When it comes to cooking there are a few things I'm not modest about and one of them is fried chicken. I've been making fried chicken since I was about 16 years old.
The first time I made fried chicken the wrong way was with a Fry Daddy that actually spit out the pieces I'd put in to fry and caused a massive grease stain on the ceiling of the kitchen in the house that the embassy had rented for my parents. This was immediately followed by the first time I learned to make fried chicken the right way thanks to a nice lady from Alabama who not only helped me scrub the mess off the ceiling before my parents found out, but also made me the very best fried chicken I have ever had. Well, at least up until I'd had a year of practice because then I actually think mine was a tiny bit better than hers. Sorry Rita Mae, but it's true.
I did a little research online because I wanted to see if it was possible to make fried chicken in the oven to avoid the extra fat and thought I would share my experiences as I try to find a healthier way to make fried chicken. Instead what I discovered was there is a huge amount of debate as to what is the "real" way to make Southern Fried Chicken. And I mean huge, but by debate I mean arguments in text that sometimes ended in people cussin' at each other and bringin' up the Civil War. I ain't kiddin'.
Well since Rita Mae was from Alabama and I've had many Southerners devour my fried chicken from nearly all of the states south of the Mason Dixon line including Texas, I'd like to respectfully add my methods, thoughts, and advice along with the rest.
What type of chicken should you use?
For this experiment I bought 8 smallish thighs (not legs just thighs) of chicken. Now some people say the only proper way to make fried chicken is to buy whole fryer chickens and cut them up. I disagree. I've tried that method and found it only wasted time and more importantly, no one wanted the breast meat. Not because it was dry or not delicious, but because dark meat is not only better for frying, but is a lot tastier in general. I've tried a lot of tricks to make the breasts more like dark meat, but since I have yet to master The Dark Culinary Arts that will make white meat taste like dark meat, no matter what I tried the breast meat was always slightly inferior as it always is, even when you roast chickens.
Do you need to soak the chicken beforehand?
Some people soak their chicken. The times vary but overnight (8 hours) is about the longest length of time and 1 or 2 hours seems to be the mininum for some people. I've seen recipes that call for soaking in buttermilk, milk, and slightly salted water. The only time I've ever soaked in buttermilk is when making Buttermilk Fried Chicken as I've always considered BFC it's own specific type of chicken. I have never soaked my chicken in regular milk or salt water. Soaking meat in salt water is however a real technique called "brining". I've brined whole roasting chickens and consider brining a turkey absolutely mandatory. But for fried chicken I cannot see why this method would be used. So my stance on soaking is, examine the quality of the chicken you will be frying. If the meat looks tough, use buttermilk. If the meat looks old or dry, use the brining method.
If you decide to go the route of buttermilk, milk, or brining keep in mind that it will affect the coating of your chicken in the long run. Buttermilk and milk will thicken the coating and brining can possibly thin your coating. If you do soak your chicken you need to rinse it with cold water beforehand, pat dry, and then soak in whatever you are using. Once the chicken is done soaking you have to let the excess liquid drip off. I would suggest with buttermilk that unless you like a thick coating to pat the chicken with paper towels even after you've let any excess liquid drip off.
What to bread the chicken with?
Some people say flour and only flour. I happen to agree. However, as I've only just discovered this evening you can use whole wheat flour and it actually tastes better. I'm not sure why this is but most likely it's because whole wheat flour likely absorbs more oil in the process of cooking. If you know why this might be, or have other theories, please feel free to post in the comments section.
Now I bread chicken for other recipes and have used crackers, cornmeal, bread crumbs, almond flour, pecans - you name it. It's up to you as the cook to decide what you like best because after looking at about 50 recipes posted online; all proclaiming to be more authentic than any other I couldn't see how there could be one true recipe. On one forum people actually swore at each other over it. Apparently Southerners are very opinionated about fried chicken and rightfully so, but as an experienced cook the only thing I can think that might make a difference is how other ingredients would: hold up during the frying process, absorb oil, and provide the right level of crunch.
