Everyone loves breaded chicken regardless of their age group. We, Americans, are so obsessed with breaded chicken that no Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Housewarming party seems complete without it on the table. From the perfect crisp to the delicious flavor, breaded chicken has it all to keep us hooked to it.
Not only is it the most delicious dish to include on the menu, but it is also the easiest to make. However, no matter how easy it is to prepare a breaded chicken, perfecting the technique might be quite tricky at first. Sometimes breading falls off the chicken, leaving you with half-crunchy goodness or, in worst-case scenarios - naked chicken you started with.
Do you wonder how your neighbor makes the crunchiest breaded chicken? Well, you need to avoid a few breading mistakes to create a crisp and crunchy coating around your chicken that stays put. Read on to learn about them and level up your breading game just like your neighbor!
5 Breading Mistakes to Avoid When Deep Frying
Does your breading always fall off the meat when deep-frying? It probably happens because you are making one of the most common breading mistakes. Not sure which are these? Here are a few breading mistakes to avoid to keep the breading right where you want it - on the meat.
Meat is not properly dry
Most home cooks often struggle with getting the breading part right because they do not let their meat dry properly. If the meat is wet, it will make the flour soggy. In that case, breading will not stick properly and may fall off when deep frying. Therefore, you must take some paper towels and pat dry the meat on all sides.
Not shaking off the excess flour
Some home cooks might think that excess flour will help the breading stick to the meat properly. However, it is not true at all. Excess flour will create a thick coating that prevents the egg mixture from latching onto the meat. Therefore, if you want your breading not to fall off from the meat when deep-frying, you must shake off the excess flour before proceeding.
Not tossing in enough bread crumbs
When preparing breaded chicken, bread crumbs should be your star ingredients. The more you use them, the crispier and crunchier your chicken gets. However, even after tossing the chicken in lots of bread crumbs, home cooks still get less crunchy chicken on the sides. It happens because they do not coat the meat evenly with the bread crumbs.
The key to a perfect breaded chicken is a thorough coating of bread crumbs. It will give your chicken the crunch that you want.
Not patting the chicken
If you want your breaded chicken to be as crispy and flavorful as the restaurant ones, you must not forget to pat it in the last. After you have covered the chicken with the breading, gently pat it down on all sides, so every layer sticks to each other properly. The patted-down chicken is less likely to lose its breading!
Don’t be impatient
Deep frying is a cooking technique that helps people prepare the most flavorful food. However, it may require much effort and time, especially if you are making it for a large gathering. Even if you avoid all the breading mistakes but lose patience in the end, your breaded chicken will be a major bummer.
Therefore, you must stay patient and let the oil reach the right temperature. Once it is boiling hot, throw your bread-crumb-coated chicken pieces in small batches. The more chicken you put in the skillet, the more the chances of breading falling off.
When the bread-crumb-coated chicken pieces are close to each other in the iron skillet, the breading will be more likely to fall. Therefore in order to keep breading from falling off, you must deep-fry in small batches to give the chicken pieces enough space. It might take a lot of your time, but the crunchy and flavorful breaded chicken will be worth the wait!
Foolproof Breading Technique for Beginners
Breading is undoubtedly the best part of deep-fried chicken. However, not every home cook can get that crucial part right. Do you fall in a similar category? Here is a foolproof method for breading chicken:
Pat the chicken dry
Always start by patting the meat dry on all sides with paper towels. If you are not short on time, let the meat sit uncovered in the refrigerator to dry it out for at least an hour. Dry meat will help the flour adhere evenly to it.
Dredge in flour
Once you have dried the chicken properly, you must season it with salt and pepper. Later, dredge it with flour to create a thin and even coating.
Dip in egg mixture
Breading involves different layers. The second layer after the flour is eggs. The flour-coated meat is dipped in a bowl of beaten eggs. You can also add buttermilk or a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to add more flavor.
Coat with bread crumbs
Once the meat is dipped in egg mixture, it is tossed in bread crumbs for the perfect crunch and crispiness that most fried food looks for. However, you must ensure that bread crumbs cover the entire chicken piece, making an even and thick coating.
Show patience
Here comes the important part - patience. Most home cooks get so tired after all the layering work that they lose patience at the end. They put lots of bread crumb-coated chicken pieces into not-perfectly-hot oil, making the breading fall off from the chicken.
Wait for the oil to reach a perfect deep-frying temperature and throw bread crumb-coated chicken pieces in small batches. By doing so, you will provide the bread crumb-coated chicken pieces with the perfect temperature and space to get the crispy and crunchy crust you are looking for.
