Fried Chicken..A journey

[Auntbeast]

Disclaimer: I am Southern.

I've tried frying things over the years and have never been successful. The crispy crust isn't, or it falls off, or it just sucks.

Until last night. I finally gave up the whole roll in egg, roll in flour, fry routine. I made a batter. I mixed up some flour, beer, salt, pepper, water and a little tarragon. I had a pot with some oil and used my candy thermometer to test the temp.

Unfuckingbelievablely good. It was so nice and crispy, it adhered to the chicken, the chicken was good, the crust was done. It tasted yummy. It even stayed crispy!

So, here I stand, about 100 failures with the dip & roll method. One raging success with the batter method.

WHY? I mean, it seems everyone else can be successful with D&R. What is the difference? Why did this turn out for me when all other attempts with the other method fail?

I have to ask here. If I ask my Southern friends, they will ship me north and disown me.

[Zeener Diode]

Don't worry; us Northerner-Yankees will welcome you with open arms and healthier arteries.



As a bluebelly, I prefer grilling my chicken on the barby. I use either a dry rub or 2-hour marinade. Most of the time I skin the pieces, but if someone requests then I'll leave the skin on.

[Panacea]

I used to let the pieces dry after coating. Also, don't put it on too thick.

Personally I've had better sucess with chicken strips rather than bone-in pieces. But I bet Rebo knows the secret.

[Auntbeast]

I just fried some pork the same way. Came out perfect. Come on folks, what is the big difference between batter vs. rolling in stuff?

[HongKongFooey]

A couple of things spring to mind: thick batters tend to adhere to food better than thinner ones. Maybe there's a difference in viscosity between your two methods. Also, it sounds like you're starting with the egg wash in your first method. I'm no frying expert but I would dust the chicken first, then egg wash, then roll it.

I'm no expert though. I do know one thing for certain though. A little matzo meal in the mix transforms ordinary fried chicken into fantastic chicken.

[Salambo]

The only way I've ever gotten my fried chicken to come out amazing - without batter (ohhhhh but battered is so good in its own right!) - is to leave out the egg wash and let the chicken soak in buttermilk instead (around 8 hours). Soak, dredge* in flour/breadcrumb/herb mix, fry. YUM!

* - Actually, I put the flour mix in a big bag, like shake n' bake.

[WednesdayAddams]

Originally Posted by Auntbeast

I just fried some pork the same way. Came out perfect. Come on folks, what is the big difference between batter vs. rolling in stuff?

I'm sure Solfy could explain it better, but I believe it has to do with the fact that batter coats more evenly. In my experince, it depends a lot on how thick you make the batter as well as what you make it out of. Buttermilk is best for the drop & roll method IMO.

[Taur]

Originally Posted by Auntbeast

I finally gave up the whole roll in egg, roll in flour, fry routine.

There's your problem, AuntBeast. Anything battered and anything dipped & rolled needs to be dusted with flour first and the excess patted off, then you dip it into the egg wash, then you bread it. The flour gives the egg something to stick to, just as the egg makes the breading stick. (Eep! What HKF said! )

Also, the best fried chicken is marinated in buttermilk overnight, and the excess patted off before you go through the 3 step breading processes. The acids in the buttermilk tenderizes the meat.

[Dallas Jones]

You are almost there. Soak the chicken in salt water for about 3 hours before you start, pat dry and then try it again.

And the additional secret is to add a little sugar, not so much that it will burn and give off that bitter burned sugar taste, but just enough to balance the salty sweet.

[Solfy]

Originally Posted by WednesdayAddams

I'm sure Solfy could explain it better, but I believe it has to do with the fact that batter coats more evenly. In my experince, it depends a lot on how thick you make the batter as well as what you make it out of. Buttermilk is best for the drop & roll method IMO.

I'm not certain. I do know that oil temperature and cooking time have a lot to do with whether "dry" coatings stick. For instance, if I'm making fried pork chops (flour, egg, seasoned breadcrumb dip, fry in scant layer of hot oil in skillet) I have to make sure I don't turn them too early. If you flip them too early the breading is cooked on the pan side but hasn't cooked enough to the meat side and it all comes off in a big, disappointing slab.

