Korean Fried Chicken and Donuts

When you think of coffee and donuts, does Korean-style fried chicken come to mind as well? If not, then you probably haven't been to Federal Donuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to co-owner and chef, Mike Solomonov, Federal Donuts is "a donut and coffee shop that sells fried chicken". Customers can come in and order just donuts, just fried chicken, or their famous combo of the two.

Chicken and donuts from Federal Donuts.
Chicken and donuts from Federal Donuts.


The donuts at Federal Donuts are not your average donuts. They use a special Turkish seasoning called baharat in their batter, which adds warm, "pumpkin pie" spices to the mix, as well as some savory spices. The batter is dispensed from a donut hopper and fried. Then the donuts are either immediately coated in sugar and served hot, or cooled so that they can be glazed and decorated. Some of their "fancy" donuts are: French toast, blueberry muffin, cookies and cream, Turkish coffee, peanut butter and chocolate, and strawberry lemonade.


The fried chicken that they serve is Korean-style, which means that it is battered and twice-fried. At Federal Donuts they salt and cure the chicken overnight, then batter it, fry it at a low heat (around 300 degrees Fahrenheit), let it rest, and then fry it again at a high heat (above 350 degrees). In doing this, they keep the chicken meat extremely juicy and tender, which creating a super crunchy exterior. Mike says his goal is to be able to "cut glass" with the chicken. After the chicken is fried a second time, it is seasoned with dry seasonings like barbecue, buttermilk ranch, or Shabazzi, which is a Yemenite-inspired green chili spice, or with wet seasonings like chili-garlic or honey-ginger. Mike says that the dry seasonings are what make the chicken unique because it is almost like seasoning a potato chip.


If you dare to order the chicken and donut combo, you will get a basket filled with chicken, ginger pickles, and a honey-glazed donut. Want to know what we thought? Believe it or not, it works! You get the acid from the pickles, spice from the chicken, and sweetness from the donut along with a texture rollercoaster that will not disappoint. Chicken and donuts is the new chicken and waffles, and while we don't know that we would have had the courage to start a business based around this wacky combination, we are glad someone else did.


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