What am I doing wrong when making fried chicken?

Question

I have tried making fried chicken at home a few times recently. I keep having the same issues:

1. The batter doesn't get truly crispy. It feels crispy to the touch, but feels soft when biting into it.
2. The batter doesn't quite stick to the chicken - it doesn't fall off, but air pockets keep forming between the chicken and batter.

I am using flour and spices for the batter, with egg to make it stick to the chicken.

◦•●◉✿ plυмdυмplιngѕ ✿◉●•◦ · Answer

You need to dig into the website Serious Eats. They test the hell out of everything and explain it all in detail. Some of their methods are a bit unusual (this fried chicken that they fry at a high temp then finish in the oven) but they always work. https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/07/the-food-lab-southern-fried-chicken-recipe.html

Anonymous · Answer

Try using cornstarch instead of flour, add some baking powder. You can try at 375F if it still doesn't satisfy.

DCM5150 · Answer

Might be that you are frying at too low of a temperature (both things you describe are signs of too low of a temperature). Make sure you are using enough oil and not overloading the pan because the temperature will drop when you put the chicken in the fryer.

What am I doing wrong when making fried chicken?

3 Answers