The Beginner’s Guide to Making Fried Chicken
Nearly everybody loves the taste of fried chicken and there are plenty of different fried chicken recipes to try out. Deep frying is a common way to cook fried chicken but you can also pan fry it or oven fry it, which is when you bake the chicken but it tastes like it has been fried. Fried chicken, also known as southern fried chicken, is a real comfort food too.
Fried Chicken Tips
If you have not made fried chicken before, it is not difficult. As with many other chicken recipes, you have to be careful with the handling of raw chicken and wash any surfaces it has touched afterwards with hot, soapy water. You need to make a batter, dip the chicken into it, and then use a deep fryer to fry the chicken. When the chicken is white all the way through and the batter is crispy and golden brown, it is ready.
One of the easiest ways to coat your chicken pieces is to use a Ziploc bag full of your dry ingredients and add a few chicken pieces at a time, shaking well to coat every piece well. Next, you dip them into your liquid batter then fry them. This method also cuts down on mess!
If you dredge the chicken pieces in flour, then into a milk and egg yolk mixture and finally into breadcrumbs, this makes a really crunchy and crispy coating.
It is important to take care when using hot oil. Do not put your face too close to the oil and never leave it unattended. Use tongs to put the chicken in the oil and to remove it from the oil to prevent spattering.
Not all chicken pieces cook at the same rate so if you are using legs, wings, thighs and breasts, you will need to add different pieces at different times. The legs and thighs need to go in first and these cook at 165 degrees F. Next, turn the heat down to 160 degrees F., and add the breasts. Finally, add the wings because these cook more quickly than the other parts.
If your chicken is ready before the rest of the meal, do not panic. Just put some water in an oven dish and put some rolled up foil balls into it. Put a large piece of tin foil across the top, put the chicken on this, and cover everything with a lid. Keep it in a 175 degrees F oven until the rest of the meal has finished cooking. The foil works as a steamer, keeping the chicken moist and tender.
How to Serve Fried Chicken
There are lots of different side dishes that go well with a deep fried chicken recipe including French fries and corn on the cob or mashed potatoes with green beans.
If you are making buffet food, you can serve the fried chicken warm or cold and have some sauces out so people can help themselves. If you want to know how much food for a party is the right amount, you can be generous with the fried chicken because if you make too much, you can enjoy it cold the following day.