Boom Boom Chicken Seeks Wider Audience for Korean Tradition
EDISON, N.J. – What’s a “Boom Boom” chicken?
It’s the newest Korean food vendor in town, specializing in delicious fried chicken with a cultural twist. Boom Boom Chicken (1751 State Highway 27, Edison, 732-248-7885) offers a style of fried chicken that has long been traditional in Korea, but is just starting to attract attention in the United States.
“This is definitely not your average southern style fried chicken,” said Kathy Lee, one of the owners of Boom Boom Chicken. “What sets us apart from everyone else are our delicious, homemade sauces. Just the smell of the Garlic-Soy sauce will make your mouth water! If you’re used to fast food fried chicken, our food will be a surprise to your eyes and your mouth.”
Boom Boom Chicken begins with a special homemade batter, which produces a light, crispy coating rather than a heavy, crunchy one. The double-frying process cooks the batter so it cracks, rather than crunches, when you bite into it.
The chicken comes in two flavors: Mild Garlic-Soy and Spicy Garlic-Soy. There is also a “Half-Half” option for those who cannot choose between the two. The sauces are homemade by co-owner Christina Jun, who created the secret recipe.
“We’re very different,” said Jun. “With our spicy and garlic sauce on our double fried chicken, it’s juicy on the inside with a light taste.”
Fast food chicken spends a lot of time under a heat lamp. Boom Boom Chicken is cooked when you order it. The chicken is fresh, never frozen. The freshness of the chicken makes for juicier meat.
The main focus of Boom Boom Chicken is on their special double-fried chicken, but they also offer equally delicious entrées and side dishes, such as Donkatsu (breaded fried pork cutlet), French fries, onion rings, and corn salad. The most popular side dish is their specialty “Boom Boom Salad,” which incorporates seaweed into a unique and delicious salad unlike any you have ever tried.
The food is available for takeout, eat-in or catering.
“If you want something really different for your next meeting or next big event, we can create platters of chicken with our spicy garlic sauce and garlic soy sauce,” Lee said. “Because of the way we operate, your catered order will be very fresh. You won’t be disappointed.”
One of the highlights of the menu is the $7 lunch box offered daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It includes five pieces of chicken with salad plus steamed rice or French fries. A pork or chicken cutlet is available instead of the fried chicken.
Lee said she and Jun are creating deserts for the restaurant that they expect will be just as special as the double fried chicken.
Meanwhile, central New Jersey restaurant goers just can’t seem to get enough of Jun and Lee’s chicken.
“A lot of customers have told me that they love coming here because they feel like family,” Lee said. “We are a family run business that really cares about our customers, so we’re glad they feel that way.”
Another way of being part of the community is by supporting local organizations while promoting Boom Boom Chicken at the same time.
“We are always looking to work with community groups to use our products to raise money,” Lee said. “That arrangement makes people more aware of what we do and raises money for good causes at the same time.”
Boom Boom Chicken goes through about 10,000 pieces of chicken per week. The title “Boom Boom,” Lee explained, comes from the Korean word for something popular, a big hit.
And that’s exactly what it has been with many satisfied customers.
“LOVE this place,” said a reviewer from East Brunswick on yelp.com. “The food is amazing… The sauces are delicious… The skin is so crispy, frying it twice is a great idea.”
Another Yelp reviewer from Piscataway wrote, “The wings and drumsticks were fried to PERFECTION. The batter is SUPER crisp. It just shatters when you bit into it, releasing a cloud of steam from the wonderfully juicy interior.”
Boom Boom Chicken is a perfect fit in the ethnically diverse Edison community – with an abundance of authentic Chinese, Indian, Korean and Vietnamese restaurants of all kinds. And it couldn’t be better located. The mall includes H Mart – the huge Korean supermarket, two other Korean restaurants, two French-style Korean bakeries, two Chinese banks and a Korean bank.
“Right now our customers are 90 percent Asian including Koreans, Chinese, Indians and Filipinos,” Lee said. “But Western customers are gradually making their way through our doors to experience something new.”
Two of those new customers seemed very impressed.
“After experiencing Korean fried chicken, I refuse to eat chicken any other way – with the exception of my mama’s fried chicken,” a reviewer from Hightstown wrote on yelp.com.
Added a yelp.com reviewer from New Brunswick: “Best fried chicken in central New Jersey.”
And the owners of Boom Boom Chicken are delighted.
Said Jun: “Once you have a taste of what Boom Boom has to offer, you’ll be using the ‘KFC’ acronym in a new, and tastier way— Korean Fried Chicken!”
Boom Boom Chicken
1751 State Highway 27, Edison, NJ 08817
(732) 248-7885
