The menu runs from a plain roasted bird through to spicier glazed versions, and the leftovers hold up far better the next morning than fried chicken does.
It’s fourth here only because I come to this category for the fry itself. If you want the flavor without the deep-frying, Goobne is first on your list and it isn’t close.
5. Pelicana, the old guard
Pelicana is generally cited as dating to the early 1980s, one of the oldest chains in the country, and it leans on that legacy rather than chasing whatever flavor is trending. The style sits closer to what Korean fried chicken tasted like before the sauce arms race — a thinner, plainer, saltier crust.
It’s last on my list and first on my father’s, and I think he has the better argument. Nostalgia is a flavor.
Two more names you’ll see everywhere: Nene Chicken, which has expanded notably overseas, and Mom’s Touch, as well known for its burgers as its chicken and closer to a fast-food counter than a chimaek shop.
How you actually order any of this
Almost nobody phones a chicken shop anymore. Delivery apps handle most orders, and every chain has a branch within range of wherever you’re staying in Seoul. A standard order is one whole chicken cut into pieces, a tub of mu (sweet pickled radish cubes), and a sauce packet. Most shops will do half one flavor and half another, which is the correct move when you can’t decide.
If you’d rather sit down, the chain shops with tables are set up for chicken and beer — a pitcher, a plate, and no rush. Our piece on chimaek and the culture around it covers why that pairing became inseparable, and our sister site’s guide to ordering food in Korea is more useful than memorizing a menu.
Taste-test the styles without flying to Seoul
You don’t need a plane ticket to run this experiment. Start with our yangnyeom chicken recipe — sweet-spicy glazed, the style most people mean by Korean fried chicken. Once you’ve got the double fry down, the sauce is the only variable: swap the gochujang glaze for soy-garlic and you’ve built the Kyochon lane at home. For a third direction, our galbi-sauce fried chicken goes savory and dark.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best Korean fried chicken chain?
There isn’t a correct answer, and anyone who tells you otherwise is telling you their preference. Kyochon is the usual pick for soy-garlic, bhc for bold seasoned flavors, and BBQ for a clean fried crust you can find in a lot of countries. Try all three and the argument becomes yours.
What’s the difference between Korean fried chicken and American fried chicken?
Mostly the crust and the sauce. Korean fried chicken is typically fried twice, which drives out moisture and leaves a thinner, crisper shell than a thick buttermilk-and-flour coating. It’s usually sauced or seasoned after frying rather than before, and cut into smaller pieces. American fried chicken puts the flavor in the breading; Korean fried chicken puts it on top.
Is Korean fried chicken always spicy?
No. Plain fried chicken (huraideu) has no heat at all, and soy-garlic styles are savory-sweet rather than hot. The spicy reputation comes from yangnyeom chicken and the fiery limited menu items chains keep launching, but every shop sells a mild option and most will split an order so a table can have both.
Where to eat it in Seoul
Any neighborhood with a nightlife strip has all five chains within a few minutes’ walk, usually stacked on the second and third floors. Itaewon and Hongdae are the easiest starting points if you want a table rather than a delivery box — our guide to K-drama food locations in Seoul covers that Itaewon stretch, and k-trips has a broader filming-location walking guide if you’re building a route.
For background on the category itself, the Korean fried chicken overview and the Korea Tourism Organization are both reasonable starting points.