Making fried chicken is such a pain!!!

[mrperfect]

Do you make fried chicken at home? I recently bought a deep fryer but it takes too much effort to get it done. Getting things in order, cooking it, and the worst part is cleaning up the used oil is a real pain. The chicken doesnt turn out too well either, and lately Im thinking if its really worth it or I should just go back to spending some money at a restaurant to pick up X number of pieces?

Your thoughts?

[Jimboski]

Yeah It's a pain deep frying anything really. Prep It, Bread It, Cook It, Eat It, Cleaning!

I mean you said your chicken Isn't turning out right, If It doesn't taste good then It's probably not worth the effort cooking It as to dropping a X amount of $ and getting someone to cook It for you which tastes good.

You did drop down money for a deep fryer so I would try to cook It rather then buying It, Try a different recipe and hopefully the batter or whatever turns out better?

[ippon]

i skillet fry chicken often, not quite deep fry. i never really thought that it was a pain to do it.

[mrperfect]

Yeah It's a pain deep frying anything really. Prep It, Bread It, Cook It, Eat It, Cleaning!

I mean you said your chicken Isn't turning out right, If It doesn't taste good then It's probably not worth the effort cooking It as to dropping a X amount of $ and getting someone to cook It for you which tastes good.

You did drop down money for a deep fryer so I would try to cook It rather then buying It, Try a different recipe and hopefully the batter or whatever turns out better?

Yeah it was my intention to keep using it as I often eat fried chicken especially in rainy weather etc. It turned out a disaster and I blame the flour and my frying skills. That is not too bad, the kicker is when it came to cleaning up it was real pain to remove all the oil and filter it, I ended up ruining my countertop, and the floor, plus refilling it back was again a real pain. :facepalm:

[Jimboski]

Yeah it was my intention to keep using it as I often eat fried chicken especially in rainy weather etc. It turned out a disaster and I blame the flour and my frying skills. That is not too bad, the kicker is when it came to cleaning up it was real pain to remove all the oil and filter it, I ended up ruining my countertop, and the floor, plus refilling it back was again a real pain. :facepalm:

Yeah.. That's what when I do fry something I fry a lot of It, I eat It till I'm sick of It so I don't have to deal with It for a month!

[theguyz]

It all comes down to recipe using and techniques used.

I have a tfal deep fryer which filters the grease into storage bin underneath stores for next use or can pour directly back on oil container, I have no issues cleaning and only Paid $90 for it.

If your trying to get crispy coated chicken, best results are battering in buttermilk and leaving in fridge overnight.
For quick last minute crispy, i use flour and my favorite spices, coat chicken put in firdge for 1 hour then repeat and put back in fridge again then before i deep fry i give on last coating of flour. Then when done drain the grease and place on paper towels and if you want for more crispyness put in oven for a while.

If the chicken is greesy/soggy means temp not high enough or cold when put in( lost tempurature from last batch ).

[nalababe]

So much easier to bake...same basic thing: coat and bake vs fry. The skin ensures that the inside is moist and the outside is very crispy.

Plus you don't have to use oil or a deep fryer and clean up is very easy.

[Jimboski]

So much easier to bake...same basic thing: coat and bake vs fry. The skin ensures that the inside is moist and the outside is very crispy.

Plus you don't have to use oil or a deep fryer and clean up is very easy.

Doesn't baking take much longer then deey frying?

[SeeYouNextTime]

Yeah, I never had luck with fried chicken either. I know people who do it really well. I can make fried chicken nuggets using cut up dark meat pretty good though, but DF chicken wings and drummettes - just buy frozen and heat up.

[jayt90]

i skillet fry chicken often, not quite deep fry. i never really thought that it was a pain to do it.

Totally agree, and it couldn't be simpler to get fried chicken, battered fish, or french fries.

Put 2" oil in a skillet or cast iron pan, bring the temperature to 350 F, and slide in the chicken parts dredged in flour. Turn after 7-8 minutes. Pull them at 165 F internal temp., about 14 minutes total.
You can hold them in a toaster oven while doing a batch of fries in the same pan.

[nalababe]

Doesn't baking take much longer then deey frying?

It doesn't take all that much time...and you can cook a lot more (as a rule).

[ippon]

Totally agree, and it couldn't be simpler to get fried chicken, battered fish, or french fries.

Put 2" oil in a skillet or cast iron pan, bring the temperature to 350 F, and slide in the chicken parts dredged in flour. Turn after 7-8 minutes. Pull them at 165 F internal temp., about 14 minutes total.
You can hold them in a toaster oven while doing a batch of fries in the same pan.

yep, that's exactly what i do as well.
the only truly messy deep frying is making real tempura. that's so messy that i haven't done it in years now.

[4flava]

+1 Fried chicken is the easiest thing to do. Submerge the chicken in butter milk over night then do ur dredge/batter and skillet fry. I do it outdoors though.

[sandikosh]

Many years ago I bought a deep fryer solely for frying chicken. After a couple of tries, I stored it in the basement and never used it again. Instead I went back to the old days where I fill a pot with oil, heat it up and put the chicken in to fry.

[Fish0912]

I never. It will make the whole house full of smells...

