[Edaily Reporter Kim Ji-woo ] Dongwon F&F is ramping up its efforts in the frozen chicken business in earnest. While it previously sold products such as “Whole-Meat Chicken” and “Cuisine Inside” as non-core items, the company is now expanding its business by focusing on “Kebasak,” a product it manufactures in-house.

According to the food industry on the 19th, Dongwon F&F has launched two new “Kebasak” frozen chicken products: “Kebasak Fried Chicken” and “Kebasak Chili Mayo Chicken.” The company explained that the products focus on reducing the soggy texture—long considered a weakness of frozen chicken—and enhancing crispiness.

This isn’t the first time Dongwon F&F has released frozen chicken products. In the past, the company launched “Whole-Cut Chicken,” followed in 2022 by “Cuisine Inside Chicken & Cheese Balls” and “Chicken & Rice Cake Snacks,” and subsequently expanded its product lineup to include the Sweet Honey Combo and Hot Red Combo.

However, all previous products were non-core items produced via original equipment manufacturing (OEM). The new “Kebasak” is produced in-house at the company’s recently completed second plant in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province. Through this, the company plans to develop frozen chicken into a core HMR product line. Existing frozen chicken products, such as “Cuisine Inside,” will be phased out gradually, and the business will be reorganized with a focus on “Kebasak.”

Market shifts are driving Dongwon F&F’s focus on frozen chicken. While frozen chicken used to be primarily viewed as a snack or side dish—such as nuggets or karaage—it has recently expanded its market as a substitute for delivery chicken, offering restaurant-quality taste and texture simply by cooking in an air fryer.

According to Euromonitor, the size of the domestic frozen chicken market grew from approximately 140 billion won in 2022 to around 160 billion won last year. With the price of a whole chicken rising to around 30,000 won when delivery fees are included, relatively affordable frozen chicken has established itself as a substitute for dining out and delivery.

A prime example of this rapid growth is CJ CheilJedang Corp.’s “Sobaba.” CJ CheilJedang Corp launched “Sobaba Chicken” under its Gome brand in April 2023 and quickly expanded the product line. After achieving strong results—including cumulative sales of 250 billion won and cumulative sales volume exceeding 25 million packs by the first quarter of this year—the company spun off Sobaba from Gome in June to develop it as an independent chicken brand.

As the market grows, competition among companies is intensifying, centered on “taste and texture.” CJ CheilJedang Corp applied a sauce-coating technology to Sobaba that applies sauce thinly and evenly, preserving the texture of the breading even after cooking in an air fryer. For its recently launched “Golden Holic,” the company applied a “curl-making process” to create a thin, wavy breading.

#HARIM Co., Ltd. has reduced the loss of juices during the air fryer reheating process by using a semi-cooked method that does not fully cook the product during the manufacturing stage, while #OTOKI is emphasizing a texture similar to that of specialty chicken restaurants by applying a wavy batter coating to its “Golden Fried Chicken.” #Daesang Cheongjeonwon has also expanded its product lineup, led by its “Boneless Crispy Chicken.”

Dongwon F&F, which has its own production system, plans to increase production efficiency and expand its product lineup while also extending its frozen chicken business into overseas markets.

A Dongwon F&F official stated, “We developed this new product so that consumers can enjoy the crispiness of freshly fried chicken at home, just as they would at a restaurant,” adding, “Our goal is to establish frozen chicken not as a substitute for delivery chicken but as a standalone option, thereby setting a new standard in the market.”