4 Secrets for the tastiest fried chicken of your life
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: 4 secrets for the tastiest fried chicken of your life.
What a time to be alive… And we mean in the heyday of fried chicken in the Netherlands. Because you may have noticed that during the past twelve months, when the need for comfort food perhaps reached an absolute peak, the fried chicken sandwich made a sort of takeaway victory tour across the country (along with the smashburger, by the way). But we also know our way around a pan of oil and a few pieces of chicken at home.
Fried chicken is of course not new at all, but the interest in it and the desire to really put in the effort at home is now unprecedentedly high. At least, for us. And that’s why we are quite happy with every whispered tip in our ear to make our fried chicken even better. Because whether you eat it in a sandwich or a roll or all out go with fries on the side, the goal is of course the crispiest outside with the softest inside.
Not messing around here: these are four secret top tips to elevate your fried chicken to an even higher level. Because let’s be honest: why would you go to KFC when you can make it tastier yourself?
Secret #1: salty marinade = juicier meat
It’s a good idea to let the chicken marinate in a marinade first. That can be buttermilk or pickle juice; plenty of variation. If you add a good amount of salt to this, the chicken will remain much more tender and juicy. This works (or is, in fact) the same as brining. The salt breaks down proteins in the meat structure, making it ‘looser’ and able to hold more moisture during cooking. Two teaspoons of kitchen salt per two hundred and fifty milliliters of liquid is a good guideline.
Secret #2: splash of vodka in the marinade
By adding a liquid with a high alcohol content (bourbon can work too), you can create a crust that is light and crunchy instead of heavy and greasy. Vodka evaporates faster and more intensely than water (which would make up the majority of the marinade otherwise) when the chicken is heated. This means that the moisture disappears from the crust faster and also that larger bubbles form, which increases the surface area of the crust, making it crispier and lighter. It also inhibits gluten formation in the flour. If you want to make bread or pizza dough, you actually want the gluten to develop nicely; that’s why you stretch and knead the dough to 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 Moscow mules.
Secret #3: add some moisture to the flour
The flour you dredge the chicken in should ideally be seasoned with spices. At the very least with salt and pepper, and then you can vary with spices. Personal favorite: Pimenton de la Vera (smoked paprika powder), and then the spicy variant. But what’s also a good idea: drizzle a little bit of moisture from the marinade into the plate with flour before dredging the chicken through it. Work it through with your fingers or a whisk so that it becomes somewhat clumpy. So don’t make it a smooth paste! It’s precisely those clumps that stick to the crust that will provide extra crunch and flavor later. If you’ve used a cup of flour, loosely mix in two tablespoons of marinade.
Secret #4: double frying
Fry cooks have known this for a long time, but double frying is the trick for a super crispy exterior without the inside becoming dry. After the first frying (as you would normally do), let the chicken cool completely and then fry it again. By the way, this is also the way to revive leftover fried chicken the next day. Although we completely understand if you’re rolling on the floor laughing right now: ‘Leftover Fried Chicken?! Mwhahahaha, what is that?!’
Another tip
Want even more delicious Fried Chicken inspiration and recipes? Then listen to the delightful podcast from the guys at Wat Schaft de Podcast about fried chicken. In this episode, they take you on an international syrup tour to the tastiest Fried Chicken. They go to America for Southern Style Fried Chicken, to Korea for fried Korean chicken, with Ottolenghi to Israel, and they discuss the Japanese way (fried chicken from chicken thighs, also known as Tatsuga-age). And as a bonus, they share all the recipes. A must-listen!
