# Frying Chicken?



## dalepres

I've fried chicken since I was a kid but it's always been seat of the pants. So I'm trying to learn to really fry it.

I read that it should be cooked in oil at 350 f. I tried that tonight, in a Lodge cast-iron pan, and the chicken was burning way too fast. The first batch was cooked at around 275 to 300 but then I read about the 350 and tried the second batch at 350. The first batch did fine and the second batch tried to burn until I turned it down.

I suppose for the most part, I should just cook like the first one, using the same pan, stove settings, thermometer, etc., and it will do just fine but I'd appreciate hearing if there are other tricks I need to know or something I might have been doing wrong.


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## Nik333

What did you have on the chicken? Seasoning, flour, batter? Sugar in seasoning will make it brown quicker.


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## Bud9051

Watching as I would really like to be able to cook some crispy chicken. My old style seasoned flour and 1/4" of hot oil taste good just not crispy.

Bud


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## dalepres

Nik333 said:


> What did you have on the chicken? Seasoning, flour, batter? Sugar in seasoning will make it brown quicker.


I have a new sensitivity to gluten over the last year or so - or suspected; we're still trying to pin it down. So the breading is gluten free "crumbs" and gluten free flour and spices - garlic, salt, chili powder, paprika. No sugar. 

I suppose the gluten free takes my problems out of the experience for most but still, thanks for whatever ideas you have.


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## stick\shift

I'm not much for cooking anything that takes effort but my daughter likes to cook and we watch a few shows about it together. Recently, we watched a fried chicken competition and one of the contestants cooked the chicken most of the way in the oven and then breaded and fried it for just a little bit to get the coating crispy.


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## chandler48

Well, if worried about Gluten, I wouldn't try my breading. One bowl of buttermilk and one of flour. Dip chicken in buttermilk, then flour, back into the buttermilk and back into the flour, then deep fry to golden crispness. Bunch of crunchies .


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## Colbyt

Dale


I mostly fry cook thighs and use an electric skillet for better temperature control. I brine them in salt water for 4 hours to remove the blood around the bone or debone them in advance. Preheat the 2 cups of oil to 360 and reduce to 350 when the chicken is added.



They are breaded in flour and seasoning with no egg wash used. Paprika in the flour mix can cause premature browning. They cook at 350 and are turned and moved around the skillet every 5 minutes. I set the timer for 25 minutes when the chicken is in the skillet so this is a timed procedure. They are covered with a vented lid for minutes 8-18 +-.



Bone in uses almost all of the 25 minutes; deboned usually cooks in 20. They are done when pricked with a toothpick at the thickest part yields clear fluid.


The process of flipping and rotation exposes each piece to hotter area of the pan and ensures a golden crust on all sides.


When cooking a whole chicken you want one that weighs no more than 2.5 pounds and even then some pieces, wings and breasts will get done before the thighs.


It is virtually impossible to get a consistent temp on the stovetop and the thermometers only measure in the spot they are in. 



I also oven fry chicken with a lot less carbs and a crispy skin.


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## Timborooni

Shallow frying the temperature can be tricky and difficult to control. Oil heats up, in goes the cold food and lowers temp of the oil, so you might adjust the temp hotter. Gradually as the food warms the oil starts to heat up and can move past smoke point, unless you turn the temp down. But how much? An electric skillet with a thermostat is probably helpful. Or closely monitor.

I've never tested the theory, but seems logical. Was watching on TV an old timer pan frying chicken, old black lady. She said, with deep frying, chicken totally submerged in the oil, the steam cannot escape. So when you eat the chicken the skin(and crust) comes off easily. When you pan fry, chicken roughly covered halfway, the steam can escape, and the skin sticks to the meat when you eat it. Crunchy goodness in every bite. Of course when you pan fry some of the chicken touches the bottom of the pan, so the crust is more dense than when deep fried. But also has a deeper flavor. Could be good, could be not as good, depending on preference.


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## dalepres

chandler48 said:


> Well, if worried about Gluten, I wouldn't try my breading. One bowl of buttermilk and one of flour. Dip chicken in buttermilk, then flour, back into the buttermilk and back into the flour, then deep fry to golden crispness. Bunch of crunchies .


There are gluten free flours to try. I've used that process before having trouble with gluten; it is definitely a good way to cook chicken. I thought about it for the batch last night but didn't want to go 6 blocks to the grocery store. Maybe next time.