[TheRock2012]

I never. It will make the whole house full of smells...
Thats why KFC costs so much. It works out to $1 per piece last time I bought a bucket of 10.

[stealth]

Do you make fried chicken at home? I recently bought a deep fryer but it takes too much effort to get it done. Getting things in order, cooking it, and the worst part is cleaning up the used oil is a real pain. The chicken doesnt turn out too well either, and lately Im thinking if its really worth it or I should just go back to spending some money at a restaurant to pick up X number of pieces?

Your thoughts?

Not a pain at all. Look up Ina gartens recipe for oven fried chicken. Fun and delicious!

[stealth]

I never. It will make the whole house full of smells...

Delicious sexy smells.

[duckdown]

Delicious sexy smells.

Lol!

[ihacki]

Anyone tried to fry chicken with the TFAL Air Fryer?

http://www.amazon.com/T-Fal-FZ7000002-Actifry-Low-Fat-Multi-Cooker/dp/B002S4MVEE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1321028337&sr=8-3

[Dr Butcher]

I cook it outdoors in an accessory pot that came with a turkey fryer kit. If I'm doing fried chicken I do it in larger batches for a crowd, the pot I use can handle a whole bird cut into 9 pieces (the keel section of the breast is cut off before the breasts are halved). I let the oil get to 375°F slowly and then put in the chicken pieces and cook for 12-15 minutes. I use buttermilk and hot sauce to marinate the chicken and then give it a quick toss in seasoned flour before frying. I hold the pieces of cooked chicken on a cookie sheet in a preheated 170°F oven until all the chicken is fried.

Most residential deep fryers don't have the capacity to do more than a few pieces at a time. As others have noted, a shallow fry in a cast iron pan is a classic way to fry chicken, you will need to flip the chicken in the pan part way through.

[ippon]

a shallow fry in a cast iron pan is a classic way to fry chicken, you will need to flip the chicken in the pan part way through.

and some would argue that it is a better way to fry chicken. i personally prefer skillet fried chicken.

[Hard_Taco]

http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/images/sanders_h.jpg

[Jimboski]

Many years ago I bought a deep fryer solely for frying chicken. After a couple of tries, I stored it in the basement and never used it again. Instead I went back to the old days where I fill a pot with oil, heat it up and put the chicken in to fry.

That's how I fry mine. I have a stove In the garage so no smell!

[death_hawk]

How is it a pain?
If anything it's more of a pain doing it in the oven / stove.


A fryer you can "recycle" a bunch of times, making clean up 1/8th as painful. You don't have to filter your oil either. It does prolong oil life, but honestly.... oil is cheap enough that squeezing an extra fry or two out of the oil doesn't make financial sense compared to the extra work.
And any GOOD fryer makes cleanup a breeze. Cool the oil, pour used oil into milk jug or similar disposable container. Toss pot and baskets into dish washer and wipe then rinse off the heating element

With an oven, you have to scrub the rack the chicken is sitting on and the pan to catch anything that falls off and burns. Not to mention an oven takes at least 30 minutes (if not longer) plus preheat times. And things never come out as crispy in an oven compared to a deep fryer.

Skillet isn't bad for taste/texture, but it's 10x the work of a deep fryer. Gotta continually adjust for hot spots and check oil temperatures, make sure one side doesn't burn and continually baby sit it to make sure you don't break the chicken or burn your house down.

With a deep fryer, you prep as you would any other recipe (except oven because you can't batter chicken and then oven fry it, only dredge) you toss into the deep fryer for X minutes (12 in my case, longer for those of you without 220V fryers) and then toss in sekrit seasonings.
I can go from raw chicken to ready to eat in 23 minutes. I can't even preheat my oven in 23 minutes.

And capacities per unit of time are similar. Sure an oven can cook more, but it takes 3x as long. In 60 minutes you can bust out 4 chickens assuming a full sized sheet pan and a large enough oven. I can bust out a chicken once every 13 minutes plus 10 minutes preheat. In 60(ish) minutes, I can bust out 4 chickens.
Where I really shine is when I'm making anything under 4 chickens. I completely school an oven for 1 chicken.

I'm forgetting the most important part: Crispy. Ovens can't touch it. Not even close.

[Keelie]

I'm forgetting the most important part: Crispy. Ovens can't touch it. Not even close.

A convection oven can.... super crispy, and less time cooking.

[ippon]

Skillet isn't bad for taste/texture, but it's 10x the work of a deep fryer. Gotta continually adjust for hot spots and check oil temperatures, make sure one side doesn't burn and continually baby sit it to make sure you don't break the chicken or burn your house down.


i believe skillet frying is superior to home deep frying. it requires more attention, but even if i was deep frying something, i'd NEVER step away from the fryer. while the chicken is frying in the skillet, i'm doing other things, like prep'n potatoes or making salada right next to it.

and i guess i should check oil temp, but i've never done that in my entire life, since i don't like doing anything precisely. when the oil looks right, i put the ingredients into the skillet.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfcBU94W3tU

[Jimboski]

i believe skillet frying is superior to home deep frying. it requires more attention, but even if i was deep frying something, i'd NEVER step away from the fryer. while the chicken is frying in the skillet, i'm doing other things, like prep'n potatoes or making salada right next to it.

and i guess i should check oil temp, but i've never done that in my entire life. when the oil looks right, i put the ingredients into the skillet.

