Move Over Colonel Sanders, Korean Fried Chicken is the New KFC

Puradak is a Korean powerhouse for fried chicken that debuted in 2014. This year, the brand is infiltrating Colonel Sanders' territory with the opening of locations across the U.S., one of which is in Dallas.

Puradak is a portmanteau of Pura (pure) and Dak, the Korean word for chicken. They've borrowed elements from the luxury brand Prada to disguise their fast food chicken brand as an elevated and premium dining experience.

All of the Puradak locations sport monochrome or black-and-white interiors with gold accents and a minimalist design. Even the to-go boxes channel handbags with their matte finish and exquisite details. Does this look like a fast food chicken advertisement to you?

Despite its efforts, the motto remains the same: "The Most Favorite Korean Chicken".
Puradak has 727 stores worldwide, 700 of which are in Korea. One of the first U.S. locations recently opened in Carrollton, just north of Little Koreatown. Another is in Buena Park, California, and a Spring Valley, Nevada, location is coming soon.

The elevated aesthetic is flawlessly executed, as this place feels more like one of those elevated brunch spots in the suburbs than the likes of KFC or Popeyes. This is a table service spot, and every table comes with a wing disposal bucket, plastic gloves to protect your hands, a wet wipe, and small plates for sharing.

Maybe it is the Prada of fast food chicken.

While everyone comes for the fried chicken, the menu also has sandwiches, rice bowls and a few sides. The photos of the bites didn't look too promising, and when a place is so well known for one thing, you can't help but be wary of other menu items. Exploration may be fit for another day.

So we just chose a large order of black aglio and gimme basak (bone-in, of course) with white rice and coleslaw.
Aside from the classic wings, all the other flavors are interesting: chili mayo, Corn So-Amazing, sweet and mabulro. You can order them bone-in or boneless and in three different sizes: small, medium or large. Prices start at around $10 for the small and go up to $30 for the large, which includes one side of your choice.

Korean fried chicken, commonly known as KFC these days, is unique from regular fried chicken because it's fried twice and has an ultra-crispy eggshell-thin crust with super juicy chicken on the inside rather than the thicker kind of breading you usually get.

Puradak, however, employs an oven-frying technique that achieves the same effect, but with fewer calories. These are less greasy, but that doesn't take away from the bold flavors.

The black aglio is "fried" and tossed in a sauce combination of deep, rich soy sauce and savory, light garlic. Whole garlic cloves are also fried and served in the basket with it. They're a sweet and savory umami bomb with an aromatic and caramelized finish. It's almost criminal that they give you gloves because you'll want to lick your fingers after these.
Gimme basak allows the crunchy exterior to take the spotlight. The wings are fried, sprinkled with a secret seaweed mixture and served with pieces of fried seaweed. The mix on top gives most of the flavor, which is nutty, salty and a little sweet. Since they're not coated in the sauce, you can also get toasted notes from the fried skin.

The experience is a little like eating a well-seasoned bowl of popcorn at the movie theater. There's a crunchy and nutty vessel for the powdery, rich seasoning. We even dipped our black aglio wings into the fallout from these wings and it was nothing short of an upgrade.

Pro tip: Order one dry wing and one saucy wing so you can eat them interchangeably—especially with the black aglio—it helps break up the richness. According to the menu, the Corn So-Amazing and chili mayo are considered the "best" flavors. We'll be on the prowl for those next time.

During April, Puradak is running a buy-one-get-one free promo from Monday to Thursday: Buy any large chicken and get a boneless medium Corn So-Amazing with a side of pickled radish free. Also, you can get BOGO flavored soju, 50% off soju, $4 draft specials and $10 pitchers all day.

With these tariffs and those deals, maybe they'll become "America's Most Favorite Korean Chicken".

Puradak Korean Premium Chicken, 3044 Old Denton Road, Monday - Thursday, 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Friday/Saturday, 11:30 a.m. - 12 a.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.