BonChon

The freshness, the bold flavors, the passion put into every piece of food that comes out of the kitchens, the unrelenting pursuit of perfection.  That is why Korean food makes my mouth water.

BonChon chicken is one of many Korean fried chicken chains that have popped up in the United States over the past few years.  Like pizza joints across New York, fried chicken restaurants live all over South Korea.  Never eaten as a meal but more as a snack, South Koreans enjoy their wings and drumsticks with hot peppery sauces, garlic-soy sauces, pickled radishes, and beer or soju (think Korean vodka, but VERY strong).

So now their fried chicken lifestyle has made its way over the United States.  But what makes it so different from the fried chicken we all grew up on?  For years what we have referred to as the ultimate soul food?

Southern fried chicken is all about the crust, and cooks that are truly passionate about their chicken spend years trying to perfect their recipes.  Brining, marinating, dredging, and frying.  Size, oil temperature, cooking times, and condiments all come into play.  Most of the time served with skin, and sometimes not.  Arguments can be made for hours going back and forth as to who does it best, and which method is correct.



Korean fried chicken differs from American fried chicken in that it is fried twice.  Never seasoned, and very lightly floured, their chickens undergo an Asian frying technique that renders out the fat in the chicken skin, resulting in a thin, crunchy, almost transparent, non-greasy crust.  After being dipped in a very thin frying batter, the chicken is then fried in two stages.  After frying for ten minutes, the chicken is then taken out of the fryer and left to cool for a few minutes.  The succulent meat then continues to carry-over cook, while excess grease drips off the chicken.  It is then placed back in the fryer for another ten minute stage.  The result after 25 minutes is a perfectly crunchy, moist, juicy product.  When fried perfectly, the additional sauces get absorbed into the crust, but the chicken still maintains its crackly, crunchy texture.  And yes, it is worth the wait.

BonChon has several locations in Manhattan, New Jersey, and California.  I've been to the location in midtown Manhattan several times, but on this particular night I decided to try their Jersey City location.  The midtown location is almost always packed, and I usually have a better chance of getting a table the later in the night that I go.  Keeping that in mind, and visiting the Jersey City location around 7pm, I was expecting a packed restaurant.

I didn't find that at all.  In fact, there was just three patrons seated around the restaurant when I arrived.  I'll admit, that threw me off a little.  But hey, I'm here for chicken, not for people-watching.  The Jersey City location offers a MUCH smaller menu than its Manhattan counterparts, but still maintains the high prices of NYC.  As I waited patiently for my chicken, one of the three patrons seated around the restaurant with me started a conversation with the cashier, saying the chicken is very good, but incredibly overpriced,  and not something he could go for every day.  Ah, that explains the lack of business for this location.

I went for the ten wing combo, half dressed in their signature soy-garlic sauce, as well as in their signature hot sauce.  I also opted to try their shrimp dumplings, as I have always been a sucker for those.

The chicken is excellent.  A little messy from the sauces, but overall not greasy whatsoever.  A perfect crunch, with Asian flavor, and the right amount of heat on the hot wings.  It hits you hard, but doesn't overpower your palate.  With each flavor, you can still taste the chicken.  Mouth watering again.

Hot & Spicy on the left, Garlic-Soy glazed on the right

Pickled Daikon

The chicken is served with complimentary pickled radish, and in this case it was cubes of pickled daikon.  The texture and flavor play of the whole meal was great.  Hot and cold, salt and spice, briny and sweet, crunchy and tender.


The shrimp dumplings were surprisingly good.  Although a little small for the price (ran about $7), they were packed with flavor and steamed perfectly.  When I broke them open a puff of smoke billowed out of the middle.  Such an exciting thing to watch.  The sweet chili sauce which glazed the outside was a great match-up to the savory shrimp, cabbage, and carrot filling.

Shrimp Dumplings

This is not your typical fried chicken joint.  This is a different kind of Seoul food.

BonChon

172 Newark Avenue

Jersey City, NJ 07302