Fried Chicken Styles From Around The World

Fried chicken is one of the most popular dishes in America; it’s crunchy, golden brown, and unquestionably delicious. It also offers many scrumptious varieties (southern fried chicken and buffalo chicken wings instantaneously come to mind).

While most people believe that fried chicken is quintessentially American, fried chicken truly knows no borders and has become a treasured phenomenon across the globe. Cultures have had lots of time to perfect this marvelous dish, since fried chicken has centuries of history behind it. From the lively streets of Seoul, to the spirited markets of San Juan, the art of frying chicken has morphed into an eclectic montage of dishes that embody unique cultural factors and regional flavors.

Though recipes may vary substantially from country to country, one thing is always in play: the end product of a crunchy outside with a juicy, flavorful inside is a must. We’ll cover some of the best international fried chicken dishes that just might motivate you to pack your bags and try them for yourself .

Of course this would not be a complete list by any stretch of the imagination unless we expanded it to about 100. However, consider it a gateway to the varied and incredible world of fried chicken.

Japan: Karaage

Also known as dry frying, karaage is a Japanese cooking technique in which various foods are lightly coated in arrowroot starch and then deep fried. The use of arrowroot starch preserves the natural water content of fried foods and produces a crispy outer surface. (Wheat flour, tapioca, or potato starch can also be used.)

Karaage can be used for frying various meats and fish, but is most often associated with chicken. You’ll most commonly find karaage, a bite-size fried chicken appetizer, in traditional Izakayas (pubs), in home served meals, and in convenience stores throughout Japan.

There is something about Japanese fried food that is more refreshing than filling. Perhaps it’s the light fry batter or the low fat oil typically used in Japan fryers. Whatever the case, karaage starts with chicken marinated with soy sauce, ginger, sake, and mirin (sweet cooking wine), and then lightly coated with arrowroot starch and deep fried. When the dish is served it will usually come with a lemon garnish and mayonnaise based sauce, either drizzled over the top of the chicken or on the side.

Karaage is a versatile style of fried chicken eaten on its own as street food, on top of a hearty rice bowl, or enjoyed alongside a cold beer. The crispy, tender chicken pieces appeal to both kids and adults alike and can be found in school lunches and on bar menus, evoking childhood remembrance and memories of good times in the company of friends.

Indonesia: Ayam Goreng

In its basic form, Indonesian style fried chicken consists of chicken cuts, preferably bone-in pieces such as thighs and drumsticks, which are marinated in spices, then shortly braised before being fried until golden and crispy.

The marinade is typically based on traditional spices such as lemon grass, galangal, turmeric and tamarind, but since the dish is enjoyed throughout the country, it comes in numerous regional variations that may include other spices and marinades, or include various additions such as grated coconut or rice flour crumbs.
All varieties of ayam goreng can be enjoyed as individual dishes, usually accompanied by rice, raw vegetables or salads, however, ayam goreng is also a common side dish at Indonesian banquet-style meals.

Singapore: Har Cheong Gai

The name of the Singaporean dish translates as ‘shrimp paste chicken’. The concept of shrimp paste combined with chicken may be foreign to our Westernized taste buds, but there’s a reason why this dish is hugely popular in Singapore, China, and many other Southeast Asian countries.

Har cheong gai provides a unique unami-packed flavor with its mixture of prawn paste, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and sweet cooking wine. These ingredients are added to chicken drumsticks (or wings), then a light mix of potato flour, baking powder, and rice flour is combined and coated onto the chicken. After at least 4 hours the chicken is ready to fry. Because flour is part of the marinade, the chicken goes right into hot oil, and results in a golden and crispy chicken that is packed with flavor.

The chicken is usually served with a chili sauce made with tomatoes, sugar, salt, and red chilis blended together to add a sweet and spicy element to the chicken.

Dominican Republic: Pica Pollo

 is a big player in the Dominican Republic fried chicken world. It has maintained its presence despite the overwhelming foreign fast food chains that have popped up in the major cities of this island country.

Like the ayam goreng, Pico Pollo chicken is cooked in spices before frying, which works as the marinade. Drumsticks or thighs are boiled with onion, lime juice, oregano, garlic, and other spices until it’s cooked all the way through.

The chicken is then battered in a combination of flour, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and onion powder, then fried for a few minutes until the outside is crunchy and golden brown. Add a side of tostones (fried plantain chips) or mangu (mashed plantains and spices) and you will see why fast food chicken chains can’t hold a candle to authentic pico pollo.

