Dolgoji Market chicken shop, two chickens for 30,000 won: Hidongi

Takeout chicken from Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch after shopping at Dolgoji Market

After grocery shopping at Dolgoji Market (돌곶이시장) one weekend, I picked up two chickens to go from Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch on the way home. I had been happy with Hidongi Chicken's Jeonnong branch before, so this time I chose the Seokgwan branch.

A few days ago, my husband and I took our dog Byeol to Dolgoji Market for groceries. We bought vegetables, side dishes and all sorts of things, and on the way home my husband asked, "How about chicken and beer tonight?" One place came to mind right away: Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch, a Dolgoji Market favorite. I'd been really satisfied with the Jeonnong branch before, so this time I decided to order takeout from the Seokgwan branch.

• Hours: Mon–Fri 15:00 to 06:30 the next day / Sat–Sun 12:00 to 06:30 the next day (as listed in the original)
• Takeout, delivery and a waiting area available; high oil price relief support funds accepted

Where is Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch?

Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch sits right in front of Dolgoji Market, at the market entrance under a blue sign, so it's easy to find. It's a perfect spot to pick up chicken on the way home from shopping.

As you wander through the market, a blue sign at the entrance catches your eye. That's Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch. It's so handy for grabbing takeout after shopping that customers kept coming in. If you're looking for a good eat near Dolgoji Market, browsing the market and then taking chicken home seems like a really nice route.

What's on the menu and how much is the takeout discount?

Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch has a wide menu, including fried, yangnyeom, garlic soy, gochujang chicken and spicy chicken, and takes ₩3,000 off one chicken or ₩7,000 off two for takeout. Given chicken prices these days, the discount alone is a big plus.

The menu board out front showed a good variety: fried, yangnyeom, garlic soy, gochujang chicken, spicy chicken and more. What I liked most was the takeout discount: ₩3,000 off for one chicken, ₩7,000 off for two. Considering chicken prices these days, that discount alone is quite a draw.

We ordered ✔ one fried and ✔ one yangnyeom, two bone-in chickens, and with the takeout discount it came to exactly ₩30,000. Two chickens for ₩30,000 isn't easy to find these days, so it felt like really good value.

How was the takeout packaging?

At Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch, the fried and yangnyeom chicken came packed separately, with two packs of chicken radish pickles (chikin-mu) and salt. The box design was cute and neat too.

The packaging was tidy too. The chickens were packed separately so they wouldn't go soggy, and they generously included two packs of pickled radish and salt. The box design was cute and the neat packing put me in a good mood from the moment I received it.

How does the crispy fried chicken taste?

Hidongi Chicken's crispy fried has a thin, crunchy coating, juicy meat and almost no oily smell. When it comes to fried chicken, the basics are still the best.

First, the crispy fried. The moment I opened the box, a savory smell rose up. The coating wasn't too thick and was crunchy, crunchy-

Biting in, the meat was really juicy. There was hardly any oily smell and it tasted clean. One bite with salt, the next with pickled radish. The beer went down so easily.

Is Hidongi Chicken's yangnyeom chicken spicy?

Hidongi Chicken's yangnyeom isn't harshly spicy; it's sweet with a slight kick, like old-style yangnyeom chicken. Even with plenty of sauce, the coating stayed crunchy.

Personally, I really liked the yangnyeom too. Lots of sauces these days are aggressively spicy, but Hidongi Chicken's has an old-style feel. The sweet, slightly spicy sauce soaked nicely into the crunchy coating.

The sauce wasn't overly sticky, so I never got tired of it, and alternating with the fried made a great combination.

I also liked that the coating stayed crunchy despite all that sauce.

Chicken and beer at home after shopping

I had the Hidongi Chicken I'd picked up at Dolgoji Market for dinner at home with my husband and beer. Half a chicken vanished in no time.

As soon as we got home, my husband and I pulled out the beer. Cheers! Maybe chicken tastes better after a shopping trip, because one piece, then two, and half a chicken disappeared in a flash. When Byeol smelled the chicken, she kept sitting beside us with sparkling eyes, which made dinner even more fun.

Overall verdict on Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch

Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch satisfied on all four counts: crunchy fried chicken, sweet old-style yangnyeom, neat packaging and value from the takeout discount. Two chickens for ₩30,000 at this quality, I'd be getting takeout often.

I was happy with the Jeonnong branch before, and this Seokgwan branch of Hidongi Chicken was also better than expected.

• Crunchy fried chicken
• Sweet, old-style yangnyeom
• Neat packaging
• Excellent value thanks to the takeout discount

These four things were especially satisfying. Chicken prices feel burdensome these days, but two chickens for ₩30,000 at this quality means I'll likely order takeout often. If you want tasty chicken to take home after shopping at Dolgoji Market, Hidongi Chicken Seokgwan Branch is a Dolgoji Market favorite, and I can happily recommend it to anyone looking for good chicken in Seokgwan-dong. Next time I shop at Dolgoji Market, I'll probably end up stopping by Hidongi Chicken first again.