Episode 120: The Chicken Artisan
Lee Chang-jin asked a man who appeared to be the sous-chef,
“Sous-chef Lim, how is the product development going?”
“It’s still lacking. We occasionally get feedback from tasting panels, but since opinions are divided, it seems the brining base is not perfect yet.”
Brining refers to the process of seasoning and aging the meat. The reason why the taste of chicken seasoned with pepper and salt at home differs significantly from the chicken sold outside is due to the difference in brining.
Especially for chicken, brining is much more important than for other meats. Brining not only tenderizes the potentially tough chicken meat but also helps to remove the characteristic smell of chicken. It’s an essential step in chicken cooking because it plays a crucial role in seasoning the meat.
In fact, it can be said that 70% of the chicken’s taste comes from brining.
However, brining is not something that can be done easily. The ingredients that go into the brine are incredibly diverse: salt, sugar, garlic, ginger, pepper, kelp, rosemary, oregano, bay leaves, and so on. The problem lies in the mixing ratios. The flavor depends on the mixture, which is the charm of brining.
That’s right. What Lee Chang-jin was developing was none other than chicken.
After achieving the top spot in dining sales in 1997 and never relinquishing the throne, the king of the dining industry, which by the 2010s had grown into a massive market worth over 3 trillion won even without including poultry.
As a strategic move for that huge market, Lee Chang-jin was determined to take on chicken.
The sous-chef, appearing nervous, swallowed his saliva in front of Lee Chang-jin, who was carefully tasting the chicken.
“How does it taste?”
In response to the sous-chef’s cautious question, Lee Chang-jin, who had tasted the chicken leg, wiped his mouth with a napkin and said,
“The umami is better than last time, but did you add some garlic?”
“Yes! I steamed minced garlic to add the aroma.”
“It tastes good, but it feels a bit bland. It’s more like sweet and sour pork than chicken, I would say? It’s chewy and has a nice texture, but it lacks overwhelming charm. Moreover, this batter needs some improvement. It might get tiresome if eaten continuously. Make the outside crispy and the inside moist, and try to create a curled style.”
“Ah, the tasting panel also pointed that out.”
“Yes. Then try to make the texture crispier.”
Since recipes are not protected by patents, the initial completeness of the product is crucial. Once consumers develop a taste for something, it doesn’t change easily.
‘What’s lacking?’
Even for Lee Chang-jin, who had eaten chicken to the point of getting sick of it, actually developing it was a difficult problem to solve. Just as he was deep in thought, the phone rang in the kitchen.
“What’s going on?”
“Boss, we finally found the culinary artisan you mentioned.”
It was the voice of Manager Yeo Jin-ju. Hearing her excited tone, Lee Chang-jin also showed a pleased expression.
“You found him?”
“Yes. He’s in Bucheon. We finally located him after some searching. Manager Gu is about to go and bring him.”
“No, I’ll go myself instead of Manager Gu. Shouldn’t we show some sincerity when scouting an expert?”
Lee Chang-jin headed to Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, with Manager Park Seung-hoon. Although he had failed before, Park Seung-hoon, having experience in the chicken business, was thought to be capable of making more commercial judgments than others.
When they arrived near Bucheon, the sight of old telephone poles lined up along the fields looked desolate. As they stopped the car halfway down a forked road, a foul odor filled the air, as if fertilizer had been spread around. Manager Park Seung-hoon, who got out of the vehicle for a moment, tilted his head.
“The road here is a bit different from the map.”
“Indeed. It seems there’s some error.”
It seemed they were lost or had arrived at the wrong place. As they were looking around in confusion, a tractor approached with a rumbling sound from somewhere.
An elderly man who appeared to be around 60 years old was driving the tractor, which was loaded with fertilizer bags.
Feeling relieved, Lee Chang-jin asked,
“Excuse me, sir. Could you please tell me the way to the town?”
“Ah, you’re looking for the way? Just go that way to get to the town.”
Following the elderly man’s kind directions, Lee Chang-jin confirmed the route.
Comparing it with the map, thankfully, they weren’t too far off.
“Thank you, sir. May I ask you one more question?”
“Of course. Ask anything.”
“Do you know someone named Lee Pil-jae? I heard he runs a chicken business in town.”
In a small rural village like this, almost everyone knows each other, so he asked with some hope. The old man nodded his head with a pleased expression.
“Ah, I know that guy. The third son of the Lee family from the neighboring village, right?”
“Yes, that’s him. Do you know him well?”
“Of course… Though he’s a bit crazy despite being perfectly sane.”
“Crazy? What do you mean by that?”
“He went abroad to study, but suddenly decided to become a chef, so he cut ties with his parents and is now running a business in town.”
“Is that so? Do you know where he is now?”
The old man clicked his tongue while driving the tractor.
“When you get to town, first find Bucheon Market. It’s a popular place recently because someone won the first prize in the housing lottery there. From there, go a bit further, and you’ll find a three-story building called Hero Building.”
“Thank you, sir. Take care.”
As a token of appreciation, Lee Chang-jin handed over a small tip. Finding Bucheon Market was easier than expected. About two blocks away from the market, there was a signboard painted in red that read “Old-fashioned Chicken.”
“Is anyone there?”
There was a rustling sound from the kitchen, and a man wearing rubber gloves and an apron poked his head out.
He looked extremely pleased to see a customer. The man welcomed the customer with a loud voice.
“Welcome, customer!”
“Yes. It’s past dinner time, but you’re still open?”
