Fried chicken sandwich

I

InTheKitchenOfEden

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Hi all,

Recently, I'm increasingly annoyed that I see the fast food fried chicken sandwich wars going on in the US online and I can't try any of them in the UK! I've taken to making my own spicy chicken sandwiches to compensate; I tend to bread in panko rather than using traditional breading or battering because I prefer it. Sometimes, the chicken comes out a little watery beneath the breading, and there's a little excess moisture in the sandwich rather than a crisp fried feeling. How can I stop this from happening?

Any advice hugely appreciated!

PXL_20210606_115243821.jpg
 
also double frying and letting the chicken rest on an elevated wire rack can help alleviate the soggy bottom issue. Fry once just to cook the chicken, then fry it again HOT and fast to really crisp up the outside.
 
Hi there from lockdown Sydney.

This guy is one of our best chefs & he has made lots of lockdown videos over the past 20 months or so. I haven’t tried this one yet but the 5 I have tried were fantastic. This weeks was fried chicken.


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EDIT. Not sure what is happening with that link but you can search “Dan Hong” or @hongsta_gram
 
InTheKitchenOfEden said:
Hi all,

Recently, I'm increasingly annoyed that I see the fast food fried chicken sandwich wars going on in the US online and I can't try any of them in the UK! I've taken to making my own spicy chicken sandwiches to compensate; I tend to bread in panko rather than using traditional breading or battering because I prefer it. Sometimes, the chicken comes out a little watery beneath the breading, and there's a little excess moisture in the sandwich rather than a crisp fried feeling. How can I stop this from happening?

Any advice hugely appreciated!

View attachment 64850
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That looks very nice, but if you have any sogginess, could it be the temp of your oil?

I fry chicken at around 160C. You must have a thermometer to get consistent deep fry results I've learned recently.
 
vernplum said:
That looks very nice, but if you have any sogginess, could it be the temp of your oil?

I fry chicken at around 160C. You must have a thermometer to get consistent deep fry results I've learned recently.
Click to expand...

That would be about my temperature for the first fry in a double fry. For one fry, I use 350F/177C. If I do a double fry, my second fry is 375F/190C. In a double fry, the first fry cooks the meat through. The second fry is all about that crispy crust.

CD
 
caseydog said:
That would be about my temperature for the first fry in a double fry. For one fry, I use 350F/177C. If I do a double fry, my second fry is 375F/190C. In a double fry, the first fry cooks the meat through. The second fry is all about that crispy crust.

CD
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I suppose I should mention that recently I've been doing what might be considered a sort of 'reverse sear' approach whereby the chicken is fried first, then finished in the oven to save time instead of frying multiple batches of chicken for a long period.

It also depends on the size and thickness of your meat, and also if you are doing one of those buttermilk style crunch coatings (I do more of the flour style coatings).

For a piece like above (I suppose that is a medium-sized breast) - how would you approach it?
 
vernplum said:
I suppose I should mention that recently I've been doing what might be considered a sort of 'reverse sear' approach whereby the chicken is fried first, then finished in the oven to save time instead of frying multiple batches of chicken for a long period.

It also depends on the size and thickness of your meat, and also if you are doing one of those buttermilk style crunch coatings (I do more of the flour style coatings).

For a piece like above (I suppose that is a medium-sized breast) - how would you approach it?
Click to expand...

I am a bit of a rebel. I use chicken thigh meat. It stays juicy no matter how you cook it, compared to breast meat. Thigh meat has more flavor, too. I use a flour coating, as you do.

I go with flour, egg wash and flour. Then, and this is key, I let it sit on a cooling grate/sheet pan for a few hours in the fridge. I do not go straight into the oil after coating. That fridge time seems to make the coating adhere better during and after the fry.

I prefer to shallow fry in a cast iron pan, but I've deep fried with good results, too. If you shallow fry, you don't want your chicken to be too thick, and you want the thickness uniform. A meat mallet is your friend.

CD
 
caseydog said:
I am a bit of a rebel. I use chicken thigh meat. It stays juicy no matter how you cook it, compared to breast meat. Thigh meat has more flavor, too. I use a flour coating, as you do.
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Definitely. Thighs/legs all the way for me too. If I go to KFC and they give me a breast piece (**unless it came out of the fryer only seconds ago**) I'm disappointed.
 
I´d flash-fry the (seasoned) chicken breast first of all, just to seal it. Then, egg & breadcrumbs ( twice) and fry in HOT oil - sounds like yours was not hot enough.
 
PabloLerntKochen said:
I'm not a meat expert, but can water drip out of the meat while frying it on a temperature that's too low?
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If you go way too low, that could happen. The hot frying oil usually keeps the moisture inside the chicken, after the first few moments. That violent bubbling you see when you first submerge the chicken into the oil is water escaping as steam. It should settle down fairly quickly.

The thing you have to watch for is the oil soaking into the breading if you cook too low, for too long. For a first fry, it is okay. You want a higher heat for a second fry -- or is you only do one fry.

CD
 
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