A new Korean fried chicken spot on Audelia Road is drawing locals in with made-to-order meals, bold flavors and a family story behind every dish.
Photography by Kathy Tran
At Hotsome Chicken, a steady stream of customers enter the small white-walled restaurant, all drawn by the promise of something crisp, hot and just a little bit different.
Chicken hits the fryer only just after it is ordered, emerging golden brown and sizzling before being coated with one of more than a dozen sauces. It’s a method rooted in Korean fried chicken tradition, where texture and timing matter just as much as flavor.
That attention to freshness is central to owner Sooin Sin’s vision for the restaurant.
“It’s been three months since we opened the store, and all the customers who have visited us have been so incredibly kind and warm,” Sin says.
Sin’s path to opening Hotsome Chicken stretches across decades and continents.
She first came to the United States in 2001, newly married, when her husband moved to Ohio to pursue a Ph.D. While he studied, Sin focused on raising their children and began cooking daily meals that would become the blueprint for her future business.
In 2012, Sin and her family returned to South Korea for her husband’s work as a university professor, before relocating once again — this time to Dallas — in 2018.
“In 2021, my mom owned the donut shop next door,” Sin’s daughter, Katie Kim, says. “My mom wanted more control over the food, and since she’s not a baker, she had to be the cashier.”
Even though her donut shop introduced her to the Lake Highlands community, Sin was limited in the production and quality of the food.
While she could manage the finances of the shop, she had no control over the flavors and freshness of the donuts.
“She wanted to cook something she was familiar with, and she knows Korean fried chicken,” Kim says.
So, Sin decided to retrace her steps back to Korea, where she grew up eating fried chicken almost daily.
“When I was young, living in Korea, I remember my father would come home from work with a box of fried chicken, and it made everything so special,” Sin says.
With the memories of her childhood forever etched into her mind, they became the foundation of her restaurant.
Unlike traditional American fried chicken, which is often cooked in large-scale batches and kept warm under heat lamps, Sin’s approach emphasizes quality over quantity.
Each order is fried on demand after being marinated for more than eight hours in a blend of garlic, onion and spices. Sin then coats each chicken carefully in batter and fries it until crisp before brushing it with sauce. The result is a balance of crunchy texture, juicy chicken and distinct flavors that define Korean fried chicken.
Sin’s menu reflects that same intentionality.
Designed to appeal to a wide range of tastes, the menu offers 13 different flavors ranging from sweet and savory to bold and spicy.
Popular options include Korean-style sweet chili, soy honey, and creamy onion, alongside more indulgent choices like Korean junkie, parmesan garlic and sweet and sour.
Wings remain the centerpiece of the menu, often ordered as part of combo meals that pair chicken with fries and a drink.
A four-piece wing combo starts at $10.99, while a six-piece combo is priced at $12.99. Larger options, like their meal combo that includes chicken, fries, soda, garlic bread and a salad, range from $11.99 to $22.99.
“Whenever we get new customers, I always recommend the creamy onion because it’s my favorite,” Sin explains.
Kim says watching the restaurant take shape in the span of a few months has been especially meaningful.
“I feel really proud of my mom because she kind of did this all by herself,” she says. “I like bringing my friends here, and they love it, too.”
For Sin, each order is more than just a meal — it’s a reflection of the food she grew up with and the memories that shaped it.
“I hope that our fried chicken will bring families together and create meaningful memories just like it did for me,” Sin says.
Now, in a small shop in Lake Highlands, those same flavors are being shared with a new community, one plate at a time.
Hotsome Chicken, 10725 Audelia Road #102, 214.815.8597, hotsomechickendallas.com
