4 secrets to the best Fried Chicken of your life
What a time to be alive… And by that we mean the heyday of Fried Chicken in the Netherlands. Because you may not have missed that over the past 12 months, when the need for comfort food perhaps reached an absolute peak, the Fried Chicken sandwich embarked on a kind of takeaway victory tour across the country (along with the smashburger, by the way). But at home, we know what we’re doing with a pan of oil and a few pieces of chicken too!
Fried chicken is of course not new at all, but interest in it—and the desire to really do your best with it at home—is now unprecedentedly high. At least, it is for us. And that’s why we’re more than happy with every tip whispered in our ear to make our fried chicken even better! Because whether you eat it in a sandwich or a bun, or go all out with fries on the side, the goal is of course the crispiest exterior with the most tender interior.
Not messing around here: these are four secret top tips to take your fried chicken to an even higher level. Because honestly: why go to KFC when you can make it even tastier yourself?
Secret #1: salty marinade = juicier meat
It’s a good idea to marinate the chicken first. This can be buttermilk or pickle juice—plenty of variety. If you add a generous amount of salt, the chicken stays much more tender and juicy. That works (or is, in fact) the same as brining. The salt breaks down proteins in the meat structure, making it ‘looser’ and allowing it to retain more moisture during cooking. Two teaspoons of table salt per two hundred and fifty milliliters of liquid is a good amount to use.
Secret #2: a splash of vodka in the marinade
Adding a liquid with a high alcohol content (bourbon can work too, for example) allows you to create a crust that is light and crunchy rather than heavy and greasy. Vodka evaporates faster and more intensely than water (which would otherwise make up most of the marinade) when the chicken is heated. This means the moisture disappears from the crust more quickly, and larger bubbles form, increasing the surface area of the crust and making it crispier and lighter. It also inhibits gluten formation in the flour. If you want to make bread or pizza dough, you want the gluten to do its thing; that’s why you stretch and fold the dough and ultimately get a nice stretchy, chewy texture. But for light, crispy crusts, you want to minimize gluten development. Give it a try, with two tablespoons of vodka per two hundred and fifty milliliters of marinade. You probably have some left over after making the Moscow mules!
Secret #3: add a little moisture to the flour
The flour you coat the chicken in should, if all goes well, have been seasoned with herbs and spices. At the very least with salt and pepper, and then you can vary the spices. Personal favorite: Pimenton de la Vera (smoked paprika), and the spicy variety at that. But another good idea is to drizzle a small amount of marinade into the bowl of flour before coating the chicken. Work it through briefly with your fingers or a whisk so it becomes slightly lumpy. Don’t turn it into a smooth batter! Those very lumps that stick to the crust will provide extra crunch and flavor later. If you used a mugful of flour, loosely mix in two tablespoons of marinade.
Secret #4: double-fry
French fry makers have known this for a long time, of course, but frying twice is the trick for an incredibly crispy exterior without drying out the interior. After the first fry (as you normally would), let the chicken cool completely and then fry it again. This is also the perfect way to perk up leftover fried chicken the next day. Though we completely understand if you’re rolling on the floor laughing now: “Leftover Fried Chicken?! Mwhahahah what’s that?!”
One more tip
Want even more ridiculously delicious Fried Chicken inspiration and recipes? Then listen to the wonderful podcast by the guys at Wat Schaft de Podcast about fried chicken. In this episode, they take you on an international treasure hunt for the best Fried Chicken. They go to America for Southern Style Fried Chicken, to Korea for fried Korean chicken, to Israel with Ottolenghi, and discuss the Japanese way (fried chicken made with chicken thighs, also known as Tatsuga-age). As a bonus, they share all the recipes. Highly recommended!
Also read:
- You didn’t know you could deep-fry this too
- Breading chicken can be learned—for the crispiest, most delicious chicken
- 6x crispy fried chicken
Source: Serious Eats
