Review: Kyochon - Garlic Soy Chicken Wings

Kyochon is a one of the largest Korean fried chicken chains in South Korea. In recent years, it has made some inroads into the U.S. with a couple locations in the southern California market (as well as New York). Their Korean-style fried chicken differs from American-style (or Southern-style) fried chicken in that instead of crispy battered or breaded fried layer, the skin itself is fried to crispness which results in a smoother rather than craggy, textured surface we usually expect here. The chicken is also smaller without all that batter to plump it up.

Because it's fried twice (similar to Belgian fries) and cooked to order, it's not really fast food and you have to wait a while for your food (they even give you a beeper coaster so you'll know when to pick it up). It makes me wonder if the skin gets soggy fairly quickly over time like Belgian fries do.

I tried Kyochon at the Glendale Galleria (which might cost more since mall food tends to cost a little more) where five wing pieces cost $4.99 or roughly about $1 a wing which is fairly pricey for wings. They had a couple of flavors on tap and I went with the soy garlic which is flavored with a blend of honey, ginger, garlic, and soy.

The chicken had a nice crunch and a fairly strong garlic flavor coupled with the sweet saltiness of honey and soy. It's a fairly enjoyable flavor that's fairly common in Asian cuisine. It's similar to teriyaki but replaces the tangy fruity notes with garlic and, to a lesser extent, ginger.

While Kyochon's Soy Garlic Wings were enjoyable and worth a try if you want the novelty of a different take on fried chicken, it's pricey when compared to other wing options.