92 Chicken is a growing chain of Korean style fried chicken and they will soon be opening in Clementon NJ in a small building next to Harper’s Pub, at 5 Gibbsboro Road. Clementon Park is very close by (reopened in 2021)
The new signage is up on the building, it’s been refreshed with some new paint and a “Coming Soon” banner is flying.
That being said we do not have an exact date for the opening. Honestly in 2022 it’s just too difficult for even owners to know when they are opening until the day everything comes together (equipment, approvals).
In the last few years the Clementon building has been home to several restaurants, most recently two different Cajun seafood boils (CJ Bok, and Jersey Crab).
Many Clementon area residents will fondly remember when this building was Pete’s Cigars; selling cigars, candy and ice cream… for MANY decades in the mid-1900s.
My thanks to two readers who pointed out the new signage to me. I had seen work taking place in the building a few months ago but had no idea what until I was told the signage was going up!
92 Chicken – What is Korean Style Chicken?
According to the 92 Chicken website they have 7 open locations and 8 more coming soon, including one planned for Philadelphia.
Interestingly, they are all literally scattered all over the United States… North, East, South and West USA (as opposed to starting in one area and building out from there)
Their first Facebook post is dated November 2021 less than a year ago, so it’s very impressive they’ve been moving fast on locations in such a short time.
In South Korea this style of chicken is very popular with over 20,000 fried chicken locations generating over $3 billion in sales, and possibly becoming more popular than Korean BBQ.
And while Korean chicken can be found in the US, it seems it’s just making its way out of the more culturally diverse big cities and into suburban communities.
Korean Chicken? What makes it different?
In the US our chicken is put in a brine and then dredged in flour and buttermilk. It makes for a thicker coating on crispy breading.
Korean chicken is more light and even crispier with a thinner almost paper-like skin that is not heavily battered.
Simply American Southern “buttermilk” Fried Chicken will be a larger piece as it has a thicker breading crust, and typically more seasoning. The same piece of Korean chicken should be noticeably thinner.
Also in Southern style chicken once it’s breaded and cooked, it’s ready to eat. No one really puts sauces on it.
Korean style chicken on the other hand is meant to be served with a sauce coating.
So maybe we could say Korean chicken is a little closer to a wing preparation… thinner coating and a variety of sauces?
That all being said, the 92 Chicken online menu breaks it down into three categories
- Classic: Original Fried Chicken
- Snow Onion: Fried chicken with a pile of onions on top
- Fried Sauces: Fried chicken with sauces ranged from mild to spicy.
The online menu features over 25 different variations as well as a few non-chicken options!
In the chicken category there are choices like; Sweet Onion, Soy Garlic Spring Onion, Garlic Spicy, Curry Sweet Onion, Honey Garlic, and more
So to be very clear I am giving my researched definition of Korean fried chicken and have not had 92 Chicken’s version. Trust me I’ll be one of the first in line when they open to give them a try!
92 Chicken also offers Fried Calamari, Jumbo Shrimp, Popcorn Shrimp, Shrimp Tempura and Fish & Chips!
This is just presented as a good sampling. Check their website for the full menu.
When ordering you can specify the piece of chicken you want and they break out the menu for each style and 5 different “pieces” ranging from wings to a whole chicken!
Links and Location
92 Chicken – Coming Soon
5 Gibbsboro Road
Clementon NJ 09021
856-258-5104
92 Chicken Website
92 Chicken Facebook