India: Chicken 65

Chicken 65 is a classic poultry dish with origins in Chennai, India. It consists of deep fried chicken that is marinated in ginger, lemon, red chillies, yogurt, turmeric, and curry leaves. After an hour or more the chicken is coated with cornstarch and flour and fried.

There are a few theories about the origin of chicken 65. The most popular theory is that it was created at the Buhari Hotel in Tami Nadu, a southern state in India, in 1965. The hotel created many popular versions of fried chicken throughout the years, giving each dish the name of the year it was created. 

Before the dish is served some places “temper” the chicken by adding an extra element: curry leaves and green chiles are fried in oil with minced garlic and red chili paste. The chicken is then tossed with these ingredients leaving a bright red, spicy coating.

You’ll find the dish throughout India and on menus of Indian restaurants in the United States and around the world. Ingredients may differ slightly from restaurant to restaurant, but the main spices of chili powder, turmeric, and curry leaves are always staples giving the dish it’s delicious flavor.

Japan: Teba Shio

Teba shio is a traditional chicken dish originating from Japan. The dish is usually made with a combination of chicken wings, garlic, sake, lime juice, salt, and shichimi (aka “seven flavor chili pepper”). This spice mix contains seven ingredients: red chili pepper, sansha pepper, hemp seeds or poppy seeds, white sesame seeds or black sesame seeds, ground ginger, yuzu or mandarin orange peel, and nori. The wings are mixed with salt, garlic, and sake, and then marinated for about an hour before they’re fried on both sides until golden brown.

Once done the wings are arranged on a plate and sprinkled with lime juice, shichimi, and salt. The dish is served immediately and usually paired with a glass of beer.

Teba shio is especially popular in izakayas (informal Japanese bars that serve alcoholic drinks and snacks).

Austria: Backhendl

Backhendl or Vienna fried chicken, is a simple recipe that is a highlight of Austrian meals. The dish’s history started all the way back to the beginning of the 18th century when fried chicken was a delicacy exclusive to the aristocracy. Throughout the years, poultry became an ever-popular food in Austria, and now this fried chicken is a staple all over the country.

The classic fried chicken flavors of salt, pepper, and lemon juice are rubbed in a whole chicken. It is then cut into pieces that are dipped in egg wash, coated in flour, and then in breadcrumbs before they are fried until golden and crispy.

Today, the dish is usually served with lemon wedges and topped with parsley fried in the chicken’s oil. As a meal, the chicken usually comes with traditional Austrian potato salad.

Italy: Pollo Fritto Alla Fiorentina

Pollo fritto alla fiorentina is a traditional Italian dish originating from Florence. The dish is usually made with a combination of chicken pieces, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, rosemary, eggs, flour, bay leaves, salt and white pepper. The chicken pieces are marinated in a mixture of lemon juice, parsley, rosemary, bay leaves, garlic cloves, salt, and white pepper. The pieces are drained, dipped in a batter consisting of flour and eggs then fried in hot oil until golden brown.

The dish is seasoned with a pinch of salt and garnished with lemon slices and parsley sprigs before it’s served piping hot.

Brazil: Frango A Passarinho

The Brazilian version of fried chicken is a garlic lover’s dream come true. Frango a passarinho has a somewhat comical English translation: “chicken like a little bird”. The name is a reference to the bite-sized pieces that are used. A whole roasting chicken is reduced to mini morsels, you are effectively making a “little bird” from the bigger bird or chicken.

Because the drinking culture begins late at night, Brazilians usually eat a full meal before heading out. The chicken is a petisco, or finger food, cut into really small bite-sized pieces and is meant to nibble on to help soak up the alcohol.

A simple marinade of garlic, lime juice, salt, and pepper is used to pump up flavor in the fried chicken. A little brown sugar for sweetness. Some fresh chopped cilantro for an herbaceous kick. After marinating for an hour, a breading of cornstarch is added to give the outside a light crispy texture. Before frying the chicken, lime slices are first flash fried in oil, and then garlic is fried in the same oil. More oil is added to fry the chicken. Finally the bite sized fried chicken is served with the fried lime wedges and crispy fried garlic.

South Korea: Chikin

Chikin or Korean fried chicken (KFC) is a popular dish in Korean cuisine that consists of battered and deep fried chicken pieces. Fried chicken was introduced to South Korea by the American military during the Korean War in the 1950s. American soldiers brought the concept of fried chicken to the country, and it quickly gained popularity among Koreans.

Korean fried chicken is known for being extra crunchy and is often dunked in a punchy sauce. Bone in chicken pieces or chicken wings are popular. The chicken is dipped in a thin cornstarch batter and double fried resulting in a shatteringly crispy exterior.

