Do Mint Choco and Chicken Go Well Together? (feat. KFC)

Tasted KFC's Mint Choco Dipping Sauce

I am a staunch mint chocolate chip (mincho) supporter who nods in agreement with the saying, "Mincho will save the world." I have no aversion to mint chocolate chip-flavored snacks like cookies, ice cream, and chocolate; sometimes, I even seek out shops that serve delicious mint chocolate chip desserts. For people like me, KFC teamed up with Baedal Minjok to launch a mint chocolate chip dipping sauce. Chicken and mint chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip and chicken. Honestly, even as a staunch mincho fan, I hesitated to try it right away. Even among mincho fans, there are preferences, and liking mint chocolate chip doesn’t necessarily mean loving such a bizarre combination...

...That’s what I thought, but curiosity got the better of me, and I ended up heading to KFC. Next to the kiosk was a photo of chicken generously dipped in mint chocolate chip sauce, enough to challenge any mincho fan’s spirit. I ordered the mint chocolate chip dipping sauce with original chicken and, just in case, cheese balls.

The mint chocolate chip dipping sauce costs 900 won. It is 400 to 600 won more expensive than other sauces like sweet chili or salsa. Opening the package revealed a sauce with a color that even startled mincho fans?a shade of jade green about two tones darker than the photo I saw when ordering. Tilting the sauce container, it didn’t flow down weakly; it felt slightly thicker than ketchup. Before dipping the chicken, I tasted the sauce alone. The mint flavor was stronger than the chocolate. It wasn’t as sharp as toothpaste but rather very sweet. It was a flavor that mincho fans could comfortably enjoy.

I tried dipping the warm chicken. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as I had feared. But it wasn’t good either. The mint chocolate chip flavor was barely noticeable on the fried batter, but when I dipped the meat, the sweet mint chocolate chip flavor surged. The salty, greasy chicken and the sweet sauce felt completely disconnected. I kept eating, thinking this might be the ultimate sweet and salty combo, but no matter how much I tried, it tasted like dipping chicken in sweet children’s toothpaste.

Next up: cheese balls. I thought they would pair better with mint chocolate chip since they are less salty and sweeter than chicken. However, they were even worse than the chicken. Because the sauce itself is sweet, it was very greasy. Just as I was about to enjoy the warm, gooey cheese through the lightly crispy batter, the mint chocolate chip flavor suddenly overwhelmed me. It’s a challenging taste even for mincho fans.

After the tasting...

The dipping sauce itself wasn’t bad. However, I don’t recommend buying it to dip chicken. It would have been much better if I had spread it on snacks like jam or a spread. Today, I realized once again that the combination of fried, oily foods like chicken or cheese balls with mint chocolate chip is not good. KFC also sells set menus including a burger, chicken, and this dipping sauce for mincho newcomers. Even staunch mincho fans find this flavor unfamiliar, so I worry that mincho newcomers might turn anti-mincho right after tasting it.

Mincho saves the world, but it couldn’t save the chicken☆

Photo by Kim Bomi