# Fried chicken, YET AGAIN **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 19, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763 "2019-06-19T18:08:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/21 "2019-06-20T16:12:51Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I get a fragrance something like body odor from white pepper. Other times, it’s almost fishy smelling. White pepper sometimes works (hot & sour soup, roadside chicken) but I agree that black pepper is the more versatile of the two. Yeah, that’s exactly the odor. The first few times I had white pepper, I couldn’t stand it, but after awhile, I grew quite fond of it, especially in Asian cooking. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/22 "2019-06-20T16:21:11Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > My fried chicken improved considerably since I copied a recipe I saw on America’s Test Kitchen. > > I dearly love KFC: that’s **K** orean **F** ried **C** hicken. ATK’s KFC recipe is basically: one part flour to one part cornstarch, seasonings of your choice, and then enough water to make a thin runny batter. Dip in the chicken and then fry as usual. > > Wow, this recipe makes a shatteringly-crisp coating. They said that they tried using buttermilk or eggs or beer in the batter, but came back to using just plain water as that made the crispest chicken. > > My seasonings of choice are: plenty of salt, fresh-ground black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, sage, and cayenne. That’s the version I saw on a FB video scroll, they called it KFC. I’ll never find it again I’m sure. They did the double dip, water, coating, water coating. Pan fried. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/23 "2019-06-20T16:29:32Z")
> [@chela](#): > > That’s the version I saw on a FB video scroll, they called it KFC. I’ll never find it again I’m sure. They did the double dip, water, coating, water coating. Pan fried. Yeah, it was a revelation how crispy cornstarch made the chicken. Whether I dip the chicken into a cornstarch-y batter or roll the chicken around in a dry mix, I’ll always use cornstarch when I deep-fry things. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2019, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/24 "2019-06-21T04:07:23Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Here, try this… > > Right? Tell me you’re ever going to eat take out fried chicken again. That sounds like saying that, once I try a homemade hamburger, I’m not going to eat McDonald’s again. I’ve never had any homemade fried chicken that even seemed to be the same dish as the fast food stuff. So, to me, they are different cravings. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/25 "2019-06-28T22:50:59Z")
Well, I do brine because that is way better than just rubbing salt on the outside. It seasons all the way through. But apart from that, I am devoted to simplicity. After the brine, dry it off, dust with flour, toss into the lard. Heaven on earth. But then, when I eat fried chicken I am seeking the flavor of chicken, especially crispy chicken skin. I don’t understand why people obscure that deliciousness with a bunch of other crap. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/26 "2019-06-29T16:22:42Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > But then, when I eat fried chicken I am seeking the flavor of chicken, especially crispy chicken skin. I don’t understand why people obscure that deliciousness with a bunch of other crap. Is sauce on fried wings crap? Does butter on toast ‘obscure that deliciousness’ of the bread? Why on Earth do you cloud your perfect chicken experience, the sacrament where you are ‘specifically seeking the flavor of chicken,’ by adding salt to a brine and then further muddle the pure chicken fragrance with adulterants like flour and lard?!? No, seasoning fried chicken is right and good. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/27 "2019-07-08T16:25:56Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > I’m relatively new to making (what I consider to be) good fried chicken, but I definitely prefer more seasoning than just salt and pepper. My flour mixture contains salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano and chili powder. I use cinnamon in my flour, and sometimes throw in a little of [Bloemer’s chili powder](http://bloemerfoods.com/products-page/product-category/bloemers-original-1-oz-chile-powder-36-packets/). I mix all of that into some [Kentucky Kernal seasoned flour.](https://www.walmart.com/ip/3-Pack-Kentucky-Kernel-Seasoned-Flour-22-oz/47232364?athcpid=47232364&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVUB&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=7dda9106-536-16bd26693c3e30&athena=true) ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/28 "2019-07-08T16:33:17Z")
