@@chrismeyers1607 The salt first draws moisture out, but it eventually gets reabsorbed (it takes about 45-60 minutes for the water to be fully absorbed). I explained all of that in more detail in this video: ruclips.net/video/xs1MC-xmEm0/видео.html.
Tip: buy one of those $5 permanent coffee filters at the grocery store to filter your oil. Why waste money on cheesecloth and deal with the mess? The coffee filter has a much finer screen and lasts forever. Perfect for your bacon grease also.
If you’re gonna do that the disposable ones like 100-200 coffee filter packs are better. No mess cleanup. And it lasts forever. Avging deep frying shit like once a week. You’re only using like 4-5 a month.
After learning to cook a lot of Japanese dishes I highly recommend potato starch. It stays crispy even when it’s being covered in broth for the final stage.
I just wish I enjoyed cooking. I'd rather have someone else make the food for me. For example, restaurants can make better sandwiches than I can make at home. I went to a Vietnamese restaurant and they had jalapeno shrimp and my God it was so delicious. My mouth was on fire, but it was too good for me to care about my tongue dying.
@@lunarcorpse you should try. I find just the opposite. I cook much better food than I get out most of the time and you can also adjust better to your tastes.
@@GohAhweh I love that. My favorite is Agadashi Tofu. When I moved I couldn’t find a Japanese restaurant that served it anywhere so that started my deep dive into that cuisine
Salt, paper, oregano, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder For 3 cups flour add 1 cup of corn starch, add baking powder 2 tes spoon per pound of flour. (75% flour to 25% corn starc) if Asian style the. 50-50% ratio of flour and corn starch For small peices 177c For a little big 163c For bones pieces
Its the buttermilk that aborbs into the flour that makes it turn dark or burn. I have tried it. You dont need to use buttermilk. I use egg whites and club soda, keep my a.p flour light with no red seasonings ( another reason why it turns dark) and my chicken coating never burns or turns dark. Comes out looking like jolliebee's or Popeyes. You can use red seasonings and sprinkle on after cooking if you want.
Buttermilk taste better you can still use it and put baking soda on the flour. You marinated the chicken with butter milk and seasoning, then for the chicken dip you use ice water + baking soda. Then dip again on the flour. Marinated chiken put it on the flour and put it on the water and put it again on the flour and fry immediately.
One more tip: The sludgey stuff that settles at the bottom of the pot is referred to as crackle. Apparently it's what the original KFC gravy recipe used for its roux component. I've tried it before as a thickener and the amount of flavor you get is INSANE.
@@Whyareyoulying100 what's the general ingredient in gravy, for people new to cooking, please? What pot iz Zanpaznarf is talking about? I see many pots there?
Haha, I'm vegan and watch these kinds of videos because a lot of it is still useful for frying mushrooms, tofu, cauliflower etc. I actually do pretty much everything you mention in this video, so glad to know I'm on the right path. I kinda want to try that weird oil solidifier thing. I usually just pour it into a trash bag once it cools down but that looks like more fun.
Hey, I’ve actually seen a few of your videos too and really enjoyed them! Even though I’m not vegan haha. Good to know that these ideas still apply for most vegetables too though!
Listen, I watch your videos but you need to understand that oil that has been used once or twice for trying ends up making BETTER and CRISPIER food. This is scientifically proven. Google around.
I brine the chicken overnight in 3/4 cup salt per gallon of water. I also put in 2 cut up lemons (or one large orange) cracked white peppercorns and camomile. For step 2 in breading, I used to use buttermilk but now just ice cold water. I do, however, season the flour, try using ground Morita peppers instead of black pepper available , in bulk, at good Hispanic supermarkets. PS. I use the same brine for duck, substituting lavender for camomile and Moritas for white peppercorns
This is quickly becoming my favorite channel for anything cooking related (which is mostly what I watch). Love the pace of your videos, and how informative they are! Thanks for the solid content!
