KyoChon Turns Chicken Wings into Double Fried Crack

For such a favorite American comfort food, few establishments prepare chicken wings with much success. Maybe it's a personal preference, but a great wing or drumstick balances a crunchy exterior with juicy, tender flesh inside. While both elements are important, I find most wings are prepared with a heavy reliance on the flavored sauces, but never in the way the chicken is cooked, which is why I always follow my order with a request to fry them to a leathery toughness. It's not a great choice either, but it beats a greasy, slippery wing whose jelly, stringy flesh always gives me a salmonella panic.

KyoChon has recently become the place where I know my wings dilemma will never be a problem. A South Korean based fried chicken franchise, KyoChon has two locations in Queens. In March 2010, KyoChon opened a flagship space in midtown Manhattan, a $2 million, two-story front on 32nd Street and Fifth Avenue, on the outskirts of Korea Town and very conveniently located just two blocks from my office. The first floor is reserved for a quicker take-out experience and concentrates on their signature chicken wings, while the spiraling staircase upstairs leads to a full service restaurant that also serves alcohol.

Entering the establishment, it's immediately evident that KyoChon is emblematic of the Asian aesthetic of clean, gleaming productivity. The entire space is decorated austerely in the two colors of its logo: red and white. Slightly past the entrance, the High Definition monitors hover above the soda fountain, projecting the menu choices. The rest of the dining area is a cross between modern hipster eatery (furniture with spindly legs and frosted glass tabletops, translucent plastic chairs, futuristic lighting) and fast-food style efficiency. It's as if to say, "There's only chicken on the menu here, but it's going to cost you".

And that's fine with me. The chicken at KyoChon is double-fried in 100% trans-fat free canola oil, then brushed with one of their two house glazes. Frying twice leaves the chicken with a crunchy outer casing while the inside is left tender and juicy. The chicken is crispy, and I don't use the adjective lightly - when you bite down, it makes the same sound as munching on a celery stick. It's surprisingly not as greasy or salty as one would imagine and they are certifiably the tastiest, most addictive fried chicken wings and drumsticks you will taste. KyoChon keeps the flavor choices simple with just two house sauces: soy garlic and hot & sweet. The hot and sweet packs some major heat, so much so that it robs my taste buds of any enjoyment. If you like heat go for it, otherwise, the soy garlic will be your deep fried crack. Once I crunch into a wing or little drumlet, my pupils are as good as dilated.

If you plan to sit down for a meal, KyoChon offers a few other menu options besides their signature chicken, but the take-out menu's main attraction offers the signature fried chicken along with a specialty sandwich and some sides such as potato croquettes or wedges. Also, there are other independent Korean fried chicken joints who offer wings and drumsticks prepared in a similar fashion and many have groused that KyoChon's chicken pieces are smaller. The franchise maintains that they use younger chickens for their taste and tenderness, so that may also explain the small pieces. Still, it's a legitimate gripe since KyoChon is a bit pricey. At their take-out counter, a small order of their signature wings (5 pieces) costs $5.99, while a large order (20 pieces) will set you back $17.99. If you get a combo which includes a side and a soft drink, the price skyrockets.

When you sit down for a meal, most of the chicken is cooked to order, which normally takes 20 - 30 minutes. Although the take-out area is meant to cut down your wait, I found my chicken was still tasty, but it wasn't as crunchy as I'd expected. The line extends outside the entrance, and I suspect once the fascination with the new subsides (the 5th Avenue location just opened), KyoChon will hopefully work out its kinks.

KyoChon
319 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10016
(212) 725-9292