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## dalepres

Colbyt said:


> Dale
> 
> 
> I mostly fry cook thighs and use an electric skillet for better temperature control. I brine them in salt water for 4 hours to remove the blood around the bone or debone them in advance. Preheat the 2 cups of oil to 360 and reduce to 350 when the chicken is added.
> 
> 
> 
> They are breaded in flour and seasoning with no egg wash used. Paprika in the flour mix can cause premature browning. They cook at 350 and are turned and moved around the skillet every 5 minutes. I set the timer for 25 minutes when the chicken is in the skillet so this is a timed procedure. They are covered with a vented lid for minutes 8-18 +-.
> 
> 
> 
> Bone in uses almost all of the 25 minutes; deboned usually cooks in 20. They are done when pricked with a toothpick at the thickest part yields clear fluid.
> 
> 
> The process of flipping and rotation exposes each piece to hotter area of the pan and ensures a golden crust on all sides.
> 
> 
> When cooking a whole chicken you want one that weighs no more than 2.5 pounds and even then some pieces, wings and breasts will get done before the thighs.
> 
> 
> It is virtually impossible to get a consistent temp on the stovetop and the thermometers only measure in the spot they are in.
> 
> 
> 
> I also oven fry chicken with a lot less carbs and a crispy skin.


Very good ideas. We usually use thighs as well and that's what I had last night. We do a lot of boneless, skinless, thighs but lately I've gone back to bone in and skin on. We don't eat it that often and cutting out all of life's little pleasures is not worth the returns.

The rotating and turning is a good idea. I used the rough average of testing all around the pan for temperature. I turned the pan to try to get the cooler parts on the hotter areas; that seemed to help.

But good ideas all around; thank you.


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## dalepres

ZEW496 said:


> Shallow frying the temperature can be tricky and difficult to control. Oil heats up, in goes the cold food and lowers temp of the oil, so you might adjust the temp hotter. Gradually as the food warms the oil starts to heat up and can move past smoke point, unless you turn the temp down. But how much? An electric skillet with a thermostat is probably helpful. Or closely monitor.
> 
> I've never tested the theory, but seems logical. Was watching on TV an old timer pan frying chicken, old black lady. She said, with deep frying, chicken totally submerged in the oil, the steam cannot escape. So when you eat the chicken the skin(and crust) comes off easily. When you pan fry, chicken roughly covered halfway, the steam can escape, and the skin sticks to the meat when you eat it. Crunchy goodness in every bite. Of course when you pan fry some of the chicken touches the bottom of the pan, so the crust is more dense than when deep fried. But also has a deeper flavor. Could be good, could be not as good, depending on preference.


Good ideas on the electric fryer and on deep frying. Reminds me that I might also want to try a pressure cooker.

Deep fryer is just such a mess to clean and dangerous. I have one but I don't use it often; I used it a lot when we bought it.


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## Colbyt

I debone them and leave the skin on. They are actually one of the easiest chicken parts to debone.


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## BayouRunner

My wife makes fantastic fried chicken. She cooks it in a cast iron frying pan. Maybe 3/4 to 1 inch of vegetable oil. As far as I know, she dips in in an egg batter and seasons the flour and coats it. I mean really good. Actually one of my favorites that she makes. Flips it quite a few times. Does make a good crust and your correct skin doesn’t come off like that. Sorry she doesn’t use a thermometer, can’t help you there. I can tell you the higher the heat the crispier the crust. I would say never over 350, that’s what I use for fish. She just walked in, she said about 5.5 or 6 on the the burner if that helps lol


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## dalepres

BayouRunner said:


> My wife makes fantastic fried chicken. She cooks it in a cast iron frying pan. Maybe 3/4 to 1 inch of vegetable oil. As far as I know, she dips in in an egg batter and seasons the flour and coats it. I mean really good. Actually one of my favorites that she makes. Flips it quite a few times. Does make a good crust and your correct skin doesn’t come off like that. Sorry she doesn’t use a thermometer, can’t help you there. I can tell you the higher the heat the crispier the crust. I would say never over 350, that’s what I use for fish. She just walked in, she said about 5.5 or 6 on the the burner if that helps lol


She must have the same stove.  That's exactly where I did mine. 6 got too hot and 5 too cool.


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## Two Knots

The secret is to maintain the oil at 350* If the oil is not hot enough
then too much oil is absorbed into the crust making it oily/greasy.
Get a oil thermometer.

Here is a link to how I do it...adjust the spices to your liking.
Also, paprika is a natural browning agent. Have fun! :smile:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/classic-fried-chicken-recipe-1973751


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## ktownskier

Damn, now I want to fry some chicken. And I don't have any at home.


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## dalepres

Two Knots said:


> The secret is to maintain the oil at 350* If the oil is not hot enough
> then too much oil is absorbed into the crust making it oily/greasy.
> Get a oil thermometer.
> 
> Here is a link to how I do it...adjust the spices to your liking.
> Also, paprika is a natural browning agent. Have fun! :smile:
> 
> https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/classic-fried-chicken-recipe-1973751


I do love paprika but, based on you and another who mentioned it, no paprika in the next fried chicken batch. Thanks.


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## ChuckF.

Send a spy into a Publix grocery store and steal their formula. I've tried many times but can't make better than they can.


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## Cedrus

I read that paprika burns and gets bitter...if not cooked just right. IDK, I don't like paprika and never use it. Article said don't use in a dry rub.


