Karaage vs. Popcorn Chicken

Having lived in Japan for many years, I am now very used to karaage as my default fried-chicken. Only recently at a Burger King I picked up my long lost love of popcorn chicken, and the contrast between the two are quite interesting.

Popcorn chickens are much more about the crunch outside and just that, and the meat is often dry, while karaage gives you the juicy meat underneath the crunch.

The flavouring of popcorn chicken is also very strong, such as the very strong pepper taste with the BK popcorn chicken. Karaage relies more on simple salt and sauces that do not cover the taste of the meat.

I used to love popcorn chicken, but now that I am used to fresh and semi-bite-sized karaage, it is hard to go back to popcorn chicken!