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Choong Man Chicken 9850 N Milwaukee Ave (Glenview)


Choong Man's Korean fried chicken packs a crunch. They offer fried chicken a number of ways, including tenders, in sandwiches, salads, rice bowls and of course, just platters, mounded onto plates.

But there are quite a few unique touches.

"We marinate for 24 hours before we fry. It can have a very unique taste. Very important that we get a unique sauce from South Korea, from the franchise headquarters. We submerge the chicken in that sauce for 24 hours," said Manager Denny Kim.

The dredging process alone is worth noting. All-natural, never-frozen chicken is marinated, then dredged - aggressively - in that proprietary mix. Then a brief dip in water - that's what promotes a craggly exterior - then a second dredge and a vigorous shake to remove excess flour, then finally into the oil, where it fries until golden brown.

At this point, you have four sauce options, including garlic-soy, creamy curry or spicy barbecue.

Then, in a move rarely, if ever, seen locally, the chicken is placed into a heavy duty oven, fed by hardwood charcoal, where it roasts for a few more minutes, sealing and solidifying the exterior.

At this point, it's ready to eat. Or, you could have it mounded with soy-tossed and shredded scallions. Consider getting the snow onion treatment, which is a massive handful of shaved white onions, drenched in a creamy white sauce, for a cool contrast to that hotter, crispier chicken.

Sidebar: They are following all Covid safety protocols & offer outdoor seating under a tent.