One of the most flavour-producing reactions in cooking is Maillard reaction. When it comes to cooking it is called ‘browning reaction.’ This reaction causes brown pigments in cooked meat including chicken. By rearranging the amino acids and certain simple sugars. They arrange themselves in rings and collection of rings that reflect light in such a way that it gives the meat a brown colour. The flavour and aroma get altered which contributes to the characteristic smells of roasting, baking, and frying.
Whenever we think of snacking on something in the evening, crispy fried chicken comes to mind. The thought of a crispy, crunchy, golden-brown exterior and a juicy interior is enough to make us drool. Although we prefer restaurant-style crispy chicken, it is not advisable to eat outside. Thus, we can try making the same in our kitchen.
However, we don’t get the crispness of the chicken like in the restaurant. This is because we skip some of the most important steps. What would be better if we could bring the restaurant-style crispy chicken to our home? We have found some ingredients that could result in some super crispy fried chicken. Check them:
- Add Soda
To get super crispy chicken, add soda to your marinade. Being alkali in nature, soda raises the pH level of the chicken’s skin, which allows the protein to break down more efficiently, giving you crisper and browner results. Besides, the carbon dioxide in the batter will get deep fried, making the chicken even more crispy. Thus, add soda without any hesitation.
- Marinate In Buttermilk
You can marinate the chicken in buttermilk. It can help tenderise the chicken, and lactic acid helps break down the protein in the chicken, allowing for more tender results. Further, the bubbling process that begins in the batter imparts an additional crunch to the fried chicken. The sourness of the buttermilk adds extra flavour to the crispy chicken.
- Add Alcohol To Marination
This may sound weird, but it actually works. Alcohol is more volatile in nature and evaporates more violently than water. This helps to remove moisture from the chicken shell faster while also creating larger air bubbles, which increase the surface area of the shell. Beer would lend an additional fizz, while liquor like vodka would evaporate instantly while cooking, giving the chicken an amazing aftertaste.
- Coat With Breadcrumbs
This is one of the oldest methods for making crispy fried chicken. Along with cornflour, coat the chicken pieces in breadcrumbs to lend an extra crunch. The finer the breadcrumbs, the crispier the chicken will turn out to be. Make sure that the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken properly before deep-frying.
- Use Egg Whites
Another simple method is to dip the marinated chicken pieces in egg white, also known as an egg wash. Whip up a couple of egg whites and dip the chicken pieces before transferring them to the cornflour and breadcrumb mixture. Egg whites add structure to the chicken pieces in the form of protein.
- Use Right Temperature
It is ideal to keep the oil temperature around 175–190 degrees Celsius. Cook the chicken for about two-three minutes per side to get a nice, dark brown exterior and juicy chicken inside. One of the lesser-known tips is to double-fry the chicken.
- Double Fry In Oil
To make the chicken even more crispy, you can double fry it. Double frying is an excellent method to revitalise fried chicken leftovers. For this, you need to fry the chicken as usual and keep it at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or you can also refrigerate it overnight. Fry it again before serving.