Bottom Line: The Korean Style Fried Chicken Sandwich from Shake Shack does not bring much heat and it has a hefty price tag, but it still offers a nice twist on the chicken sammie.
Cluck, cluck. Chicken again. Cluck, cluck. The restaurant industry seems to think that chicken—particularly the fried variety—is the only thing they can spice up these days. Cluck, cluck. So, I had chicken again for this review. Cluck, cluck. It’s not that I don’t like the bird, but some more variety would certainly be nice. Cluck, cluck.
Anyway, my latest poultry procurement was the Korean Style Fried Chicken Sandwich from the up-and-coming burger slinger, Shake Shack. Here’s what you get with that one:
Crispy, white-meat chicken breast coated in a spicy and sweet gochujang glaze, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and topped with white kimchi slaw, featuring Choi’s Kimchi, on a toasted potato bun.
The Shack is best known for its burgers and shakes, but they do a pretty good job with the bird as well, and I usually try to check out their latest spicy options.
The chicken breast in this sandwich has a nice crust with good crunch, and the meat inside is flavorful and tender, as expected from this establishment. The gochujang glaze—which is essentially a Korean barbecue sauce—delivers a little bit of tang, a touch of smokiness, and some funk. The “kimchi slaw” adds some crunch and freshness with just a bit of nuttiness, though it is definitely much more slaw than kimchi, despite the fact that they pull out a name brand for it. The bun is pillowy with a bit of sweetness and holds everything together well. I don’t usually notice that potato buns are much different than the regular type, but this one does stand out.
As for the heat… there really isn’t any. I wouldn’t even put this at Mild on my scale, and those who can’t tolerate spicy food would likely have no problem with it. I added a few drops of Melinda’s Scorpion Pepper Sauce, though, and that really woke it up. The heat worked well with the other ingredients and made me wish that the Korean gochujang glaze had more of a kick or that they had added some jalapeños and/or hot sauce. Still, I found the sandwich rather tasty, especially after I spiced it up.
Calorie-wise, this comes in at 600 calories (they don’t give the full breakdown, though), which is not too bad for a fast-food item, but you better go easy on the sides. If you get the fries, it’s best to split those because a regular order comes up to 470 calories. And if you want those Spicy BBQ Korean Cheese Fries with the sandwich, you better plan at least an extra hour in the gym because those have a tally of 980 calories by themselves!
I do love Shake Shack, but I always prepare myself for sticker shock when I place my order. The chicken sandwich itself is $8.79 in my area, and the fries tack on another $3.89. And this is one of those places that urges you to tip, so you’re over fifteen bucks with that and tax, and you haven’t even ordered a drink yet! (I’ll take a water, please.) The Shack does use quality ingredients, and they do a good job with their sandwiches, so perhaps it justifies the cost. But at these prices, I don’t find myself visiting on a regular basis.
The Korean Style Fried Chicken Sandwich is visiting from Limited-Time-Only-Ville, and sadly, they don’t have a spicy chicken sandwich as a regular item on the menu. This new item is definitely worth checking out if the cost won’t put too much of a dent in your budget, and it should stick around for a couple of months or so. They will have another spicy item on the menu once it leaves, and I would surely like to see them take a shot at kicking up their rather tasty hot dog because I have had more than my share of chicken lately. Poultry is pretty good when spiced up, but there are plenty of other proteins that could also handle the burn. Cluck, cluck.