Fried chicken is the all-American meal. And there are about as many "secret recipes" for fried chicken as there are dedicated home cooks who make it. If you're a first-time fryer, or you're just looking to refine your technique, we've got some pointers to help get you started.
Before You Fry
Frying chicken can be as simple or complicated an undertaking as you like.
Some cooks swear by soaking the chicken overnight in buttermilk--which flavors, moisturizes, and tenderizes the meat--before coating it in seasoned flour, while others insist that a coating of breadcrumbs or beer batter is the only way to fry. The best way to discover your favorite method is to experiment with different seasonings and techniques until you hit on the perfect preparation.
If you want to brine your chicken before coating and frying, see our Brining article for tips. Chicken pieces should be brined for only about an hour or so, not overnight.
Batter up
Set up a "dredging station" to minimize mess and make clean-up easy. Work from right to left (or whatever is comfortable for you), with seasoned flour, egg batter, and bread crumbs/panko/coating mixture in shallow bowls or baking dishes. Have one "wet hand" and one "dry hand:" dip chicken piece in flour, coat with egg mixture, and use your "wet" hand to transfer chicken to the coating bowl.
Once all the pieces are coated, let them rest and give the coating a chance to adhere. (Do this step in the refrigerator if you won't be frying the chicken within half an hour.)
Pan-fried chicken
There is a world of difference between fried chicken that is juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, and that which is soggy and soaked through with grease.
The most important factors contributing to perfect fried chicken are the temperature of the oil and the actual step of frying. Vegetable shortening, lard, and peanut oil are all popular frying mediums, as they have a high smoke point.
*To get truly golden-brown and crispy chicken, you'll need a cast iron skillet. Cast iron simply cannot be beat for even heat distribution and temperature maintenance.
*The fat should be about one inch deep; it should come halfway up the food.
*Get the fat good and hot before adding the chicken: at least 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
*Carefully lower chicken pieces into the oil skin-side down. Start with the edge of the piece close to you, and lay it in the oil, working away from yourself to avoid spatters. Use tongs for extra protection.
*Fry in batches: overcrowding the pan will lower the temperature of the oil dramatically, causing more oil to be absorbed and resulting in soggy, greasy chicken.
*When the chicken pieces are deep golden brown, remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to catch any drips. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the chicken to make sure it is fully cooked before proceeding with the next batch. The USDA's Food Safety & Inspection Service recommends cooking chicken to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.
Deep-fat fryers
It takes a lot of oil to deep-fry, and it's best to start with fresh oil every time. If you fry frequently, however, you may wish to strain your cooled cooking oil through a coffee filter. Impurities in the oil will lower the smoke point, it's more prone to rancidity, and old oil can impart off flavors to your food. We don't recommend using the same oil more than once.
so How to perform the Deep Frying?
A fun way to cook many treats like French-fries, potato chips, doughnuts, and hush puppies.
Deep-frying is a delicious way to cook, and done properly, deep-fried foods do not have to be heavy and greasy. This cooking method can be a very dangerous process because of the extreme temperatures and potential for burns. We cannot stress enough that you should be very careful when deep-frying.
We are making red onion hush puppies to highlight this method.
1. When deep-frying, it is best to use neutrally flavored oil like safflower or peanut oil. Vegetable shortening and lard also work well. Extra-virgin olive oil and butter have very low smoking points, which means that they will burn at a much lower temperature--making whatever you are frying taste scorched and bitter. Use enough oil so there is enough fat to cover whatever items you intend to fry.
2. Place the pot or pan of oil over a high heat. Heating a large amount of oil can take a long period of time. Deep-frying should be done with the oil at 365 degrees F (185 degrees C); use a candy thermometer or large-dial thermometer that can hook onto the pot. Oils will begin to burn between 400 and 450 degrees F (200 and 225 degrees C) and will catch fire at around 500 degrees F (250 degrees C), so it is very important to monitor the temperature of the oil. Once the oil has reached the desired temperature, reduce the heat to low. If you notice that the temperature on the thermometer begins to drop, turn the stove up a small amount until the temperature has crawled back up to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
3. To avoid splashing hot oil when dropping the hush puppy batter into the oil, use a long spoon and place the batter into the oil carefully. If you were to drop the batter into the oil from a distance, the splash would be dangerous. The closer to the surface of the oil you can get before dropping the items into the oil without burning yourself, the safer deep-frying will be.
4. The oil will begin to bubble dramatically when the hush puppy batter is placed into it. Once the first hush puppy dropped into the oil has a golden brown exterior, test to see if it has cooked all the way through. If it is golden brown on the outside but undercooked on the inside, reduce the oil's heat to about 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and begin again.
5. Once you have determined that the oil is at the proper temperature and that you are indeed making delicious, properly cooked food, add more of your batter to the oil. Be careful not to crowd the oil with too much batter: crowding will cause the oil's temperature to drop dramatically, which will result in a greasy product. Crowding will also increase the likelihood that the fried bits and pieces will stick to each other.
6. Once the hush puppies are golden brown, use a slotted metal spoon or spatula to remove the cooked items and let them drain on paper towels or cooling racks.
7. Now is the time to season! Season while the fried items are still hot and fresh out of the fryer. (If you're making doughnuts, it's time to roll them in sugar.)
