Celebrated for its crispy exterior and tender interior, Korean fried chicken has been a staple late-night snack in South Korea since the late 1970s and early '80s. It's typically known as "drinking food," or anju, though Koreans also enjoy the crispy pieces of meat with non-alcoholic drinks. Sticky, gotta-lick-your-fingers-after-you-eat-it yangnyeom dak is especially popular. It's glazed in a spicy-sweet sauce made with Korean chili paste, golden (corn) syrup, ketchup and sugar that give Korean fried chicken its fireworks.
Chef Debbie Lee's long-awaited modern Korean gastropub is finally here. After years of delays and a brief stint as a pop-up, Yi Cha is set to open in the former Otoño space in Highland Park on October 30. At Yi Cha, the Korean term for second round, Lee will serve her take on Korean American pub dishes alongside an inventive cocktail menu.
Anthony Bourdain was all about fried chicken. While filming his Cajun "Parts Unknown" episode, the chef-slash-writer famously hit the local Popeye's every single day. Meanwhile, Bourdain was also an enthusiastic proponent of Korean-American fusion cuisine. It's no surprise, then, that his iconic 2016 cookbook "Appetites" includes a recipe for Korean fried chicken. Bourdain's recipe follows the fry/freeze/fry method - a popular technique for cooking Korean fried chicken that takes two days, but is well worth it for the results.