Discover the New Soy Garlic King: BHC's 2026 Game-Changer in Fried Chicken!

bhc's Soy Garlic King Original and Soy Garlic King Honey. / Lee Chang-yeon, Reporter

With soy-sauce chicken staying a go-to comfort option, bhc focused on locking in both crunch and flavor.

Dining Brands Group hosted a media event on the 26th at bhc Chicken's Seocho Gyodae location in Seoul to introduce its first new menu item of 2026, the Soy Garlic King. Developed over six to seven months as bhc heads toward its 30th anniversary in 2027, the product aims to expand the brand's soy-sauce chicken lineup. I sampled the dish at the event.

Sweet Garlic Sauce (from left), Soy Garlic King Honey, Soy Garlic King Original, Ppuring Kaymak Cheese Ball. / Lee Chang-yeon, Reporter

My first bite confirmed the \"dry-style\" label. Instead of drowning the chicken in sauce like many soy-chicken recipes, Soy Garlic King gets a thin glaze that lets the batter stay gloriously crisp. On a bite, the crunch of the coating hits before the sauce's flavor — and because it's not overly soggy, that crispness sticks around.

The real twist is the batter: garlic and sesame are mixed into the coating itself. That brings a subtle garlicky aroma from both the outside and the inside, followed by a toasty, nutty finish. Where traditional soy-chicken leans heavily on its sauce, this one aims to balance the coating and the glaze.

The Original and Honey variants are clearly distinct. The Original leans on aged soy sauce for a deeper, more pronounced savoriness, while the Honey version adds sweetness for a crowd-pleasing sweet-and-salty combo. Overall, bhc seemed focused on delivering a familiar, reliably enjoyable profile rather than something aggressively bold.

The included Sweet Garlic Sauce is optional and will split opinions. Because the core flavor is fairly restrained, adding the sauce brightens and deepens the taste; skip it, and some diners might find the dish a bit mellow.

Choi Baek-jin, deputy head of bhc's menu development team, introduces the new Soy Garlic King. / Lee Chang-yeon, Reporter

From an operations standpoint, the standout is the cooking process. Unlike many fried items that rely on double-frying, Soy Garlic King is engineered to deliver that sought-after crunch with a single fry — a win for franchise kitchens trying to cut prep time while keeping consistency.

All told, Soy Garlic King favors polished execution over shock value. It's a thoughtful tweak on the classic soy-and-garlic pairing that aims to feel familiar enough for broad appeal while offering a refreshing texture-focused take.

bhc will roll out the product across sales channels in stages to monitor market response. It's available now through the brand's app and physical stores, and will expand to major platforms starting April 2.