They can be served plain, called huraideu for maximum crunchy, but yangnyeom tongdak is probably the most popular preparation. The chicken is covered in a bright red sweet and spicy sauce that combines Korean fermented red pepper paste called gochujang, garlic, rice syrup, and ketchup.

Although many countries enjoy fried chicken with a cold beer, South Korea takes this iconic pairing to another level making it a national pastime. Chimaek, a phrase combining the Korean words for chicken and beer, refers to this cultural phenomenon of eating fried chicken accompanied by beer as a way to relax and gather with friends.

USA: Southern Fried Chicken

Perhaps the most iconic style of chicken in the world, Southern fried chicken is a signature dish of the United States. Brined in buttermilk, the chicken tenderizes before being coated in seasoned flour, then fried crisp and golden brown. Traditionally, the chicken is broken down into breast, wings, and thighs for frying and is served in combinations of white or dark meat. From fast food chains to renowned soul restaurants, fried chicken is a beloved dish that speaks to the heart of Southern cooking.

It all started during the colonization period, when Scottish immigrants settled in the South, bringing their fried chicken recipes along. Once in the American South, the cooking method was adopted by enslaved African Americans who both cooked the dish in the kitchens of white enslavers and adapted the most common fried chicken recipes to their own tastes. However, it’s worth noting that the enslaved African Americans didn’t just take the Scottish recipes as they were; instead they applied West African frying and braising techniques which resulted in a new, perfected version of the dish more akin to the traditional southern fried chicken that you see today.

Despite a bitter legacy tied to slavery and racism, fried chicken remains a celebrated dish that comforts and brings people together in communities across America. Whether packed in a greasy take-out box, piled high on a tray at family reunion, or lovingly made for a weekend dinner, Southern fried chicken is an icon of American cooking.

Nigeria: Peppered Chicken

In Nigeria you’ll find a spicy and delicious fried chicken that takes the best of all worlds and puts it into a single dish. This is a classic example of a “dressed” or “wetted” fried chicken, a distant cousin of Nashville’s famed “hot chicken”.

Nigerian chickens are chewier, drier and less plump than their US counterparts due to the way these chickens are raised. However, this added toughness makes it possible for Nigerians to slowly cook their chicken for hours prior to frying .

The chicken is slowly sauteed in a sauce of stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, shallots, red bell peppers, onion, curry paste, scotch bonnets, and dried thyme. The chicken, being well-coated, is then fried in oil for a crispy finish. It’s a complex dish that’s insanely satisfying.

Thailand: Gai Tod

Thai fried chicken is all about the marinade. It’s a flavor bomb with a unami edge under a sweet and funky bite. The chicken is marinated for at least two hours in a mix of crushed garlic, coriander root, fish sauce, sugar, and spicy chili powder. Next, the chicken is drenched in rice flour and deep fried at a very high heat. Finally, it is fried one more time at a lower heat. At the very end, the chicken goes into a wok with Nahm Prik Pao (a spicy fermented chili paste in soybean oil) and sugar reduction. This adds an extra layer of spice. Sometimes the Nahm Prik Pao is part of the marinade and the reduction coating is skipped; it really depends on where in Thailand you are. Either way, it is some of the best street food in the world.

A Quick Look at a Few More Fried Chicken Styles

Taiwan: Popcorn chicken is a classic consisting of bite-sized pieces of chicken marinated in soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice wine, and various spices. The pieces are coated in potato or cornstarch and deep fried until crispy.

Vietnam: No Escape Chicken (Dui ga bo xoi) is a traditional Vietnamese dish, made by wrapping chicken drumsticks in sticky rice then deep frying in hot oil. Other ingredients include garlic, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, five spice powder, mint, and turmeric.

USA: Nashville Hot Chicken is a signature dish of Nashville, Tennessee, traditionally consisting of chicken parts that are fried in cayenne pepper paste until they develop a rusty red color. It is usually served on white bread with sliced pickles or coleslaw on the side.

China|USA: General Tso’s chicken is a Chinese-American sweet and spicy dish consisting of chicken pieces that are first deep fried, then stir-fried together with ginger, garlic, scallions, and hot chili pepper in a sauce made from sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and rice wine.

A Crunchy Finish

Across the globe, unique styles of fried chicken can be found in street corner stalls, fast food takeaways, and on family dinner tables. With so many ways to marinate and season, each country’s signature style of fried chicken has evolved to reflect it’s distinct history, culture and tastes.