This looks REALLY promising. You seem to like your chicken the way I like it, and while I already have learned to do some of the steps you take, like brining the chicken before cooking it, you have discovered some hacks for the coating that I've not come across until now. I've bookmarked it for when I have my next deep fried food craze. Thanks!
fried chicken is a hobby in itself. My technique is basically the same as yours . I would add swans down cake flour for less gluten potential. baking powder for sure. 50 /50 corn starch flour mix. and I fry in tallow for a more buttery flavor. also let the meat sit in a baking soda water mix for 30 minutes. less for tenderloins. Rinse thoroughly. then prepare for frying. egg whites in the batter make a super crunchy coating also. Lots to know, its a journey
Absolutely, there are so many different ways to do it! Those are all great tips, I'll definitely have to give them a try. I think you're right that a 50/50 mix of flour and starch might be better. But of course it also depends on how large the cut that you're frying is, and there's definitely some personal preference involved too.
My mother used to make the best fried chicken. My friends used to get excited when she would cook it. Finally when I had my own kids I asked her what was her secret. Her answer: Bisquick!
Now I know I can trust you, I do the EXACT same thing even down to using 50/50 for sauces fried chicken and a 25/75 for plain fried chicken. The most important tricks to great fried chicken are that flour to starch ratio and the use of baking soda or baking powder and double frying, which gives you a LONG lasting crunch and helps thoroughly cook those bigger pieces with out over cooking the outside. Also double frying is a must if u are frying a lot of chicken for a family or party it allows you to get the bulk of the work done a little ahead of time and it makes the final frying go supper quick and in larger batches. So everyone can eat hot fried crispy chicken.
Getting called out at 5:06 hahaha. I am a vegetarian and I just enjoy your videos so that's why I am watching. Used to use almost this exact technique for making fried chicken at home when I did eat meat though... and I have to say, it really is a great method and makes for some bomb fried chicken. (try fried chicken sandwich with bulldog fruit and vegetable sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and cabbage it was my favorite and I served it at my first pop up) But! you can also fry mushrooms (lions mane top tier), previously frozen pressed tofu, tempeh, or seitan with similar techniques. So many vegan/vegetarian recipes don't use good technique at all and could learn a thing or two from this video. P.S. tried a variation of your pizza recipe last night on a baking steel for the first time last night and it was an absolute game changer. Thanks. P.P.S I left a comment on your recipe post, I think, but I don't understand why you do a cold proof instead of a cold bulk ferment on your pizza dough. Is there any good reason for the initial rise before putting the dough in the fridge?
Haha well I'm glad to hear it! I'll have to try this method with some vegetarian recipes as well. And I'm glad the pizza worked out well for you! I did actually try a cold bulk ferment at one point, but for some reason the results weren't nearly as good. It resulted in a weaker and less airy dough, so it seems like the room temp bulk ferment is necessary to let the yeast build up some activity, and I guess it must help strengthen the gluten network more effectively as well.
Hey man, I really appreciate that! Didn't think I'd see you here haha I've got to give credit to my editor, Van, too. He edited the majority of this one!
I haven't made fried chicken in a couple years. I followed your method to fry up some tenders with my spice seasoning of choice..."amazing" is an understatement. Perfectly cooked, juicy, lots of crispy/craggy bits, and so flavorful. Thanks for all your hard work, this will definitely be my method from now on.
I had figured out baking powder hack by myself reassuring to see others use it too. For a quicker frying, just dip the chicken in wet batter and straight into the frying pan for 8 to 10 mins until cooked at high temp. Never fry large pieces just cut them to small equal sizes. Adding large amounts of tumeric tastes good to me and I think it adds to better colour too.
I've been working on many of the exact same techniques you're using, but you've honed in on several things I never heard of before. I'm really anxious to try them out, thanks!
i used to work a chicken restaurant. The one thing that made the chicken very juicy and tender is they would marinate in egg yolk in the freezer all day until it was deep fried. Of course we had to do this daily as the chicken and eggs need to be fresh. the perfect chicken doesnt require too much, just flour (seasoned or not) and some panko if you like, and a little bit of powdered cor starch deep fried at 400 f for 7 minutes. move them around every 2 minutes. I dont remember what oil we used, veg or canola will work fine tho. I used to cook about 10-20 lbs of chicken every shift
@@staydown4bo Wait, are you saying; beat egg yolks, coat chicken with it, freeze it for a day then flour and deep fry? By the way, the "flour" was likely pre-seasoned.