So you make you own decision as to what to use in the breading. If it tastes good and has the right amount of crunch, you should be fine unless serving purists.
What should I season the breading with?
Again there are many opinons. Purists say salt and pepper should be enough or that adding cayenne makes it not Southern, but Louisianna style. I personally like to use thyme, cayenne, a bit of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I sometimes vary the spices greatly, but I don't consider it Southern. Rita Mae was from Alabama and other than adding thyme, the base of my seasonings are what she told me to use. I also stick to her rule about proportions. Enough salt, mostly fresh ground black pepper, enough cayenne to make the flour look a little pink, and just a pinch or two of garlic powder. I usually add about a tablespoon of thyme for every 2 1/2 cups of flour.
So again, it's up to you. I use the same recipe for Southern Fried Chicken as I use to make a fusion French style fried chicken except I cut out about 1/2 the cayenne and add basil, oregano, and rosemary.
To Egg Wash or to Not Egg Wash?
From the 50 different recipes I looked at I've drawn a few conclusions. There are people who don't like a lot of breading on their fried chicken. If you don't like a lot of breading you have to stay away from soaking in buttermilk and from using an egg wash. Simply press the flour directly on to dry chicken and then allow to sit for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. I have tried this method and it is great because the breading is very light, but I love breading, so I use an egg wash.
Now here are a few things I've learned from experience:
1. If you want the breading to stay intact on chicken legs, dust the chicken with flour first, then dip in the egg wash, and then re-dip in the seasoned flour. Make sure to press the flour firmly with your hands.
2. The first dusting of flour actually helps the chicken stay moist.
3. Dusting with flour, egg wash, and then pressing the second flouring in with your hands until all the chicken is covered and the egg wash no longer shows visible wet marks on the floured chicken actually helps to cook the chicken faster without scorching the breading. Although you shouldn't have this problem because you should always turn the heat down once the breading reaches a light golden colour and use the last minutes of frying on low heat to let the chicken get that perfect golden colour fried chicken should have.
4. There is nothing worse you can do to your chicken than not bread it properly. The breading will fall off during the frying otherwise and you'll have to change your oil. Unless you are making a massive batch of fried chicken you should never have to change oil. I made about 4 kilos (10lbs.) of thighs and legs once and only changed my oil once.
What to fry the chicken in?
Again every one seems to have an opinion. There is only one type of "fat" I wouldn't suggest frying chicken in and that's anything with a very low smoking point like olive oil. The "fat" needs to get to a certain temperature and olive oil can't get that hot without smoking. Now I was taught that one should fry chicken in Crisco, but I haven't touched the stuff in eons, not even for bicuits or pie crusts. I've read recipes that use Crisco, 1/2 lard and 1/2 butter, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and vegetable oil.
Personally I use sunflower oil. It has a high smoking point and is just a little bit healthier than peanut oil. I sometimes use 1/2 sunflower oil and 1/2 duck fat for certain recipes, and I've used 1/2 sunflower and 1/2 peanut oil as well. If you're not experienced at frying foods, stick to using one type of fat. Get fancy later when you've had practice and could fry chicken in your sleep. I can. I literally fell asleep with tongs in my hands once while waiting to fry chicken. Thankfully it didn't burn as I was making fried chicken for about 20 people.
Other tips:
- Make sure once the breading is slightly golden that you turn the heat down and flip every so often to avoid scorching your breading.
- No matter what anyone says do not cover your pan while frying.
- This might be blasphemous, but I don't use a cast iron skillet. I use a simple old steel frying pan that is so beat up and ugly because it's really only used to fry things. It looks like a shallow wok with a handle, but it heats evenly like a cast iron skillet. All you really need is a pan deep enough for the oil that heats evenly.
- Watch the chicken until you can identify what is going on with the frying just by being within earshot. I can tell whether or not I need to turn my chicken and even if it's thoroughly cooked just by listening to the sound of the oil. If you watch the chicken enough times, you'll be able to do this too.
