[dropcap size=big]H[/dropcap]ot chicken sandwiches come and go, but Korean fried chicken is forever.
A passionate cadre of poultry fryers grew a Koreatown phenomenon in the ‘00s swiftly after Korean franchises Kyochon and BonChon incited the Korean fried chicken (KFC) craze in the United States. By the time a new flutter of L.A.’s food-obsessed was wandering into taverns and strip malls, these cooks were ready to serve the bird with frying finesse.
The Korean mastery of the crispy poultry delicacy began several decades ago; prior to its current popular form, South Koreans were deep-frying then serving whole birds with pickled white radish since the 1970s. This form of fried chicken then evolved into the plates of sweet, garlicky wings and drumsticks that are more commonly seen today.
When the last major wave of Korean immigrants settled into the United States by the 1980s, many of them decided to start selling fried chicken. Cooking them was an easy, transferrable skill, one that had wings (sorry) for anyone who was looking for economic stability in their new American lives.
As the demand for gourmet fried chicken in Los Angeles spikes, Korean businesses find ways to stay afloat. It’s difficult to thrive since much of local reporting favors trends, but the ones that survive do so because of their unique twists to the conventional ways that Korean chicken has been fried or prepared.