@@bravocharlie639 not frozen, the fridge isnt cold enough to freeze them. Its just so the food wont spoil. Basically, in the morning before we even open, we would prep all the food for the day. Bags of raw chicken breast would be emptied into however many containers we needed, then each container would be filled up with eggwash and placed in the fridge. It probably takes an hour to fry all the chicken in one container before needing to get a new one from the fridge, so by the time 2-3 in the afternoon rolled around the chicken we prepped in the AM would have been marinating in the egg yolk for well over 5 hours. The chicken was always better in the afternoon vs first thing in the morning since it gets to sit in the eggwash longer. we also used unseasoned flower, our seasoning was in the sauces we handmade.
@@bravocharlie639 this is what i noticed. if you beat the eggs really well and let the chicken marinate in the yolk, the flour will literally just bind itself into the chicken skin the second you deep fry it. You wont have that breading thats loose and falling off when you hold it... oh and we didnt do any double coating or any of that stuff. just take out the chicken and give it one good dusting of flour, thats it.
Thank you for the bit about what to do with the oil after using it for frying!! I’ve always wondered about that - having grown up in a household that didn’t fry anything.
My Mom had a deep fryer. She would use egg wash and corn flakes crushed up with salt and pepper. Best fried chicken ever and home fries. Boy do I miss her cooking.
By far the most helpful fried chicken video I've seen. Game changer. I like to also add pork rinds to my flour mixture. Your tips were SUPER helpful. First time I'm so proud of my results for a crispy fried chicken sandwich :D
We have a gluten free kitchen for a celiac child and can say gluten free flour gets real crispy. Adding starch to the regular flour is a great tip for those who can eat wheat flour. I will be trying your method sans gluten this week.
i found your channel a while ago with the new york pizza series. and you are underated for sure, i love your editing and your videos they are insane. waiting for the final OF THE NEW YORK PIZZA!
I really appreciate that! I have to give credit to my editor, Van too! He edited the majority of this video and the last one. The next NY Pizza video is in the works! I'm planning to release it in about 2 weeks, I just wanted to finalize a few details with the recipe.
@@CharlieAndersonCooking Can't wait! I'm going to order a pizza steel in advance to try it out as soon as the video comes out :) My pizza stone doesn't seem to bring the results I'd like in a 250c oven
Could've swore I'd already subscribed?!?!?! My habit of thinking I know how to fry chicken, then being disappointed and swearing I'll look it up on RUclips, then I don't. You answered a whole bunch of questions!!! Thank You
I really appreciate the fact that you seasoned the chicken directly. So often when I see people make fried chicken they put a very little seasoning on the actual chicken itself and they just rely on everything going into the flour and that just isn't right.
@@CharlieAndersonCooking agreed. The other thing is if you over season the flour it burns a whole lot easier especially if you use seasonings like paprika. I like a little bit in my breading but I put 95% of the seasoning directly on the bird.
Just made this. SUPER GOOD. It was hard to get the crispy coating cooked perfect though, as the chicken wasn't ready yet. Some pieces I did the oven trick... put them on a wire rack though because if you put it straight on the pan it comes out like mushy shake'n bake.
To answer your question @5:03 I don't eat meat but I've been looking for a way to improve my fried oyster mushrooms and these tips are awesome! I think the only difference is I'll puncture them with a tenderizer to get the salt and flavors to absorb better in the early process. If I follow your method I'm sure it'll be delicious
@@wendigos_eat_people7177 Amazing actually. This past weekend was my second try. The first one was good but the second try came out perfect. Super crunchy and flavorful. My family tore though it. This video was a perfect guide
For the plain white flower that you are using on the resting step, could you simply use seasoned flour and then letting it rest for an hour prior to dipping it in the batter? And then once you dip it in the batter, dip it back into seasoning flower again? Rather than having the plain white flower as your first coat, you could have two seasoned flour coatings?
