10 Secrets to Making the Best Southern Fried Chicken—Straight From a Chef (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to getting crispy chicken? ›

Double Dredge

The best way to ensure the breading will stay on the chicken is to double down on the flour. This creates a super thick, extra crispy coating on your chicken. After dredging the chicken in seasoned flour, dip it into an egg wash and place it back into the flour.

Think vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Don't use olive oil or butter—they both have lower smoke points. The ideal temperature for frying chicken is 350˚ to 365˚, and you'll want to make sure that you bring the oil back to temperature between batches.

Soak the chicken in the milk mixture for 5 to 10 minutes. Roll the chicken in flour, being sure to completely cover each piece. Set aside to dry. In a large cast-iron skillet melt lard over medium heat.

Submerging chicken in a brine bath seasons it inside out. Aside from injecting flavor, the brine breaks down the proteins of the poultry, retaining moisture in the cells. In 24 hours or less, the muscle fibers in the meat begin to separate and swell, resulting in a tender, juicy and flavorful meat.

Cornstarch Is the Secret to the Crispiest Fried Chicken

So how exactly does it work? When paired with all-purpose flour, cornstarch helps prevent gluten development, which makes the flour coating crispier, and absorb moisture (from the frying and the chicken), which also means a crispier coating.

All-purpose flour gives the buttermilk and seasonings something to stick to, while ensuring a wonderfully crispy crust. This crispy fried chicken recipe calls for paprika (which helps with browning), salt, and pepper. You can add more spices and seasonings to taste.

KFC products are fried in oil which may contain the following: Canola Oil and Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, an Antifoaming Agent Added OR Low Linolenic Soybean Oil, TBHQ and Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, an Antifoaming ...

Can you mix canola oil and vegetable oil? Not only are these two oils interchangeable, but they can also be mixed. There's no benefit to mixing canola and vegetable oils when cooking, but running out of one oil during dinner doesn't have to mean a ruined recipe.

Can You Use Milk Instead of Buttermilk for Fried Chicken? No. Using milk instead of buttermilk will not have the same effect. However, it's easy enough to make buttermilk at home.

Briefly soaking meat in a solution of baking soda and water raises the pH on the meat's surface, making it more difficult for the proteins to bond excessively, which keeps the meat tender and moist when it's cooked.

What is the key to frying chicken? ›

Mistake: Frying At The Wrong Temperature

The key is to maintain that temperature between 300 to 325 degrees F as you fry the chicken. This temperature range will cook the chicken through without burning the crust.

The dryer the chicken skin, the better it will crisp when cooked. When you unwrap your chicken from the package, pat it dry on all sides (and inside if it's whole) with paper towels. If you have time, pop it in the fridge uncovered overnight or even for an hour and let it dry out further in there.

Tenderness: The lactic acid in milk helps to break down the proteins in the chicken, resulting in a tender and moist texture. Flavor Infusion: Milk can act as a carrier for other flavors, such as herbs and spices, allowing them to penetrate the chicken and create a delicious taste profile.

The baking powder raises the pH of the surface, allowing it to crisp better*), and tossing in plain cornstarch to absorb some surface moisture and create a rougher texture for the batter to adhere to.