new member here,
i read this thread with some interest as i have been experimenting with fried chicken for quite a few years and what i have found is that before you can get the desired results , you have to look at everything involved such as the chicken itself , the seasoning , the oil , the coating, the method of frying and finally the finish,
most people buy precut chicken at the market , most of these are unsuitable for frying because they are to big ( i have bought chicken breasts that look like they came off a turkey !!!) instead buy whole hens and cut them up yourself
the seasoning is just a matter of taste and depends on what you are going for . as for the coating , i don't care how your grandma did it , never use a batter ( wet coating ) the reason i say this is this : you might get a crispy crust on the outside but the underside of the crust will be a soggy mess , never use an egg wash the reason i say this is that it just washes off the coating you just put on the chicken and at best you will get uneven clumps of crust , instead season your chicken while its still wet and coat it with a dry flour mixture and shake off any excess flour , now for the method of frying, i always deep fry my chicken in an electric deep fryer so that i can better control the oil temp and plus i don't have to worry about the crust sticking to the pan but here is the key set the temp at 340 degrees . the reason is because many spices don't hold up well at temps at or above 350 degrees, the type of oil you use is also very inportant , don't worry you don't need any fancy oil, vegatable oil works pretty well at 340 degrees , don't try to mix wings and breasts or thighs in the same batch , they have different cooking times , 15 minutes for wings and 20-23 minute for breasts and thights , after you remove the chicken its important to place the chicken on a wire rack or a metal colender and then place it in a warm (not hot) oven for a few minutes , the oven should be about 170 degrees , your not trying to finish cooking the chicken but it needs a few minutes in the oven in order to keep the oil warm and fluid so that it can drain off the chicken and help dry the crust . never ever place chicken on paper towels , it will result in a soggy crust every time