Yup I don't have a thermometer for the oil, I just dip the chicken In a bit and see If It's right or not!

[jayt90]

Once I got my Thermapen, I compulsively check temperatures on everything (stove top or in the oven.) It has improved my cooking a lot.
Many thanks to Duckdown for recommending it.

[Raggie]

I rarely make fried chicken because of all the grease, but when I do I use a skillet as well. And I don't like covering it in flour.

[Menthol]

I don't understand comments like "I don't fry chiken inside because it smells" "I have a pot/stove in the garage":-0 doesn't your other foods smell when you cook them too?

[ippon]

I don't understand comments like "I don't fry chiken inside because it smells" "I have a pot/stove in the garage":-0 doesn't your other foods smell when you cook them too?

it's the oil. when oil evaporates as it cooks, it sticks to the surface of the house and everything in it.
if you are cooking soup, it can easily be aired out, but it isn't as easy with oil. ask your gf to smell your hair 12 hours after you fried chicken and compare that to other types of food.

[SambaJane]

it's the oil. when oil evaporates as it cooks, it sticks to the surface of the house and everything in it.
if you are cooking soup, it can easily be aired out, but it isn't as easy with oil. ask your gf to smell your hair 12 hours after you fried chicken and compare that to other types of food.

that's right. grease and oil are very hard to clean not just in pots and pans, but on your kitchen walls as well. cooking anything with oil outside of the house let's you have lesser cleaning to do and what's more, the smell is aired out and not stuck inside your house.

[gr8dlr]

I want to thank everyone in this thread for reminding me to go to Popeye's Fried Chicken for the 2 pce Spicy chicken special today [Tuesday special]....yummy as always.

For less than $3 I'll let someone else do the frying.

[playstationfx]

delivery is much cheaper and easier nowadays

[Steevie977]

delivery is much cheaper and easier nowadays

True, but not many cheap restaurants (and especially deliveries and fast food joints) can compare to good old fashioned home cooking! =D It is a pain to prepare one though.

[chiqchiq]

I use ziplock bags to coat the chicken. 1 with the dry ingredients and 1 for the wet ingredients. This helps with keeping the area clean. Instead of flour, I use cornstarch and it comes out crispier and I don't even bother with breadcrumbs. I've had issues with the deep fryer coz it's such a pain to clean it so I don't even bother with it. I use a deeper pan or a shallow pot with a cover to avoid the splatters. 2in of oil is sufficient coz you can always turn it over. You wanna turn your stove on high and then turn it down to just below medium before you put in the chicken so that it doesn't burn the skin. My grandmother taught me how to gauge if they're cooked, just wait until the bubbling has subsided to a lull. And it's worked ever since. I cater on the side and this has never failed me. I use a colander with paper towels on it to properly drain the oil. So, clean up is not so bad at all. I hope this helps.

[epik89]

all you need is some kfc coupons and your good to go for the night.

[Steevie977]

I use ziplock bags to coat the chicken. 1 with the dry ingredients and 1 for the wet ingredients. This helps with keeping the area clean. Instead of flour, I use cornstarch and it comes out crispier and I don't even bother with breadcrumbs. I've had issues with the deep fryer coz it's such a pain to clean it so I don't even bother with it. I use a deeper pan or a shallow pot with a cover to avoid the splatters. 2in of oil is sufficient coz you can always turn it over. You wanna turn your stove on high and then turn it down to just below medium before you put in the chicken so that it doesn't burn the skin. My grandmother taught me how to gauge if they're cooked, just wait until the bubbling has subsided to a lull. And it's worked ever since. I cater on the side and this has never failed me. I use a colander with paper towels on it to properly drain the oil. So, clean up is not so bad at all. I hope this helps.

Do you prepare the whole chicken at once or do you cut it in to smaller pieces before you start frying it?

[Mumps]

Fried chicken, for me, is very easy to make. The only part I hate is cleaning up when it's all done. Buy sometimes it's worth it.

However, this fried chicken place opened up near our house and we normally just eat their food if we want fried chicken. Their chicken is AMAZING! It puts KFC to shame, and I mean even more shame than they were already in in the first place.

[death_hawk]

KFC Canada is terrible.
I swear there's like an astringent taste or something in it. And it's not just one time at one location, it's damn near all of them.

KFC US is awesome.
Oh and they have extra tasty crispy.

[chiqchiq]

Do you prepare the whole chicken at once or do you cut it in to smaller pieces before you start frying it?

You cut it...it's easier to fit in the pot so you won't need a massive one. It'll also be safer so you don't get an overflow of oil. Tendency is, the chicken's temperature is considerably lower than the oil so it'll have a high probability of a boil over until it eventually simmers down. Anyways...happy frying!

[Imran DeRoy]

Their chicken is AMAZING! It puts KFC to shame, and I mean even more shame than they were already in in the first place.

KFC achieved even more shame?

Didn't think it possible...