Fry day: 8 fried chicken tips
As far as we’re concerned, you never need an excuse to eat fried chicken. Feel like pulling out all the stops and making your own fried chicken? Rightly so—it’s tastiest when home made. We’ve put the eight best tips in a row for you. Winner winner, chicken dinner!
1. Fry it twice
Fry the chicken twice. Yes, really. We know it’s not exactly great for your waistline, but oh well… Fry it once at a low temperature and then at a higher temperature.
2. Use vegetable shortening
Shortening is a collective term for types of fat that are solid at room temperature. It is often used in America, but we hardly ever use it in the Netherlands. From now on, we do: Crisco is a vegetable shortening and is available at Jumbo or here.
3. Or use duck fat
More into haute friture? Fine by us. Use duck fat for frying; it gives your fried chicken an extra delicious flavor and an extra crispy exterior.
4. Cook the chicken sous-vide first
The salt in the sous-vide bag acts as brine and ensures that the chicken is well seasoned. After cooking, coat the chicken in butter and flour, then fry it in batches for about 3 minutes.
5. Go for bone-in chicken
Chicken with the bones still in is the best chicken to fry. The meat stays much juicier that way. And the only way to eat fried chicken is by gnawing it off the bones!
6. Add dried lime
Add some dried lime zest to the flour; it gives the chicken an extra delicious flavor.
7. Start in the oven
Cook your chicken in the oven first. That way, the inside is already cooked before you fry it, and you only have to focus on achieving that extra-crispy chicken skin, without the risk of the chicken still being undercooked while the outside is on the verge of burning.
8. Cornstarch
Before the marinated chicken goes into the fryer, sprinkle it with some cornstarch. This gives you an extra crispy crust.
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