Fried chicken gets its crispy texture primarily from a combination of the coating ingredients and the cooking method. Key factors that make fried chicken crispy include:
- Using a coating that often combines flour with cornstarch or baking powder. Cornstarch adds a light, brittle crunch, and baking powder creates tiny air bubbles that help form an airy, crispy crust. The flour provides a surface for the coating to stick to and browns well during frying.
- Dredging the chicken in a buttermilk or milk brine before coating. The acidity tenderizes the chicken and helps the coating adhere better, resulting in a crispy outside and juicy inside.
- Cooking in oil with a high smoke point (such as vegetable, peanut, or canola oil) at the right temperature. Starting at a high temperature browns the crust, then sometimes lowering heat allows thorough cooking, then increasing heat at the end locks in crispiness.
- Letting the coated chicken rest so the coating can form a paste-like consistency before frying, which improves the texture and adherence of the crust.
- Frying technique, such as deep-frying rather than shallow frying, for even golden-brown crust without burning.
- Avoiding excess moisture on the chicken before coating, as moisture causes the batter to fall off and results in sogginess.
In summary, the crispiness of fried chicken is a result of the interplay between a flour-cornstarch-based coating (sometimes with baking powder), proper marinating or brining, controlled frying temperatures, and resting the coated chicken before frying to form a strong crust.
