Jensen Huang's K-chicken tour puts Korean fried chicken's global rise in the spotlight

The ultimate K-chicken tour — by someone who really knows how to eat.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's latest visit to South Korea drew affectionate jokes from younger Koreans after he was spotted eating Korean fried chicken multiple times at major events, as he had on previous trips. His widely watched itinerary put K-chicken back in the global spotlight.

His love of K-chicken is not limited to his visits to Korea. Huang has said he regularly stops by "99 Chicken," a Korean-style pub near Nvidia's headquarters in Silicon Valley.

So what makes K-chicken so irresistible? Foreign media outlets and market research firms have analyzed from multiple angles why South Korea — not the birthplace of fried chicken — managed to turn it into a global phenomenon, offering explanations that range from global trends to the science of cooking.

Four factors stand out. Two are culinary and scientific — adding starch to the batter and frying the chicken twice. Two are market-driven — Korean-style sauces and the expansion of delivery platforms.

Korean fried chicken stays crispy even after being coated in sauce. Foreign media have taken particular note of this crunch. US food outlet Tasting Table, citing a local chef, said Korean fried chicken batter is made by combining wheat flour with cornstarch, potato starch or rice flour — a blend that is key to achieving that signature crispy texture.

Wheat flour's gluten forms the basic structure of the batter, but moisture becomes trapped inside the thick gluten network during frying and struggles to escape, leaving the coating soggy.

Starch ingredients, by contrast, contain no gluten. When they hit hot oil, moisture escapes easily, producing a thinner, crispier coating. That is the science behind the crunch.

The second factor is the double-fry technique. Frying the chicken twice drives off most of the remaining moisture, making the coating crispier and allowing it to hold its crunch after being sauced. US culinary outlet America's Test Kitchen called double-frying "the key secret behind Korean fried chicken's worldwide popularity," describing the method as frying the chicken until the skin just begins to crisp, pulling it out to rest for a few minutes, then returning it to the oil. The first fry cooks the meat through; the second crisps the exterior.

That crunch stimulates the palate not just through texture but through sound. A 2004 study from the University of Oxford found that the crackling sound of biting into fried chicken sends positive signals to the brain, boosting overall satisfaction with the food.

Global market research firm Dataintelo examined Korean fried chicken's popularity through the lens of shifting flavor trends and distribution. Its report said the Korean fried chicken market is the result of a combination of forces: the hallyu wave, the growth of online food delivery platforms, the scalability of the franchise model, and rising demand among 18-to-35-year-olds for bold, distinctive flavors.

The report particularly highlighted the influence of Korean-style sauces, saying that gochujang, honey butter and soy garlic — among other distinctly Korean options — set Korean fried chicken apart from other fast-food chicken offerings.

According to the Dataintelo report, the global Korean fried chicken market was worth $28.4 billion (about 43.19 trillion won) last year and is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 7.6% from 2026 through 2034.