I have one rule. Don’t season the flour. You might as well just throw the seasoning directly in the trash for all the good it does. Season the damn bird. Also, why pan fry when you can deep fry? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/29 "2019-07-08T21:42:22Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > I have one rule. Don’t season the flour. You might as well just throw the seasoning directly in the trash for all the good it does. Season the damn bird. > > Also, why pan fry when you can deep fry? 1. That’s the old baloney. Season the chicken first, yes. But you’re eating that browned flour on the outside of your fried chicken; not seasoning it would be catastrophic. 2. John Egerton, award-winning food writer, in SOUTHERN FOOD: AT HOME, ON THE ROAD, IN HISTORY (1987): “Restaurants deep-fry their chicken. Home cooks pan-fry it.” I never argue with John Egerton. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/30 "2019-07-08T23:23:20Z")
If you adequately season the skin, the breading gets seasoned when you dredge. The matrix of the skin, seasoning and the crispy coating all integrate into a single entity when cooked. If your breading is coming off without the skin and without the seasoning from the skin, I think you have an issue with your technique. Also, (good) restaurant fried chicken in invariably superior to homemade for just the reason you state. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/31 "2019-07-09T00:30:23Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Well, I do brine because that is way better than just rubbing salt on the outside. It seasons all the way through. I’ve been converted to dry brining. Not necessarily for fried chicken, since I never make it, but for poultry and pork in general. reason is that I’ve read a few pieces on sites like Serious Eats where they make the case that while a wet brine legitimately stuffs extra water into a bird or cut of meat, it doesn’t really bring a whole lot of seasoning with it. Dry brining (heavily salting the entire exterior of the bird or cut, then letting sit in the coldest part of the fridge- uncovered- overnight) seems to amp up the flavor of the meat quite a bit without stuffing in a bunch more water which would just get pushed out during cooking. I haven’t dry brined a turkey yet, but it seems to have worked well for chicken, duck, and pork steaks. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/32 "2019-07-09T00:33:45Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Also, (good) restaurant fried chicken in invariably superior to homemade for just the reason you state. Let’s throw that open to the floor, shall we? (As to your first point…my coating doesn’t come off when I pan-fry. Not sure what you mean by “breading.” Do you roll your chicken in crumbs, you scalawag?) ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/33 "2019-07-09T00:53:14Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Not sure what you mean by “breading.” Do you roll your chicken in crumbs, you scalawag?) God no. Just ran out of words to describe the fried result of floured chicken skin. Weird that specific thing doesn’t have a better known name, eh? ---
**Author:** ![McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McDeath_the_Mad)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/34 "2019-07-10T17:59:05Z")
My wife was diagnosed Celiac last year so I can’t cook with flour. She misses deep fried food, so I have been experimenting with the following recipe: - Nice plump (fresh) chicken breasts from Costco (she doesn’t like dark meat, which blows my mind) - Marinate in Buttermilk for a few hours - Put a couple cups of Robin Hood GF Flour in a bowl and add: - Paprika - Lawrey’s Seasoned Salt - Lawrey’s Seasoned Pepper - Garlic Powder - Onion Powder Take the chicken out of the buttermilk, then dredge it in the flour mixture. Then let it sit for 20-45 minutes until the exterior of the chicken turns “pasty”. Then I deep fry in Canola oil (about halfway up the chicken) until golden brown. I then throw it in the oven (convection at 350) on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes. I do this because the chicken breasts are so large. It turns out really good if I do say so myself! MtM ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763/35 "2019-07-10T21:05:50Z")
Huh. I’ve been making it the “Indiana way” for years, but I learned it this way in Georgia. (Technically, I do **Zyada’s** method of putting the seasonings in the flour.) In addition to salt, pepper, etc, I also like to mix in a variety of [Adam’s Spices and Rubs](https://www.heb.com/category/shop/pantry/spices-seasonings/spice-mixes/490127/490602?N=210268782+4294927053). The [Lopez Family](https://www.adamsextract.com/productDetails.aspx?productID=57746&departmentName=Adams-Reserve&productName=Lopez-Family-Rub) one is excellent, but I really enjoy the [Cuban](https://www.adamsextract.com/productDetails.aspx?productID=59102&departmentName=Adams-Reserve&productName=Cuban-Rub---DC%27d-1/17) seasoning as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fried-chicken-yet-again/835763.md?page=1)