At Hyodo Chicken in Seoul, South Korea, chefs Min Goo Kang and Chang Ho Shin focus all of their experience working in Michelin-starred kitchens on perfecting a singular dish: Korean fried chicken.
The duo focuses on high quality ingredients, and unique flavors in their crunchy fried chicken. Their restaurant features both their crispy saucy dishes, and spicy dry-rubbed pieces, and the two are constantly imparting the knowledge they gleaned from their high-end restaurant experience, especially when it comes to the most important part: frying the chicken. The chefs explain how frying it only once will force the moisture to gather inside and then drip out. Letting the chicken rest and frying it a second time, however, allows the meat to have a chance to soak up the juices inside, and remain extra crispy on the outside. They also demonstrate another pro tip: after the first fry, they poke the joints where blood clots may be found to release any blood during the second fry.
The two are careful to choose fresh, good quality ingredients for their sauces, seasonings, and glazes. “I think it’s one of the major factors that makes our chicken special,” says Kang. “The fundamentals of cooking are in using good ingredients and taking care to prepare it.” This great care in preparation is demonstrated in their soy sauce-based glaze, which takes an entire day to make, and features Korean spices, grain syrup, shishito and cheongyang peppers, green onions, garlic, ginger, dried red peppers, and grain syrup. For their signature dish, fried chicken gets coated in this sauce, and topped with stir-fried jiri anchovies and shishito peppers. “It also has to be delicious,” says Kang. “That’s what we feel is important.”