Oil too hot - burn the outside of the breading. Oil too cool - oil soaks into the breading and you get a greasy mess.

My recipe for success with fried chicken -
Ingredients:
Car
Car key
Wallet

Instructions:
Get in car. Start car with key. Drive to KFC 1 mile down the road. Order 8pc bucket of extra crispy at drive thru. Pay with money from wallet.
Tada!

[Rebo]

Originally Posted by NinetyWt

But I bet Rebo knows the secret.

Fried chicken is the bane of my existence, to tell you the truth. But the last time I made it, it came out perfectly. I usually get rushed and have undercooked chicken. Blech.

Seasoned flour in a zip-loc bag, then dip in egg wash, then back in the flour bag. Make sure your oil is at 350-360°. I use an electric skillet, as well as a cast iron skillet on the stove to have all the chicken done at once, instead of cooking two consecutive batches. DO NOT CROWD THE PAN! This will make them steam, and the crust will fall off. The oil should come halfway up the chicken pieces. Leave the pieces alone, don't fuss with them. You can't rush this process.

Personally, I like Church's Chicken. Less mess, and very crispy. But I still make it for my old daddy. He likes my chicken.

[jali]

I use a large plastic bag to season my chicken. I use a lot of garlic powder and seasoning salt, cayenne pepper and whatever else I feel like at the time. ( I always use something colored red so that I can see that all pieces are evenly seasoned)

I add an egg to the mix.

I squish the mixture around and then refrigerate until I'm ready to cook.

I add flour to the bag until all the wet parts are dry.

I shake off the extra flour on each piece before adding to very hot oil.

I fry with a cover for a few minutes, then remove to listen to the chicken.

I can hear the difference in the frying sound - wait until the sound changes and the sides of the chicken are distinctly golden. (The chicken should be 3/4fried by the time I turn the pieces and I only turn once.)

For not as crispy chicken, I eliminate the egg.

[Veb]

Sigh. One of those basic, homey dishes that are supposed to be so easy but drives you nuts. I don't make fried chicken often but the few times it actually turned out (sorta) the way I wanted it the tricks were:

* brine it for a few hours
* let the chicken pieces warm to room temperature before proceeding
* dust with seasoned flour
* dip in egg wash
* re-dust with the seasoned flour
* cast iron skillet, enough oil to come about halfway up the pieces, don't crowd the pan, no higher than medium heat and don't turn the pieces too quickly

My theory is that not putting very cold chicken into the hot oil helps limit the internal steam poofing off the crust and/or the temperature of the oil doesn't drop as suddenly or drastically so the crust seals better. Which I think is a very nice theory and hey, sometimes the crust doesn't fall off or get oily-soggy-nasty so it might even be right. Or it could be the quarter of the moon or whether wolfbane's in bloom.

[Rebo]

Very good tip, Veb. I do this too, but I didn't think about it when I wrote my "recipe."

[Zeener Diode]

Originally Posted by jali

I use a large plastic bag to season my chicken. I use a lot of garlic powder and seasoning salt, cayenne pepper and whatever else I feel like at the time. ( I always use something colored red so that I can see that all pieces are evenly seasoned)

I add an egg to the mix.

I squish the mixture around and then refrigerate until I'm ready to cook.

I add flour to the bag until all the wet parts are dry.

I shake off the extra flour on each piece before adding to very hot oil.

I fry with a cover for a few minutes, then remove to listen to the chicken.

I can hear the difference in the frying sound - wait until the sound changes and the sides of the chicken are distinctly golden. (The chicken should be 3/4fried by the time I turn the pieces and I only turn once.)

For not as crispy chicken, I eliminate the egg.

I'm stealing this for personal use, and file under Jali's Fried Chicken.

[jali]

Originally Posted by Zeener Diode

I'm stealing this for personal use, and file under Jali's Fried Chicken.

Thanks Zeener. Wow.

I'll fry some chicken this weekend and take a couple of photos.