CU Pbick Chicken Karaage Bowl Review [Korean Food]

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Hi there! Today I’m reviewing the latest addition to CU’s Pbick lineup: the Pbick Chicken Karaage Bowl! New convenience store launches have been a bit slow lately, but CU’s Pbick line has been releasing at a remarkable pace — sometimes two or three new items in a single week. The Pbick The Kitchen range focuses on one proper main dish per meal, centering on single-item menus and rice bowl formats. Today I picked up the chicken karaage version, so let’s dive right in.

Table of Contents

📋 Quick Overview

Product: Pbick The Kitchen Chicken Karaage Bowl
Brand / Store: CU
Price: 4,900 KRW
Calories: 751 kcal
Weight: 333g
How to Buy: Available via the CU app (reservation & pickup)
Key Components: Chicken thigh karaage, scrambled egg, chicken nanban sauce, tsyu-style soy sauce
Overall Rating: ★3.5 — The nanban sauce is the standout. Worth it with a discount!

Pbick Chicken Karaage Bowl – Price & Features

Let’s start with the price. At 4,900 KRW, it does feel a little steep. That said, the Pbick series comes with a range of discount options. New menu deals, credit card promotions, and event coupons can all stack when ordering via the CU app (reservation or pickup), bringing the price down considerably. Personally, I time my purchases for a light dinner instead of lunch. I’d recommend grabbing every available discount before you order. The concept is billed as a “K-food artisan karaage rice bowl,” which honestly sounds a lot like a chicken mayo bowl to me — but let’s see!

Nutrition Info & Ingredients

Total net weight is 333g, with 751 kcal and sodium at 81% of the daily recommended intake. For a rice bowl, the portion feels on the lighter side, but the calorie count is surprisingly high — likely because egg, karaage, and mayo-based sauce are all stacked on top of rice. Still, it’s more than enough for a full meal.

The boneless karaage uses chicken thigh meat — sourced from Brazil, as expected. What’s interesting is that the sauce isn’t simply mayo topped with teriyaki; it’s an actual chicken nanban sauce. That’s a thoughtful touch. The Pbick series does tend to avoid cutting corners on ingredients. A plastic spork is included with the bento, for reference.

Pbick Chicken Karaage Bowl – Contents

Let’s take a quick look at what’s inside. It’s a rice bowl, so there’s no complex arrangement to speak of — but I always like to check before eating. Lifting the lid, the chicken rice bowl looks more presentable than I expected.

Karaage pieces are gathered in the center, with scrambled egg scattered around the edges. There’s actually quite a generous amount of karaage — comparable to cup bento options in the same price range. The sauce looks noticeably different from a standard chicken mayo bowl, probably because of the nanban sauce. Curious how it tastes.

Sauces & Accompaniments

The scrambled egg is distributed around the karaage. Some chicken mayo bowls occasionally include finely chopped pickled radish (takuan), but there’s none here. That means you’re eating this as-is — no kimchi or pickled sides — which might feel a little bare for some people.

I wondered if the chicken nanban sauce meant the karaage was prepared nanban-style, and sure enough, a brownish sauce seeps out from under the rice. The karaage itself is already quite salty from the marinade and batter, so adding sauce on top intensifies the saltiness — but the mayo-based nanban sauce actually pairs with that really well. The acidity cutting through the salty fried chicken is reminiscent of tartar sauce with fish cutlet. Should be tasty.

Pbick Chicken Karaage Bowl – Taste

Time to eat. I heated it slightly past the recommended 1 minute 30 seconds at 1000W. The visual of warm rice topped with karaage and nanban sauce already has me looking forward to this.

I pulled apart a piece of karaage with a fork and took a bite with egg and sauce. For a convenience store bento, the taste is reasonably good — right around expectations, nothing more, nothing less. The nanban sauce definitely reads differently from a standard mayo sauce, which is a welcome change.

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Sauce & Seasoning Breakdown

Besides the nanban sauce, the rice is dressed with a sauce made from soy sauce, bonito flakes (katsuobushi), and sugar — essentially a tsyu-style seasoning. Compared to the teriyaki-like sauce you’d find in a typical Korean convenience store chicken mayo bowl, this feels distinctly different and more Japanese in character.

The karaage amount might seem a little light at first glance, but once you start eating mindfully, it doesn’t feel short. The sauce is more generous than expected — mixing the center and the edges together keeps it consistently flavored. The seasoning level is just about right.

Pbick Chicken Karaage Bowl – Value & Verdict

That said, 4,900 KRW for a single convenience store item is a psychological barrier that’s hard to ignore. Recent inflation has pushed bento prices up across the board, and CU is rolling out the Pbick rebrand as part of that shift. Compared to new menu prices at other convenience store chains, this is actually within a reasonable range. Still, chase every discount you can get.

By the end I had a piece or two left — a sign it was satisfying without being overwhelming. The karaage quantity was solid, and the chicken nanban sauce sets this apart from the standard teriyaki-based mayo bowls. The tsyu-style soy sauce on the rice (soy, katsuobushi, sugar) was a highlight, and the scrambled egg paired naturally with everything. Recommended for chicken mayo fans or anyone looking for a simple, filling meal.

For more details on the Pbick The Kitchen lineup, visit the CU official brand page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How is the nanban sauce different from a regular mayo sauce?

Nanban sauce is a mayo-based sauce with added acidity — typically vinegar and sometimes a touch of sweetness — giving it a tangier profile compared to plain mayo. In a standard Korean convenience store chicken mayo bowl, the rice sauce tends to lean teriyaki-sweet. Here, the tsyu-style soy sauce (soy, katsuobushi, sugar) on the rice and the nanban sauce on the karaage together create a more Japanese, savory-sour flavor balance that feels noticeably different.

Q. Where can I buy the Pbick Chicken Karaage Bowl in Korea?

It’s available at CU convenience stores across South Korea. The easiest way to order is through the CU app, which lets you reserve and pick up at your nearest store. Ordering via the app also unlocks new menu discounts, credit card deals, and event promotions that can reduce the 4,900 KRW price significantly.

Q. How many calories does the Pbick Chicken Karaage Bowl have?

751 kcal for the full 333g serving. That’s on the higher end for a rice bowl, but it makes sense given the combination of fried chicken thigh, mayo-based nanban sauce, and scrambled egg over rice. More than sufficient as a complete meal.

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