- It is possible to make fried chicken in the oven, but simply because it's possible it doesn't mean it should be done. It is not healthier either. Today I baked 1/2 of the chicken in the oven and the other 1/2 I fried in my blasphemous non-cast iron frying pan. The baked chicken started soaking up oil the minute I set it into the baking dish. I made sure to heat the oil in the baking dish in the oven before setting the chicken pieces in it, but it didn't make it a difference. I needed to add extra oil 10 minutes into baking and then again when I turned the chicken pieces to the other side. In addition it needs just as much attention because the oven can burn the breading. While the chicken had the same taste, the baked fried chicken's breading was hard and too thick compared to the batch I fried on the stove. I will never do this again quite frankly. I'll just have to work off the calories when I get a craving.
- Let your fried chicken set. Sure you're putting it on to clean paper towels to let the grease soak up, but it should also be to let the meat rest. If you serve or cut the chicken too early the juices won't have a chance to reconstitute and it will make every mouthful after the first taste bland and not as moist.
- If you make fried chicken with chicken that was frozen you must use the salty water brining method. Otherwise the chicken is just going to get tougher with frying. In fact I highly recommend brining any frozen meat before cooking, except poultry is the only meat you can immerse in the water while brining. With pork, lamb, beef, or even duck you should simply sprinkle salt on the meat while it's still frozen and wipe off the excess salt as you pat the meat dry before using it in your recipe.
- It's possible to make tasty fried chicken using skinless chicken or even skinless breast of chicken, but the reality is the bone adds to the taste. I've de-boned thighs when I made fried chicken for picnics (French people don't like to eat with their hands, so deboning the chicken made a big difference), but in those instances I used the freshest and best quality chicken I could find. Otherwise the bone adds a tremendous amount of moisture and flavour so don't fry without it.
I hope this helps and honestly, I was overwhelmed with the amount of fried chicken recipes (and arguments as to its preparation) I found after just an hour. I stick to my recipe because when I've tried other people's it's just not the way I like it.
If you have any tips (or arguments) please feel free to leave them in the comments. I'm always looking for ways to improve upon fried chicken as it is, let's face it, one of the best dishes to ever come out of American cuisine*.
*The other being gumbo.
The first time I made fried chicken the wrong way was with a Fry Daddy that actually spit out the pieces I'd put in to fry and caused a massive grease stain on the ceiling of the kitchen in the house that the embassy had rented for my parents. This was immediately followed by the first time I learned to make fried chicken the right way thanks to a nice lady from Alabama who not only helped me scrub the mess off the ceiling before my parents found out, but also made me the very best fried chicken I have ever had. Well, at least up until I'd had a year of practice because then I actually think mine was a tiny bit better than hers. Sorry Rita Mae, but it's true.
I did a little research online because I wanted to see if it was possible to make fried chicken in the oven to avoid the extra fat and thought I would share my experiences as I try to find a healthier way to make fried chicken. Instead what I discovered was there is a huge amount of debate as to what is the "real" way to make Southern Fried Chicken. And I mean huge, but by debate I mean arguments in text that sometimes ended in people cussin' at each other and bringin' up the Civil War. I ain't kiddin'.
Well since Rita Mae was from Alabama and I've had many Southerners devour my fried chicken from nearly all of the states south of the Mason Dixon line including Texas, I'd like to respectfully add my methods, thoughts, and advice along with the rest.
What type of chicken should you use?
For this experiment I bought 8 smallish thighs (not legs just thighs) of chicken. Now some people say the only proper way to make fried chicken is to buy whole fryer chickens and cut them up. I disagree. I've tried that method and found it only wasted time and more importantly, no one wanted the breast meat. Not because it was dry or not delicious, but because dark meat is not only better for frying, but is a lot tastier in general. I've tried a lot of tricks to make the breasts more like dark meat, but since I have yet to master The Dark Culinary Arts that will make white meat taste like dark meat, no matter what I tried the breast meat was always slightly inferior as it always is, even when you roast chickens.
Do you need to soak the chicken beforehand?
