Chimaek is the Korean word for the combination of fried chicken and beer.
The term blends chi, from chicken, with maek, from maekju, the Korean word for beer. It describes both the pairing and the social dining culture built around ordering fried chicken with beer, rather than naming one particular sauce or cooking method.
Chimaek became especially visible in South Korea during the 2000s and gained international attention through Korean television dramas and the country’s rapidly expanding fried-chicken industry. Restaurants may offer plain fried chicken, seasoned versions, or chicken coated in sauces.
The word is sometimes mistaken for the name of a specific Korean fried-chicken flavor. It is instead a portmanteau describing a meal pairing. Soju is a distilled Korean alcoholic drink, but it is not part of the word’s construction.