The best Korean fried chicken in Singapore

Birthed from the union of two of the most popular chicken restaurants in South Korea, you can be sure that Oven & Fried Chicken knows its stuff. Choose from a range of grill-roasted chicken ($32/whole chicken, $17/half chicken), oil-free crunch chicken ($33/whole chicken, $18/half chicken), fried chicken prepared with rice flour ($33/whole chicken, $18/half chicken), and seasoned chicken ($35/whole chicken, $20/half chicken), which comes in sauces like sweet and spicy, Jambalaya and garlic. Oven & Fried Chicken also offers lunch sets ($9.90-$15) – and for the full Korean experience, wash it all down with a bowl of rice punch ($4).

Busan-born Bonchon has found loyal customers here in Singapore, with five outlets around the island. Its chicken wings are double fried and the special sauce is flown in from Korea. Our favourite is the spicy wings ($8.90/six pieces) – the crisp, flavourful batter holds a fleeting burn that bites you before yielding to sweet garlic notes.

Tucked away in East Village, this no-frills Korean restaurant serves up a variety of hearty favourites, from pajeon (savoury pancake) and bibimbap to budae-jjiggae (army stew) and bulgogi. The joint is most known for its fried chicken, however, with the conventional soy garlic ($9.90 for 6pcs) and spicy versions ($10.90 for 6pcs), as well as the bite-sized cheesy popcorn chicken ($8). The restaurant frequently runs one-for-one promotions, as well as limited-run, local-inspired flavours like the salted egg fried chicken, so look out for announcements on its Facebook page. 

This halal Korean fast food joint serves up street food and fried chicken. On the menu is a variety of Korean staples, like the house signature Jinjja wings and drumlets in soya garlic and yangnyeom glazes ($7.90 for six pieces), dessert staple patbingsu ($5.90) as well as inventions like the tofu burger ($6.90) and tteokbokki fries ($3.50-$4.50).

The sauces here are imported directly from Seoul, and the fresh chicken carted in daily sits in the marinade for over six hours. Chir Chir’s (say: ‘chi-ruh chi-ruh’) seven-piece wing sets (from $27.90) are pricey, but worth it. Crispy Fried lets out a loud, gratifying crunch, Garlicky lives up to its name and the spicy sauce is racy – we had a hard time picking a favourite. Bonus marks for the sweet potato cubes and fried toppoki.

One of the first restaurants to bring Korean fried chicken to Singapore, Kko Kko Nara has its chicken delivered fresh every day, before deep frying it in a secret blend of flours and draping it in spicy, garlic, or spicy-garlic sauces. Ma Neul Gan Jang ($18 for eight pieces), its version of garlic soy, is the hot seller here, but there are also a whole host of other popular Korean dishes, like the sam gye tang (Ginseng chicken soup) ($28), dak bal (spicy chicken feet) ($30) and more. 

Pizza Maru might not be known for its fried chicken first and foremost, but the joint sure does it well. Its garlic dak gangjeong is a bestseller, but if you want to change it up, its fried chicken also comes in other variations like the sweet chilli, honey butter, and cheese sprinkles (all $16.80 for six pieces). The Italian-inspired menu also has pasta, risotto, and of course, pizza. 

This made-in-Singapore brand has kiosks for takeaways, but head to its K-Town (that’s Tanjong Pagar for you) outlet for the full chimaek experience. The options here come in Spicy Up ($18/four pieces), soy ganjang ($12/four pieces) and sweet yangnyum chilli ($12/four pieces) seasonings – we gravitate to the hits of umami from the soy garlic. Have it with the watermelon soju ($38), served in a cored-out melon, no less.

The location's nothing to shout about, but Waker Chicken gets the job done right, possibly due to its extremely simple menu. It serves up only three flavours of fried chicken in bone-in (half for $12, whole for $22) and boneless ($5 for four pieces, $10 for eight pieces) options. There's the classic soy, sweet spicy, and a kid-favourite honey butter. To fill you up, it also offers seaweed rolls with rice ($5 for five pieces). 

Looking like KFC got a hip Brooklyn makeover, the halal-certified 4 Fingers was all the rage when it first opened. The queues have considerably thinned with new entrants in the Korean fried chicken market, but the joint is still popular for its fuss-free menu. There's soy garlic and hot sauce wings served á la carte ($8.45/six pieces) as well as combo meals ($10.95/six pieces) with a drink and a side of kimchi or seaweed-topped fries.