Some people soak their chicken. The times vary but overnight (8 hours) is about the longest length of time and 1 or 2 hours seems to be the mininum for some people. I've seen recipes that call for soaking in buttermilk, milk, and slightly salted water. The only time I've ever soaked in buttermilk is when making Buttermilk Fried Chicken as I've always considered BFC it's own specific type of chicken. I have never soaked my chicken in regular milk or salt water. Soaking meat in salt water is however a real technique called "brining". I've brined whole roasting chickens and consider brining a turkey absolutely mandatory. But for fried chicken I cannot see why this method would be used. So my stance on soaking is, examine the quality of the chicken you will be frying. If the meat looks tough, use buttermilk. If the meat looks old or dry, use the brining method.
If you decide to go the route of buttermilk, milk, or brining keep in mind that it will affect the coating of your chicken in the long run. Buttermilk and milk will thicken the coating and brining can possibly thin your coating. If you do soak your chicken you need to rinse it with cold water beforehand, pat dry, and then soak in whatever you are using. Once the chicken is done soaking you have to let the excess liquid drip off. I would suggest with buttermilk that unless you like a thick coating to pat the chicken with paper towels even after you've let any excess liquid drip off.
What to bread the chicken with?
Some people say flour and only flour. I happen to agree. However, as I've only just discovered this evening you can use whole wheat flour and it actually tastes better. I'm not sure why this is but most likely it's because whole wheat flour likely absorbs more oil in the process of cooking. If you know why this might be, or have other theories, please feel free to post in the comments section.
Now I bread chicken for other recipes and have used crackers, cornmeal, bread crumbs, almond flour, pecans - you name it. It's up to you as the cook to decide what you like best because after looking at about 50 recipes posted online; all proclaiming to be more authentic than any other I couldn't see how there could be one true recipe. On one forum people actually swore at each other over it. Apparently Southerners are very opinionated about fried chicken and rightfully so, but as an experienced cook the only thing I can think that might make a difference is how other ingredients would: hold up during the frying process, absorb oil, and provide the right level of crunch.
So you make you own decision as to what to use in the breading. If it tastes good and has the right amount of crunch, you should be fine unless serving purists.
What should I season the breading with?
Again there are many opinons. Purists say salt and pepper should be enough or that adding cayenne makes it not Southern, but Louisianna style. I personally like to use thyme, cayenne, a bit of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I sometimes vary the spices greatly, but I don't consider it Southern. Rita Mae was from Alabama and other than adding thyme, the base of my seasonings are what she told me to use. I also stick to her rule about proportions. Enough salt, mostly fresh ground black pepper, enough cayenne to make the flour look a little pink, and just a pinch or two of garlic powder. I usually add about a tablespoon of thyme for every 2 1/2 cups of flour.
So again, it's up to you. I use the same recipe for Southern Fried Chicken as I use to make a fusion French style fried chicken except I cut out about 1/2 the cayenne and add basil, oregano, and rosemary.
To Egg Wash or to Not Egg Wash?
From the 50 different recipes I looked at I've drawn a few conclusions. There are people who don't like a lot of breading on their fried chicken. If you don't like a lot of breading you have to stay away from soaking in buttermilk and from using an egg wash. Simply press the flour directly on to dry chicken and then allow to sit for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. I have tried this method and it is great because the breading is very light, but I love breading, so I use an egg wash.
Now here are a few things I've learned from experience:
1. If you want the breading to stay intact on chicken legs, dust the chicken with flour first, then dip in the egg wash, and then re-dip in the seasoned flour. Make sure to press the flour firmly with your hands.
2. The first dusting of flour actually helps the chicken stay moist.
3. Dusting with flour, egg wash, and then pressing the second flouring in with your hands until all the chicken is covered and the egg wash no longer shows visible wet marks on the floured chicken actually helps to cook the chicken faster without scorching the breading. Although you shouldn't have this problem because you should always turn the heat down once the breading reaches a light golden colour and use the last minutes of frying on low heat to let the chicken get that perfect golden colour fried chicken should have.