Great video Charlie. I appreciate your meticulous research and excellent explanations. For (deep) frying chicken or fish my standard batter is made of beer, corn starch and salt.
I fry it immediately! You want to fry it while the baking powder is still active. Plus the longer you let it rest with the final breading, the more gluten will form, and the harder / more brittle the breading will be (at least, that's what Kenji Lopez Alt says in The Food Lab).
Great video! I'll share one tip I've learned for seasoning: chicken bouillon. I smash a bouillon cube in a mortar and pestle along with fresh pepper corns and salt. I can't prove it, but I'd swear the chicken bouillon is the secret ingredient to KFC breading. Also, I've learned to add a little powdered milk to my breading mixture, as opposed to milk soaking.
This a great, trustworthy lesson on great fried chicken. You really nailed this one. My grandmother ran our High School lunchroom in the Deep South and her chicken was renowned. I grew up watching her do it. She got great results by brining in cold salt water. She skinned her chicken. Used self rising flour, salt, fine black pepper, an iron skillet and crisco shortening. That said, your method is foolproof and amazingly delicious! Thanks for taking the time to share this for us all! *oh yeah, back then the quality of chickens was much better too so you made an important point there!
A great frying overview. I learned a lot of this through trial and error and combining different techniques I had seen so it’s nice to see everything laid out there at once, it’ll save others lots of time. My diet requires that I be both gluten free and dairy free but thankfully these same techniques work pretty great with most gluten free flours and just about any kind of non dairy milk. It’s entirely possible to make amazing fried food that is gluten and dairy free.
Hi Charlie, I am vegetarian but enjoy yours and other meat RUclips videos because I get ideas on how to flavour veges and grains in my cooking, I make a really good tofu fried dish, like your fried chicken, also oat patties etc, with a breading coat to fry with uneven surface and turn out crispy and flavourful, watching yours and other videos steered me in that direction and and very thankful for your advice. Snookums 😀😋🙏
I brine in buttermilk then use that buttermilk to make a thin batter with flour, coat the chicken in that and then dip in seasoned flour. Similar to yours but I started doing this after feeling I was wasting the buttermilk brine using other recipes and it seems to work.
Finally got around to trying this. I bought potato starch specifically for this recipe -- it makes a huge difference. I used this method with chunks of chicken breast and the crowd went wild! I already have requests to make this again. I had a variety of sauces for dipping and several folks said, "These don't need sauce!" This is a super-yummo way to make chicken. So crispy with the chicken remaining tender and juicy. Thank you so very much Charlie for working this out and presenting it in an easy-to-understand way.
Thank you! At 2:16 We tried to make rice flour and sometimes a pounded rice with mortar & pestle because it was easiest to find for us in Thailand(The Rice flour were grown "traditionally year round", which could be organic rice.), and we ended up having similar results with fried fish.
I found this channel recently and you make really good content dude, informative and entertaining, just keep it up, And I can't wait for the epic conclusion of the NYC style pizza series.
Lower heat helped greatly. Also, to get really tender fried chicken…after slightly browning chicken in oil, roast in oven for about 30 mins, then back in oil to finish off.
I've followed this recipe three times, and it is a masterpiece! I take boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halve them, pound them out a bit, and dry brine them with kosher salt for a day. Everything else I follow the recipe for. I even tried this on pork tenderloin too. Thank you for sharing this! I
Use ultra-fine bread crumbs, grind it until it's like flour, and then sift. spritz with water > all-purpose flour > egg wash > sifted breadcrumbs > fryer oil.
I've used an egg wash for years, which consistently gave me soggy fried chicken. Came across this video tonight, and put it all into practice. It stepped up my fried chicken game 900%! I even only dry brined the chicken for 1 hour, using chicken breast, and it still came out juicy! You have my subscription sir!
I use a mixture of kellogs cornflake breadcrumbs abd panko. Add a little bit of salt, paprika, garlic and pepper. After frying the chicken on both sides put it on a metal grate so it doesn't warm up the bottom to make the skin soft.
