Wednesday 6 February 2008

Challenge to KFC's Crown from Korean Fried Chicken Chain

South Korea-based fast food chain BBQ Chicken are looking to steal the colonel's thunder with their special cooking process and snack-portability innovations. The fried chicken merchants have invented a convenient drink cup/food container combo which allows hungry customers to have a snack on the go, while their olive-oil based frying technique ensures perfect delicious chicken every time.

The Col-Pop combines a standard fast-food drinks container with a handy tray located at the top containing bite-sized chicken balls (their version of Popcorn Chicken). In "fast-food" terms the concept is a winner, but I can't help wondering if the combination of cold Pepsi and hot chicken in such close proximity may create problems. With BBQ Chicken restaurants currently only located in the US, we must rely on the opinions of fast food bloggers at Serious Eats, who remark that the temperature difference did result in some moisture build-up in the chicken repository. Still, top marks for effort.

Finally, Reports suggest that BBQ's olive-oil frying process delivers chicken that is "crisp, crunchy, greaseless, and has just enough peppery bite" while the meat is "perfectly cooked, [and] moist". While it is difficult to comment without a true taste-test and comparison, it seems that BBQ Chicken may certainly provide good competition if they were to ever land in the UK.

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