Korea’s beloved fried chicken is here!

Lee Min-ho. Park Seo-joon. Ji Chang-wook. Kim Seon-ho. Enhypen. Itzy. Stray Kids. Baekhyun. Over the years, Bench has brought some of Korea’s biggest stars to the Philippines.

This time, they’re welcoming another Korean favorite to the country: BHC Chicken.

“The Bench Group is known for bringing K-pop and K-drama stars to the Philippines. We wanted to introduce something different this time—one of Korea’s most beloved culinary brands,” said Bryan Lim, vice president for business development of Suyen Corporation, the company behind the Bench Group of brands. “BHC Chicken is a household name in Korea, and we believe Filipinos will appreciate its unique flavors and quality.”

Bringing BHC Chicken to the Philippines is the result of a partnership between Dining Brands Group, which owns BHC Chicken, Suyen Corporation, and B.V. Cuisine Inc., the Bench arm that also runs Maisen Tonkatsu, Paul, St. Marc Café, and Marugame Udon.

On July 29, BHC Chicken opened its first store in the Philippines at SM North Edsa. At the event, Dining Brands Group CEO David Song thanked SM Supermalls president Steven Tan for introducing them to Suyen Corporation.

Steven told The Philippine STAR, "We get a lot of concepts that want to expand their business in the Philippines—from China, Korea, Japan or the US—so we bridge them. We also travel a lot and sometimes we reach out to brands because we want them in our malls. That's something that we do a lot—business matching. We have referred several to Suyen Corporation because they are very good in operating, whether it's food or fashion. They're really the best in class."

David praised Suyen Corporation, crediting Bryan and president Virgilio Lim for doing “an amazing job” bringing BHC Chicken to the Philippines. “They’re very, very detail-oriented and really focused on quality,” he said.

BHC Chicken has around 2,230 stores in Korea. It opened its first overseas store in Hong Kong in 2018. It then made its way to the United States, Taiwan, Indonesia, and now, the Philippines. According to David, expanding here was an easy decision—after all, the Philippines is one of the world’s largest fried chicken markets. We Filipinos just love our chicken.

Unique flavor

BHC Chicken is Korea’s top fried chicken brand, David said. “If you’ve ever visited Korea, you’ll know that BHC Chicken is number one because we have a very, very unique flavor, Bburinkle. It literally means sprinkle, and if you look at the chicken, it’s been sprinkled with cheese, spices, and herbs. It brings a lot of happiness to people when they take that first bite. I'd really love for everyone in the Philippines to have that smile on their face when they have their first experience of Bburinkle."

Koreans have enjoyed over 100 million servings of this sweet and savory chicken. And after tasting it, I can see why Bburinkle is really popular. The flavor is addictive and goes so well with the juicy chicken and the crispy skin.

Bryan said, "Its flavor is truly unique. BHC’s chicken has a distinct Korean taste while still being very appealing to the Filipino palate. The brand offers signature flavors that have earned a loyal following in Korea and around the world."

At the opening, everyone was talking about Bburinkle. BHC Chicken first-timers have to order it, said Bryan. “It’s our bestselling signature item. If you enjoy spicy food, try the Hot Bburinkle. We also recommend the chicken burger, and don’t leave without ordering the cheese balls. They’re also a must-try and are incredibly popular.”

David agreed, "It's not just the fried chicken. You also have to have the Bburinkle cheese balls and Bburinkle french fries."

The Hot Bburinkle is perfect for those who want a kick. "We adjusted the spice levels to better suit local preferences while making sure we preserved the authentic BHC flavors,” said Bryan. 

Don’t worry though, it’s still pretty spicy. I was sniffling after just one piece.

Also on the menu is Matcho King which is covered in a blend of aged soy sauce and honey—a guaranteed hit with soy-garlic chicken lovers. There’s also the sweet and spicy Yangnyeom and Red King, which is covered in a fiery chili pepper sauce. BHC Chicken also serves classic, original-style Korean fried chicken called Retro.

Rice, fries, spaghetti or japchae

The chicken comes in orders of four, six or eight pieces. Meals are also available—you can get one- or two-piece chicken in the flavor of your choice with rice, fries, spaghetti or japchae and with or without soda. There are group meals available too. The meals are something BHC Chicken created for the Philippine market.

David said, “In Korea, chicken is actually not a meal concept. Chicken and beer—it's a late-night, after-dinner occasion. But in the Philippines, chicken is a meal. It's a mainstay for many households. We realized that here, you need to have chicken but you also have to have rice. You have to have noodles. You have to have spaghetti. And we respect that. We localized it.”

But those who want to enjoy chicken and beer can do so as well—BHC Chicken serves San Miguel Light, San Miguel Pale Pilsen and draft beer. You can order sauces to go with your chicken—Yangnyeom, Ranch, Matcho King, Sweet Habanero and Bburing-Bburing, which I particularly enjoyed with my Bburinkle.

BHC Chicken also serves tteokbokki, another Korean favorite.

Fried chicken fans can look forward to more flavors from BHC Chicken in the future. There are two recent additions that have been doing very well in Korea—Kwasak King which promises "extreme crunchiness," thanks to a potato, rice and corn crumble, and a curry Bburinkle flavor called Curringkle.

"Both those products are being tested by the team here in the Philippines. We're hoping to bring those new flavors to the Philippines market," said David.

It took a year to bring BHC Chicken to the Philippines—and this is only the beginning. The brand is set to open next at SM Megamall and SM Mall of Asia. "We’re also excited to open at NAIA Terminal 3 to serve both travelers and locals. Our goal is to open at least 50 stores in the Philippines over the coming years,” Bryan said.

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BHC Chicken is at the upper ground floor of the City Center in SM North EDSA.