There seems to be controversy over this. I believe that Paula Dean flours her chicken first and then dips it in the egg wash (and then maybe flours it again, I’m not sure.) But the Thirty Minute Lady (whose name escapes me at the moment) I think dips hers in the egg wash first and then flour (and spices and seasonings, of course.) And then there’s my sister who uses no egg bath at all.
So is there an expert on here who could opine, please?
Also, I presume the egg bath (if used) should be lightly beaten (to dissolved the yolk) or is it egg whites onely?
Thanks very much for any help you can be. I have until this afternoon to find out the answer. I will be using boneless skinless chicken breasts fried in about 3/8" canola oil.
Native Georgian here … As you’ve seen, there are multiple ways to do it. It’s not a “controversy” just multiple methods. I haven’t seen the Paula recipe you are talking about but when it comes to any classic Southern dish her recipe is going to be reliable. I would imagine that her method is flour, then egg, then flour – I can’t imagine her frying something where the outer coating is egg only. Having a base of flour on the chicken helps the egg stick better than if you just do egg then flour. Nothing really wrong with the latter, though. A lot of people do the first coat of flour then place the chicken pieces on a rack and refrigerate for a bit. This lets the flour dry out and really adhere.
Having said that, flour only is what I grew up with at home. It’s simply a different kind of crust than if you use egg.
As for the egg, you could use whites only if you wish, but typical is whole egg. Yes, you beat the egg until it’s well mixed and broken up, even if you use whites only.
Use whole eggs, beat them and mix them with a little bit of water or milk (or buttermilk). Don’t use a lot of liquid, just enough to thin it about a bit – maybe about a quarter cup of liquid to two or three eggs.
Texan here - flour, egg mixture (a couple of eggs beaten with a spash of milk or water) - then flour again. I season the chicken naked, and I also season the flour.
For me, it is flour, egg wash, flour again - same as for breading anything else - the first wash of flour traps the moisture on the meat or veg so the egg will stick, and then bread crumbs or flour after the egg for the crispiness.
Neither my mother (Georgia) nor my grandmother (Tennessee) used an egg wash of any kind for their fried chicken, and neither do I. Following their lead, I season flour with salt and black pepper (LOTS of black paper!). Said flour goes into a brown paper bag. Cut-up chicken is washed and patted dry and placed in the brown paper bag. Bag is then shaken and turned until the chicken is coated with seasoned flour. Chicken is then put in a cast iron skillet in which equal parts shortening and butter (or even better lard and butter) have been heated to 385 degrees and the fat is 1/4 inch deep. Brown ten minutes on each side. Turn only once. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low. Cook 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. To crisp it up, uncover the skillet and increase heat for the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Turn as needed to keep from burning.
Forget soaking chicken pieces first in milk, buttermilk, lemon juice or vinegar and forget dipping chicken in beaten egg and then coating it with bread, cracker or cereal crumbs. Many delicious chicken dishes are made with lots of other seasonings and coatings, but they should not be mistaken for REAL SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN.
Please. My mother’s family has been in the South since before the Civil War. If my great grandmother’s buttermilk chicken wasn’t “real Southern chicken,” then nothing is.
As Labdad wrote, neither. Egg doesn’t go on before, after or during. Not in any branch of my southern fried family. (North and South Georgia). Also note complete absence of milk.
Use an eggwash. Trust me. Flour alone will not stick to boneless skinless chicken breasts. This stuff about what’s really authentic southern chicken is nonsense. Frying chicken in flour alone was born of poverty and scarcity, not culinary superiority.
And I imagine skin, too. I’m sure there must be a difference of technique with skin and bone on versus skin and bone off. (Not to mention the injection of chicken stock in modern grocery store chicken.)
ETA: Plus, I’m adding a bit of corn meal. Anything wrong with that?
One more thing. With your great-grandmother’s method, do you pat dry the chicken after the buttermilk soak?
No, that’s fine. It gives it a little extra texture and crunch, but if you double flour (something I recommend for skinless breasts), use flour alone for the first dredge.
What I usually do (and I was a professional cook for ten years, and made a ton of this stuff) is set up three bins or trays. One with plain flour, one with egg wash, and one with seasoned flour. The last one is where you want to put the cornmeal.
One more tip. Give your oil time to heat up again between batches while you’re frying. Frying one batch cools the oil a little. If you put another in straight after, it won’t be hot enough to create the crispy seal, and it will just lay in the oil and get soggy. Wait like 5-10 minutes until it’s back up to temp.
Boneless skinless breasts? That’s for kids and dieters.
I’m agnostic on the subject of the egg wash - I’ve cooked good chicken both ways. But true Southern-style chicken is just that - the chicken, cut up and fried. And leaving the skin on is generally considered to add a considerable amount of flavor, especially to those parts that need it, like the breasts.
Also, since I generally don’t keep buttermilk around, I typically use sour milk instead. And I make it the way my grandma did - by adding a little vinegar to milk to sour it up.
Not southern-fried, but my (Northern) mom’s recipe for breaded chicken:
First ‘bath’ - flour, with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Second ‘bath’ - a whole beaten egg with a small amount (maybe half teaspoon) of partly skimmed milk
Third ‘bath’ - Crumbled crackers or crumbled dry bread.
You covered the surface with all three layers, in order. This was for boneless skinless breasts. After breading, fry with a small amount of vegetable oil in the frying pan.
Still makes my mouth water a bit to think about that chicken - maybe I should make up a batch myself some weekend soon.