“Of course. Our shop is open year-round, even on weekends. What would you like to have?”
Rubbing his hands together, he looked exactly like a restaurant owner. Looking at the menu, Lee Chang-jin ordered.
“Then, please give me two whole chickens.”
“Sure. Please wait a moment.”
The man went into the kitchen, turned on the stove, and started heating the oil. The smell of cooking oil filled the air, and his back looked small and frail.
‘You never know what life holds. This man is Lee Pil-jae…’
His appearance, frying chicken with a stern face, was incredibly shabby. Could this man really be Lee Pil-jae, the pioneer of chicken in South Korea and the godfather of chicken? The person who dominated food advertisements in the 1980s, appearing on all the popular shows? He looked too skinny to be that person.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, the well-fried chicken emerged, drawing all of Lee Chang-jin’s attention.
“Here you go, old-fashioned chicken.”
The chicken was his signature menu item, lightly coated in batter and fried crispy. Lee Chang-jin carefully tasted a chicken leg with a fork. It looked like ordinary fried chicken, but the taste was anything but ordinary. As he tasted the crispy chicken, Lee Chang-jin realized why people called him the godfather of chicken.
The pickled radish, which he had made himself, was crispy and sweet. The seasoning sauce he had made himself and the salt he had roasted in a bamboo tube stimulated the appetite.
‘This is it.’
What caught Lee Chang-jin’s attention the most was the technique of coating the chicken batter. The chicken, lightly coated with flour, was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Lee Chang-jin and Park Seung-hoon quickly devoured the two chickens, and Lee Chang-jin raised his thumb in admiration.
“Owner, this chicken is a work of art. Did you develop it yourself?”
“Haha, thank you. It’s still in the research phase, so there’s a lot to improve.”
“Not at all. I’ve never tasted chicken like this. This could easily outshine many chefs.”
Park Seung-hoon’s praise was not just lip service. Having tried his hand at making chicken himself, he knew firsthand how difficult it was to produce such food.
“But it’s surprising that there’s no one in such a great restaurant. Is business usually slow in this area? With skills like this, people should be flocking here by word of mouth.”
“Well, this place is a bit remote, and there are few people around. I have to wait a bit longer.”
The man, who had been smiling innocently, scratched his head in embarrassment.
“By the way, owner, my secretary has called you several times before. Do you remember? I’m Lee Chang-jin.”
Seeing the business card, the man looked at Lee Chang-jin’s face in surprise.
Realizing who his guest was, Lee Pil-jae was visibly shocked.
“President Lee Chang-jin? I saw you in the newspaper. Is it really you?”
“Yes. I should have made an appointment over the phone, but you didn’t answer… So I came here without notice.”
“Oh, no. That’s my mistake. I thought it was a prank call and couldn’t believe that the president of a big company would come here.”
“Haha, that’s understandable. Actually, our company is planning to enter the food service industry, and I came to seek your advice on chicken dishes.”
“Advice from me? What kind of advice are you talking about?”
“Well, I think it’s better to show you than to explain.”
Seeing Lee Pil-jae’s curiosity, Lee Chang-jin handed him the chicken developed by his team.
Tasting it carefully, Lee Pil-jae nodded.
“Wow, you’ve done quite a bit of research. This would be perfect with beer.”
“Yes. That was the intention. However, there seem to be some issues with the taste and completeness.”
Nodding in agreement, Lee Pil-jae said,
“Hmm, it’s a bit lacking. The batter is thin, and the flavor is not strong enough. Adding a few more ingredients could make a big difference… May I try to fix it?”
“Of course.”
Lee Pil-jae went straight into the kitchen and returned after about ten minutes. He brought out the chicken, which he had re-fried to a golden brown, and placed it on a plate.
“Please try it. I added a few seasonings, and I hope you’ll like it.”
With a cautious attitude, Lee Chang-jin carefully tasted the chicken leg.
As he bit into the chicken, Lee Chang-jin was shocked.
The taste was remarkably similar to the franchise chicken he had eaten in the future.
“The flavor really stands out. What did you add to this? I could eat several of these.”
The part that had stumped more than ten chefs for over a month was fixed in an instant.
Seeing the astonished look, Lee Pil-jae scratched his head in embarrassment.
“Oh, it’s nothing special. I just added some onion extract and a bit of MSG. Earlier, it tasted too natural, almost bland. It felt overly healthy, you know? While some might criticize it as a chemical flavor enhancer, most people prefer this kind of seasoning.”
Stunned, Lee Chang-jin put down the chicken he was eating.
“As expected, you are amazing. Is there anything else that needs improvement?”
“Haha, I noticed the batter was just starch. If you fry with only starch, the coating gets soggy quickly. How about lowering the starch ratio and mixing in some rice flour? Like nurungji (scorched rice). This will make the coating crispier and richer in texture.”
Excited, Lee Pil-jae continued to pour out his knowledge.
Listening to him, Lee Chang-jin became more convinced.
‘Indeed, this is the right person to take charge of the food service part.’
Having made up his mind, Lee Chang-jin got to the point.
“Let me get straight to the point. We would like to scout you for our product development. Would you be interested in working with us?”
“Me, you say?”
“Yes, I believe franchise business is the future of the food industry. Especially for chicken dishes, we need your expertise to create competitive products.”
Handing over his business card, Lee Chang-jin explained his future franchise plans step by step.
Listening carefully, Lee Pil-jae’s eyes sparkled.
- To be continued in Episode 121 -
