Yangnyeom chicken facts for kids
| Yangnyeom chicken | |
Yangnyeom chicken from BHC chicken franchise
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Quick facts for kids Korean name |
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| Hangul |
양념치킨
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| Revised Romanization | Yangnyeom chikin |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yangnyŏm ch'ik'in |
| Alternate name | |
| Hangul |
양념통닭
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| Revised Romanization | Yangnyeom tongdak |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yangnyŏm t'ongdak |
Yangnyeom chicken (Korean: 양념치킨) is a super popular type of Korean fried chicken. It's covered in a special sauce that tastes both sweet and a little spicy. This yummy sauce is made with gochujang (a Korean chili paste), garlic, sugar, and other spices. In South Korea, people often enjoy yangnyeom chicken as anju, which means food eaten while having drinks.
A writer from The New York Times, Julia Moskin, once said that yangnyeom chicken is the best example of Korean fried chicken style. It's a favorite for many!
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What Does Yangnyeom Chicken Mean?
In South Korea, the word chicken (치킨) usually means fried chicken. Sometimes it can also mean roasted chicken. The word yangnyeom (양념) is Korean for "seasoned." So, when you put them together, yangnyeom chicken (양념치킨) simply means "seasoned fried chicken."
If chicken is fried without any sauce, it's called dakgogi-twigim (닭고기 튀김), which means "chicken meat fritter." It can also be called "fried chicken" (프라이드치킨). Outside of Korea, yangnyeom chicken is often just known as Korean fried chicken.
The Story of Yangnyeom Chicken
Fried chicken became very popular in South Korea in the 1970s. The first fried chicken restaurant, Lim's Chicken, opened in 1977.
The idea for yangnyeom chicken came from a man named Yoon Jonggye. He owned a restaurant called "Mek-si-can." Mr. Yoon noticed that his customers often left behind the crispy crusts of their regular fried chicken. He realized the crusts were too hard and might even scratch people's mouths! So, he thought, "What if I put a sauce on the chicken to make the crust softer?" This led him to create the first recipe for yangnyeom chicken.
Later, one of Mr. Yoon's employees, Yang Heekwon, was inspired by this new recipe. He decided to start his own restaurant chain called Pelicana Chicken. At first, people weren't sure about buying yangnyeom chicken. To get people to try it, Pelicana started giving out free samples. This marketing idea worked really well! Sales went up a lot in just two months. A catchy song in a Pelicana TV commercial, featuring a famous comedian named Choi Yang-rak, also helped make the dish super popular.
Over time, yangnyeom chicken restaurants became popular in many other countries too. You can now find them in places like the United States, Australia, China, and Vietnam!
How Yangnyeom Chicken is Made
Making yangnyeom chicken starts with cutting a whole chicken into pieces. Sometimes, boneless chicken is used and cut into bite-sized chunks. The chicken is then seasoned with salt and black pepper. Some cooks might add cheonju (a type of rice wine) or curry powder. This helps to get rid of any strong chicken smell.
Next, the seasoned chicken pieces are covered in a special batter. This batter is often made with eggs and starch powder. The chicken is then deep-fried not once, but twice! This double-frying makes the crust very thin, crispy, and almost see-through. After frying, the chicken is coated with the delicious yangnyeom sauce.
Sometimes, extra toppings are added. These can include chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, minced garlic, or sliced green onions. A common side dish served with yangnyeom chicken is pickled radish, which is crunchy and refreshing.
The sauce itself is usually made from ingredients like starch syrup (or sometimes even strawberry jam!), ketchup, gochujang, dark soy sauce, minced garlic, ground red pepper, and brown sugar. These ingredients are boiled together for a short time to make the sauce thick and flavorful. You can also buy ready-made commercial sauces.
When the chicken is coated in the sauce, its crispy crust can get soft pretty quickly. So, it's best to eat yangnyeom chicken right after you buy it if you like a crispy crust. However, some people actually prefer the softer, moist crust!
Yangnyeom chicken is often liked by people who don't enjoy the oily taste of regular fried chicken. On the other hand, if you don't like sweet flavors or a crust that gets soggy, you might prefer plain fried chicken. But what if you want both? In Korea, it's very common to order "banban" (반반). This means "half-and-half," so you get half yangnyeom chicken and half plain fried chicken!
Because of the sauce, yangnyeom chicken costs a little more to make than plain fried chicken.
How Many Calories Are in Yangnyeom Chicken?
According to the Korea Consumer Agency, a whole yangnyeom chicken usually has about 2,700 to 2,900 calories. This is more than a plain fried chicken. The sauce adds about 1,000 calories to the dish.
