A little while ago, I had written about the Black Label Chicken that KFC Korea makes, and had missed an opportunity to try the original recipe version of the Black Label Chicken.
With the release of KFC’s new Chi-re-re Chicken (more on this later) I figured it was a good chance to go back and check out the newer versions of the Black Label Chicken as well as another snack that has been quite popular here in Korea.
The location I went to was not very busy despite it being dinner time, and so it was no problem to order. However after choosing my items from the self-ordering system the staff member mentioned that it would take 15 minutes for the Original Recipe Black Label Chicken! I accepted this, as it meant that it would be hot and fresh at least.
After doing some web-surfing on my phone and looking around the restaurant, my order number was finally called. I took my empty cup, went to the drink station, put in some cola, and then proceeded to the second floor to find a table.
Looking at the small size of the different items that I had ordered, I was a little afraid that I might still be hungry after eating everything.
For this meal, I had chosen 1 piece of Original Recipe Black Label Chicken, 1 piece of Chi-re-re Black Label Chicken, and a snack size of the Fried Chicken Skin with salsa sauce included.
The first thing I tried was the Fried Chicken Skin. I had tried this once before and found it quite tasty, although it can quickly become too much of a good thing.
Today was quite a similar situation. Without any meat to balance it, the Fried Chicken Skin is very salty and greasy. The first time I tried it, the Fried Chicken Skin was fresh out of the fryer, and was hot and tender. Today I think it had been sitting for a while (waiting for my Original Recipe Black Label Chicken to finish) and it was overly crunchy and hard on the teeth. It reminded me a lot of pork cracklings, which are fine in very small doses.
It was quite a disappointing experience, and I found that the Salsa sauce, which was not included a few months ago, didn’t add much to the experience. I found myself wishing for the sweet chili sauce that KFC sells.
Next I tried the Original Recipe Black Label Chicken. This was a complete 180 from the Fried Chicken Skin. It was hot and fresh (thank you 15 minute wait!) and the meat was well cooked and soft and tender. The flavor of the coating was outstanding, and absolutely reflected the good old famous 11 herbs and spices.
I was a little surprised at the strange marks on the outside of the coating, but it did nothing to take away from the taste.
Finally, I tried the Chi-re-re Black Label Chicken. The chicken piece inside is one of the Hot and Crispy Black Label Chicken pieces, and it is coated with a generous amount of cheese powder.
I was actually quite excited to try this, as I love cheese, and was mightily disappointed when I did.
The chicken inside was fine, but the cheese powder on the outside was much too dry and overpowering. The flavor was much like Macaroni and Cheese powder that you might get from boxed pasta. There was a kick of spiciness to it, but this didn’t improve the taste. Frankly, I didn’t enjoy this at all.
Overall, the meal was not great. 1 out of 3 is not a good ratio! I think if you love chicken skin, and can handle the saltiness and greasiness, then the Fried Chicken Skin might be perfect for you. The Original Recipe Black Label Chicken I would recommend to anyone who loves KFC. As for the Chi-re-re Black Label Chicken, I personally would not try it again, but if you are really curious you could always give it a try.