Korean Fried Chicken

My Korean friend told me that the only fried chicken she knew of in Korea was the KFC. Ironically, she loves the Korean fried chicken she has had in New York and was totally interested in finding out from me where she could find this “American” invention in Philly.

I have heard a lot about the Korean fried chicken at Meritage. I have had Korean tacos there before and it would only be logical to have the fried chicken as the next progression.

The chicken is only available on Thursday nights as a dinner special for two. We received one wing assembly (wing, winglets, mini-drumstick), 2 drumsticks, and 3 pieces of bone-in breasts. The pieces were coated and fried to a mouth watering crispy crunch and coated lightly but evenly with the special house-made Korean sauce that had light hints of the fragment/pungent doenjang, soy, hoisin sauces and spices.

Biting through the snappily crunchy exterior revealed a perfectly fried chicken with moist soft meat. The flavor from the juice conveyed a piece of chicken sourced most likely from a quality (organic?) source. It tasted so unlike the industrialized hormone grown bland atomic chicken so mass-used in the market. This was a quality fried chicken with a unique twist of Koreaness.

In keeping with the Korean theme, the fried chicken came with several banchans: a refreshing coleslaw that’s neither creamy nor soggy but with crisp thinly julienned vegetables; lightly pickled carrots and cauliflowers; and a very satisfying tasting potato salad.

It may not be something that you would find in a traditional restaurant in Korea, but this shot-gun marriage of the best of American fried food and the best of Korean flavoring has hit all the right notes. Don’t be fooled by the “for two” moniker; you don’t want to share this and you will not have any problems finishing the plate.

http://www.meritagephiladelphia.com/