Korean Fried Chicken Challenge
By Warren Rojas
There are those who will forever associate fried chicken with a mythical, white suit-clad “Colonel.”
But some local foodies have already begun falling in line behind another kind of KFC—Korean Fried Chicken, following the arrival of two Asian-born franchises in our area. We marched in for a taste test:
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| BONCHON CHICKEN |
COMPETITORS
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CHEOGAJIP CHICKEN |
| Crackling skin resembles roast duck, sans the grease | CRUNCH | Lightly batter-fried coating locks in the bird’s natural juices |
| Soy-garlic (subtle but satisfying); spicy (barely-there glaze swings from sweet to stunning) | SPICE | Sweet and mild (savory blend punctuated by sesame seeds); hot and spicy (ruddy, crushed red chili-garlic paste stings so good) |
| Moist, delicious meat through and through | FLAVOR | Tender meat displays hints of five-spice |
| Whole wingettes, drummettes and drumsticks only | PRESENTATION | Whole chicken hacked into bony nuggets and jagged breast bone pieces |
| 25-35 minutes | WAIT TIME | 15-20 minutes |
| Medium order (14 pieces): $10.95; large order (24 pieces): $17.95 | PRICE | Plain fried chicken: $12.99; sweet and mild/hot and spicy chicken/combo: $14.99 |
| Dine-in chicken and beer combos, traditional Korean entrees (seafood, fried dishes) | EXTRAS | Popcorn chicken, exotic pizzas (bulgogi, sweet potato) |
| Annandale: 703-750-1424 | LOCATIONS | Annandale: 703-941-1506; Centreville: 703-815-8744; Fairfax: 703-273-4499 |
Verdict: Cheogajip satisfies if you’re in a hurry, but we don’t mind waiting a little longer for the tongue-teasing heat and easy-to-handle pieces from Bonchon.
(November 2007)
Tags: Chew on this, korean chicken