4. There is nothing worse you can do to your chicken than not bread it properly. The breading will fall off during the frying otherwise and you'll have to change your oil. Unless you are making a massive batch of fried chicken you should never have to change oil. I made about 4 kilos (10lbs.) of thighs and legs once and only changed my oil once.
What to fry the chicken in?
Again every one seems to have an opinion. There is only one type of "fat" I wouldn't suggest frying chicken in and that's anything with a very low smoking point like olive oil. The "fat" needs to get to a certain temperature and olive oil can't get that hot without smoking. Now I was taught that one should fry chicken in Crisco, but I haven't touched the stuff in eons, not even for bicuits or pie crusts. I've read recipes that use Crisco, 1/2 lard and 1/2 butter, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and vegetable oil.
Personally I use sunflower oil. It has a high smoking point and is just a little bit healthier than peanut oil. I sometimes use 1/2 sunflower oil and 1/2 duck fat for certain recipes, and I've used 1/2 sunflower and 1/2 peanut oil as well. If you're not experienced at frying foods, stick to using one type of fat. Get fancy later when you've had practice and could fry chicken in your sleep. I can. I literally fell asleep with tongs in my hands once while waiting to fry chicken. Thankfully it didn't burn as I was making fried chicken for about 20 people.
Other tips:
- Make sure once the breading is slightly golden that you turn the heat down and flip every so often to avoid scorching your breading.
- No matter what anyone says do not cover your pan while frying.
- This might be blasphemous, but I don't use a cast iron skillet. I use a simple old steel frying pan that is so beat up and ugly because it's really only used to fry things. It looks like a shallow wok with a handle, but it heats evenly like a cast iron skillet. All you really need is a pan deep enough for the oil that heats evenly.
- Watch the chicken until you can identify what is going on with the frying just by being within earshot. I can tell whether or not I need to turn my chicken and even if it's thoroughly cooked just by listening to the sound of the oil. If you watch the chicken enough times, you'll be able to do this too.
- It is possible to make fried chicken in the oven, but simply because it's possible it doesn't mean it should be done. It is not healthier either. Today I baked 1/2 of the chicken in the oven and the other 1/2 I fried in my blasphemous non-cast iron frying pan. The baked chicken started soaking up oil the minute I set it into the baking dish. I made sure to heat the oil in the baking dish in the oven before setting the chicken pieces in it, but it didn't make it a difference. I needed to add extra oil 10 minutes into baking and then again when I turned the chicken pieces to the other side. In addition it needs just as much attention because the oven can burn the breading. While the chicken had the same taste, the baked fried chicken's breading was hard and too thick compared to the batch I fried on the stove. I will never do this again quite frankly. I'll just have to work off the calories when I get a craving.
- Let your fried chicken set. Sure you're putting it on to clean paper towels to let the grease soak up, but it should also be to let the meat rest. If you serve or cut the chicken too early the juices won't have a chance to reconstitute and it will make every mouthful after the first taste bland and not as moist.
- If you make fried chicken with chicken that was frozen you must use the salty water brining method. Otherwise the chicken is just going to get tougher with frying. In fact I highly recommend brining any frozen meat before cooking, except poultry is the only meat you can immerse in the water while brining. With pork, lamb, beef, or even duck you should simply sprinkle salt on the meat while it's still frozen and wipe off the excess salt as you pat the meat dry before using it in your recipe.
- It's possible to make tasty fried chicken using skinless chicken or even skinless breast of chicken, but the reality is the bone adds to the taste. I've de-boned thighs when I made fried chicken for picnics (French people don't like to eat with their hands, so deboning the chicken made a big difference), but in those instances I used the freshest and best quality chicken I could find. Otherwise the bone adds a tremendous amount of moisture and flavour so don't fry without it.
I hope this helps and honestly, I was overwhelmed with the amount of fried chicken recipes (and arguments as to its preparation) I found after just an hour. I stick to my recipe because when I've tried other people's it's just not the way I like it.
If you have any tips (or arguments) please feel free to leave them in the comments. I'm always looking for ways to improve upon fried chicken as it is, let's face it, one of the best dishes to ever come out of American cuisine*.
*The other being gumbo.
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