KFC, Korean Fried Chicken
Cheogajip Chicken 4300 Evergreen Lane No. 102, Annandale, 703-941-1506. Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. Whole chicken, $12.99-$14.99
Went to Cheogajip in Annandale for a late lunch. For $15 I got Half of "fried chicken" and half of "hot chicken". There is a korean adage that goes something like "the deal you got is inversely proportional to how nice the package is" (it doesn't translate well but you get the idea). My chicken came in a small box for with two sides and a thing of seasoned salt. The whole thing was in a very nice paper bag with very nice "rope" handles. Best looking takeout I ever gotten.
The sides were sweet and vinegary pickled Mu (which is a crunchy radish) and cabbage with a spicy thousand island like dressing. The sides were excellent, especially the dressing. Yum.
As for the chicken in general, other then the wings or the legs, it was cut into unrecognizable small components. For me not a big deal. The "fried chicken" was well season and very nicely crisp. When I bit into it, it had a very nice crunch and the meat was very juicy. Really nice. The "Hot chicken" was even better. A very spicy and sweet coating of sauce covering some great fried chicken. It was really spicy and very addictive.
There were however, a few detracting things about the chicken. The portions were too small. For $15, I expect more than the amount I got. My box also did not have breast pieces in it. I'm supposed to be buying the whole bird and I did not really see a breast. I did get the back pieces. I know some people make the argument that for proper frying you cannot use a large bird (3lb being optimum) but hard to make that argument when you are frying in small cut up peices.
Other than the price and portion the chicken and sides rocked. How does it compare with my favorite fried chicken (popeyes), pretty darn close. It would have over taken it frankly if it werent for the cost and the small portions.
I'd still recommend it.
Soup
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viperlush
Feb 13, 2007 12:08 PM
By far my family's favorite place for fried chicken in NoVa. The coating seems thicker than it use to be but it is still flavorful and not overly greasy. Last time we were there they said that they opened a location in Fairfax. One whole chicken is good for the 3 of us with enough for one lunch.
I have eaten breast pieces (assuming the boneless pieces are breast), but I'm more of a leg and neck person. I'll have to look more closely next time.
Was the cabbage side extra? We have only gotten a large cup of the pickled Miu.
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