Chicko Chicken: Korean fried chicken in Burnaby

Chicko Chicken is a Korean fried chicken chain with locations in Burnaby and Coquitlam. We first heard from them from a direct mailer in which I had mistakenly thought their name was “Chicken Chicken”. I even joked, “this place doesn’t sound good”.

I was very wrong. This is now my favourite Korean fried chicken place.

You will not find Chicko Chicken on any of your delivery apps, but they do have their own online ordering system if you go on their website. They also have their own app. We usually pick up our order and it takes approximately 20 minutes if you order in-person. This is because they make it when you order.

Food

Half and half ($24)

The “half and half” is the most popular order at Korean fried chicken joints. Half and half just means you get a half order of one flavour and a half order of a second flavour. Usually, the 2 flavours are set: the classic original fried chicken and “special sauce” (sweet & spicy) fried chicken.

I really like Chicko Chicken’s half & half because you can actually choose your 2 flavours. This is not an option many palces offer. You can choose between their original, soy garlic, yangyeom (special sauce), and buldak (spicy). All half & half orders come with a drink and radish as a side dish.

For our half & half, we like to order their original and soy garlic because it is very close to my favourite wings flavour, honey garlic. The chicken might be the best tasting Korean fried chicken I’ve had in Vancouver so far and I think the key reason is because of the batter and fried texture. It is very crunchy! Crunchier than Church’s chicken. Even with the soy garlic sauce, the exterior is crunchy with the meat inside moist.

Padak ($14/$25)

Padak is one of my favourite Korean fried chicken “flavours”. They take the original fried chicken and soak it in some soy-mustard sauce at the bottom (it’s not tossed, so it’s mostly sauce at the bottom) and a heap of scallions on top.

Another great thing about Chicko Chicken is that you can get a half order of padak ($14) or a full order ($25). At most Korean fried chicken restaurants, you can only choose a full order.

The padak sauce from Chicko Chicken is a little thicker than what I am used to but it is awesome. We use it more as a dip because it has a thicker texture.

Shake shake fries ($3)

The “shake shake” is cheese seasoning, or cheese powder that you pour into your bag of fries and then shake up before you eat it.

One strange thing is that Chicko Chicken’s shake shake fries are cheaper than their regular fries ($4). We think they may be using old fries and that’s why it’s cheaper. We have no other plausible reason for why this is.

Fries are pretty average but with the cheese seasoning, they taste a little more special.

Final thoughts

Loewe’s rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I always tell people now that Chicko Chicken is my favourite Korean fried chicken restaurant. The Burnaby location is hidden in the back of a busy street so you almost need to really look for it, otherwise you won’t even know it’s there.

I love their fried chicken so any additional sauces and toppings just give me a new variation of the fried chicken I love. Their flexible ordering system makes it even better (being able to choose half & half flavours, for example). I do find that their bone-in option makes the chicken more delicious vs. their boneless option.

If you are nearby a Chicko Chicken location, please give them a try!

Sincerely, Loewe