Tips for frying Chicken

Way too hot.


Electric skillet with a cover.

325 degrees.

Profit

I think you need at least 1 1/2 inches of oil. I use peanut, though that shouldn't make a difference. I get the oil up to between 375 and 400 because it drops when you add the chicken. Make sure you aren't crowding the chicken. Don't fry a lot of pieces at one time. Keep a thermometer in the oil to monitor the temp so it doesn't fall lower than 350.

Another option is to deep fat fry. Less chance of scorching the bottom of the pieces.

Just get an electric fryer. On the stove in a cast iron is too much of a hassle

Been frying chicken at home for years and love doing it.

I'll not go into what I use to make my liquid dredge but I do use all-purpose flour and season it real good with Slap Ya Mama, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper and Cayenne Pepper.

I also use a cast iron pot and put about 1 1/2 inches of oil to heat. My chicken is cut up as follows, 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 pieces of back and I will cut each breast in half across the width to wind up with 4 equal size pieces. This is a total of 12 pieces of chicken.

I'll heat my oil until a bit of flour dropped into it sizzles. I'll place 4 pieces for each batch with the first being the wings and backs. I'll let them cook for 5 minutes on one side and then turn them and cook 5 minutes on the other side and then remove them to drain on a wire rack over paper towels.

Then I'll do the legs and thighs. Again for 5 minutes each side, but I turn them twice for a cook time of 20 minutes.

Then do the same for the 4 pieces of breast.

My chicken is always crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside while being fully cooked.

Then I'll let the oil cool overnight and the crap settle in the oil, strain it good and use it with fresh AP flour to make a bunch of roux that I save for later use. Don't use the seasoned flour, although it may be tempting. The seasonings will burn and give it a bad taste.

I don't use a thermometer, but would imagine my oil is kept around 300 or a tad more during the cooking cycle but I get it up to around 350 for the initial drop and adjust from there.

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The temperature of the oil naturally drops and must come back up, so I increase the heat until it does (should I not do this?)

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How frequently are you adding chicken pieces to the oil? I like to allow the heat to recover before adding each additional piece. About 1 piece of chicken every 30-45 seconds. Alternatively, You can preheat to 350°F, add enough chicken to drop the temp to 325°F, then maintain that temperature throughout the duration of the cook.

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So I do the above and every time the outside of the chicken ends up burnt while the inside ends up undercooked.

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350°F is just a tad high. You may have better success frying at 325°F. The size of the pieces can also affect the doneness.

A lot of great advise here. My two tips. The top part of the chicken has to slightly above the oil so the moisture in the chicken can evaporate.

The 325 degree for large pieces and 335-340 degree for small pieces is just right because you have to fry the chicken much longer than say seafood. If the oil is too hot the outside will burn before the inside is fully cooked.

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350°F is just a tad high. You may have better success frying at 325°F.

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Yep. I fry anywhere from 315-325.





I use a countertop 1.5 gallon deep fryer.

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