The DO’s and DON’Ts of Fried Chicken
In the Caribbean, frying chicken is very common. It is considered one of the best ways to add color after pan-roasting in tomato paste. The only difference is that we sometimes do not use a batter or flour.
I started cooking at an early age, and I remember that a colorless chicken was never acceptable. It did not matter the recipe, the chicken needed to have come color. I guess there is a Caribbean thing.
Here are the do’s and don’ts:
Do’s
- Do use a cast-iron skillet to get truly golden-brown and crispy chicken. A heavy-bottomed Dutch oven also works great.
- Cut chicken breast in halves or thirds depending on how large it is to avoid drying out the chicken or cooking it unevenly
- Season your flour to avoid having a bland crust on your chicken.
- Pat dry your chicken before coating with flour to avoid unevenly coating your chicken.
- Brine your chicken to keep your chicken tender and flavorful.
Dont’s
- Use a pot instead of a pan to fry the chicken because you may think it is best suited for making your chicken crispy.
- Use extra virgin olive oil because of its low smoke point, which will make the chicken taste bitter. It is best to use peanut or vegetable oil instead.
- Leaving your pan uncovered presents the risk of uneven cooking and not allowing the heat to be trapped.
A few more tips to make a tasty and crispy chicken meal.
- Cut the breast into smaller pieces for easy frying.
- Fry in batches. Don’t overcrowd otherwise the chicken will not be crispy as the temperature will fluctuate.
- It is best to remove the chicken pieces to a wire cooling rack and not a paper towel that will absorb the oil and make the p. (not paper towels) set over a baking sheet to catch any drips.