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## Calson

The best fried chicken I have found has been in small towns in Costa Rica where they do not use any flour or other batter. It may be in part to the oil they use or that they have better poultry without the factory farms as in the USA. 

Many flours and combinations of flours to use in place of wheat flour (with its glyphosate) and two excellent cookbooks by America's Test Kitchen with recipes that have different flour mixes depending on what is being made, i.e. breads or biscuits or cakes. 

If I had children I would not be exposing them to the glyphosates in wheat or soy produced in the United States which has been correlated with the rise in ADHD and autism. Problem with glyphosate (Roundup or Agent Orange) is that it kills the gut bacteria needed to produce key chemicals necessary for brain function. Monsanto even has a patent for glyphosate as an anti-bacterial agent. 

I am not allergic to gluten as such but I learned that I am definitely allergic to wheat (in same plant family as ragweed) and the result is sinus congestion. Since eliminating anything with wheat in it I have cut out all my decongestant and antihistamine medications and my sleep is much improved.


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## Timborooni

Cedrus said:


> I read that paprika burns and gets bitter...if not cooked just right. IDK, I don't like paprika and never use it. Article said don't use in a dry rub.


Paprika, to my taste buds, it does not contain a great deal of flavor(unless smoked paprika), subtle. Most often the allure is the color, it adds a nice red color. It can also be used as sort of a vehicle in spice mixes, a relatively moderate spice mix supplemented with a proportionately larger quantity of a subtle flavored vehicle in order to achieve an even distribution of the original spice mix. A lot of store bought spice mixes, the first 2 ingredients may often be salt and paprika. Salt is a flavor enhancer, it makes things taste more like they taste, if that makes sense. Sprinkled on watermelon, it makes the watermelon sweeter, tastes more like watermelon. The paprika stretches the stocked ingredients the manufacturer wants to sell, keeping large quantities of paprika on hand is cheap, and the sutble flavor doesn't get in the way of the spices yet to come further down on the _listed by _ content label, and the red color is pretty, appetizing. Many ff the shelf rubs and spice mixes, you're mostly paying for salt and paprika. I often leave paprika off when making my own spice mixes, sometime I use it for the purpose(s) as listed above. Deviled eggs gotta have paprika on top, makes them appetizing, folks who might not normally want or like a deviled egg might take a second look. On top of potato salad before service, yes.

Paprika is probably no more likely to burn than other things in a spice rub. Paprika is dried pepper, "sweet pepper", so it might not make what I just said totally accurate. Sugars are more likely to burn, including the brown sugar that is often in spice rubs, especially. Onion has a surprisingly high content of sugar, for an onion. Saute sliced onion in a pan, sprinkled with salt to sweat, illustrates the point. Sweet.

Spice rubs should be applied after drying the meat. Meat should wlays be dry before seasoning. A rub should not produce a wet slurry that sits on the outside of the meat, and will likely just fall off once it hits the grill or cooking surfacec. And it is not really necessary to "rub" them in, although for distribution purposes it can be helpful. Similar to brining, the salt content of the rub will draw out moisture, and with time the moisture will be drawn back into the meat, taking the flavor of accompanying spices with it. A rub in a sense is a dry brine.

And i'm rambling on with no particular objective. I'm not trying to differ with anything you said, just talkin' cookin'. Tried to convince my granddaughter to include mushrooms she said she didn't like on an all-the-way pizza we were ordering. I said white mushrooms really don't have that much taste. She said, "Well if they don't have that much taste, why do we need them on there." :smile:


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## Nik333

ChuckF. said:


> Send a spy into a Publix grocery store and steal their formula. I've tried many times but can't make better than they can.


The difference might be MSG. I once asked the girl at a Popeyes if they added MSG. She said no. They used Tyson chicken. I called Tyson # & somehow got an actual guy who was in charge of the raw chicken. He said they did inject MSG into the meat before it went to Popeyes.

He might have been more honest because I was trying to eliminate migraines.


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## Timborooni

I was in an international foods type market last week, MSG can be purchased on the grocery shelf, at least that is what was on the label. Although i'm not basing it on any way it might effect me when I eat it, I tend to steer clear. I have read that it's a myth that it, I don't know, gives you a headache, the trots maybe, whatever. Who knows. I would guess it's not among the healthiest additions to culinary delights, though possibly a short cut to getting there.

I have been the beneficiary of an Air Fryer a while back, rarely used it until fairly recently. The thought crossed my mind how would it do with chicken cooked with, dare I say....Shake-n-Bake(and we helped!). Is that a sacrilege to fried chicken?


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## Colbyt

> Paprika is probably no more likely to burn than other things in a spice rub. Paprika is dried pepper, "sweet pepper", so it might not make what I just said totally accurate.


My personal experiences: A TBS mixed into a couple of cups of flour and it does not burn, it aids browning. Liberally sprinkled on meat roasting in a hot oven and it can. A tsp mixed with a few TBS of flour and salt and it does not burn.


The latter is way way to make oven fried chicken.


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