Founder of 'Yangnyeom Chicken' Chain Mexican Chicken, Yoon Jong-gye, Dies at 74
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Yoon Jong-gye, credited with creating Korea’s popular seasoned fried chicken (yangnyeom chicken) and founder of the Mexican Chicken (맥시칸치킨) brand, has died at 74. Born in Daegu in 1952, Yoon opened a chicken shop in the late 1970s and developed the iconic red seasoning sauce using starch syrup and red pepper powder, as well as a brining method that sparked a nationwide trend and influenced many major franchises. He is also credited with inventing chicken mu (pickled radish served with chicken) by combining radish and cucumber with vinegar and soda. Yoon appeared on the TV show 'You Quiz on the Block' in 2020 recounting how a neighborhood elder suggested adding starch syrup to improve the sauce. Though he pioneered these innovations, he never secured a patent after an employee quietly filed one and the two later agreed not to pursue it. Yoon expanded Mexican Chicken into a large franchise—at one point operating around 1,700 stores—and later signed a supply deal with Harim in 1988; the original chain closed in 2003 and Harim Holdings acquired the brand stake in 2016. He is survived by his wife Hwang Joo-young and son Yoon Joon-sik.
