4 Tips for Picking the Best Chicken for Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is one of the most popular chicken dishes, loved not only by children but by plenty of adults as well. Its savory flavor and crunchy texture make it a favorite with just about everyone.

Unfortunately, not every type of meat works for fried chicken. Only broiler chicken is truly suitable, because it cooks quickly, has tender meat and cooks all the way through to the center. Even so, not every broiler carcass makes good fried chicken. Here are some ways to choose the right chicken carcass for fried chicken:

Thick Skin

The first tip for choosing a chicken carcass for fried chicken is to pick one with thick skin. If the carcass skin is thin, the flavor will be different because it is less savory.

Thick Fat

For fried chicken, choose a chicken carcass with a thick layer of fat. Thick skin usually comes with thick fat, giving the meat a flavor that is just right, savory and appetizing. Filleted carcass meat is not a good fit for fried chicken because it is less savory. The flour coating also will not stick to the meat properly.

Also read How to Tell Clean, Rotten and Reconditioned Chicken Carcasses Apart

Raw Meat

Fried chicken is basically made from raw broiler meat. That is why broiler meat suits fried chicken so well: it cooks quickly and turns tender right through to the center. Imagine using kampung chicken (Indonesian free-range native chicken) instead: the coating would already be golden brown while the meat is still too chewy, and the inside would still be raw. So do not experiment with making fried chicken from other kinds of chicken.

Fresh Carcass

The right carcass meat for fried chicken is a fresh carcass, not a frozen one. Fresh carcass meat tastes just right as fried chicken. That is why many fried chicken businesses partner with chicken slaughterhouses to get fresh carcass meat every day.

Also read A Complete Guide to Chicken Carcass Components

Common Fried Chicken Mistakes

Even with the right meat, a few mistakes can leave fried chicken less crispy and not quite right. Here are some of the most common ones:

1. Not marinating the chicken

Before it goes into the flour, the chicken must be marinated: coat it in seasoning, then let it rest for 4 hours before dredging it in flour. Marinating lets the seasoning soak all the way into the center of the meat. It also keeps the meat juicy and moist even after cooking.

2. Coating in the wrong order

Mistakes in the flour coating will keep your fried chicken from turning out as expected. A common beginner error when making fried chicken is getting the order of the steps wrong, so the texture of the meat falls short of expectations.

3. Cold oil

For a crispy texture, fry the chicken only once the oil is hot; avoid adding the meat while the oil is still cold or only half-heated. Also avoid frying in used cooking oil; besides being bad for your health, it gives the fried chicken an unappetizing color.

Those are the key points for choosing a chicken carcass for fried chicken. We hope you find this information useful.