I reduced the flour I use in my breading to less than my seasoning and I use a heroic amount of onion powder. It's not super crispy but it doesn't burn as easily and tastes amazing
It's noteworthy to anybody watching this video that you shouldn't overdo it on the baking soda. Baking soda + hot oil = giant fire hazard. I've only ever had oil boil over my pot twice--both times involved adding excess baking soda to a fried recipe. Just something to be aware of. Great video, Charlie!
Dude you are awesome! I was looking for a recipe where I could get thick breading that sticks to my chicken tenderloins and I've tried 5-6 recipes and yours is the only one that works! Thank you!
I learned so much from this video! I've always wondered why I've been unable to fully cook my fried chicken without burning the hell out of my breading. Now I know why. Thank you, Charlie! The one thing I still don't understand is why you determine the ratios of your flour and other dry ingredients based on the weight of chicken your frying rather than their ratios to each other. Can you please explain?
Tried this today and when doing the first batch I didn't add enough of the flour mix to the butter milk. I upped it in the second batch and the difference was night and day in terms of crunch. Great recipe.
i use cornflour also known as corn starch no need for any other type of flour this flour makes the best coatings for fried chicken. also if you shallow fry it then it tastes better
As a southern person I use flour and finely crushed "gluten free" Chex cereal for the last part not corn starch I think it gives it more of a crispy crunch 🤤😋
I’ll have to try this tip of using starch. My biggest problem with frying chicken is the flour burning before the thermometer measures the chicken fully cooked.
Dairy makes my batter too thick. I only use a weak egg water dredge. But I do use instant potato in the flour as you suggest and also the first pass before wet dredge but only right before frying. This grandma’s fried chicken is light and crispy. I remove the hip bone of the thighs and then they are equal to the cook time of legs.
In a lot of fried chicken recipes people mix an egg into the buttermilk. Does the egg affect the texture and/or flavour of the breading or is it unnecessary?
I haven’t found it to be necessary. The reason for adding the egg is for structure, but we can achieve that same effect by adding a bit of the flour mixture to the buttermilk. And this way, we also get the added benefit of activating the baking powder, plus it’s just one less ingredient to worry about.
I can't use an oven it causes the crust to go soft. I use a Sousvide and my chicken is done before I fry it. The sousvide also lets me hammer it hard with seasoning garlic and herbs etc.
I am a trained chef, some of your tips were applications I've applied to other fried foods, but never considered applying to chicken. I don't eat much fried foods or cook fried proteins, so thank you for the tips. My daughter wanted Chicken Nuggies, I told her we have that at home... Mc Donald's is dead to her now.
Hi Charlie, I tried your recipe with a full chicken as well as some chicken tenders. The chicken tenders were fantastic and very much a hit with my family. The full chicken however had a significant failure. The skin was the extremely rubbery and ultimately inedible but the meat cooked to temp was great. I can think of a few reason for the failure but I was hoping you would take a look at what I think the culprit was and maybe guide me to adjusting my approach. The chicken was about 5.5 pounds and I hand butchered it. All chicken parts were salted the night before and placed in the refrigerator. The breasts were quite large but I kept them intact. I left the skin on all pieces. I added the seasoned flour from the chicken tenders and added new flour and seasoning to make it up to the flour per pound of chicken ratio. Brand new buttermilk. It was a VERY thick dredge. Following the advice on the video I put the oil temp at 325F. I wasn't able to leave them in longer than 5 minutes before the breading was very brown. I finished them all in the oven. Any insight would be appreciated.
Adding a bit of your liquid batter to the big bowl of dry breading/flour has really become a game changer for me. Getting a few of those much bigger clumps in the breading really is a huge improvement. I use this little trick for all my breadings now. Thanks for cluing me in. :) Really dig your channel and have subscribed.
I tried to compare this with buttermilk brine and this was way better, though I made my own buttermilk using whole milk and white vinegar. I think the buttermilk brine failed because it made the chicken too soggy, preventing the batter from adhering.
Well I used both powder and soda and seltzer water before. I really can't tell the difference. But read your comments before and all is really well chicken tenders were great. Thanks!
Baking soda actually doesn't give a leaveaning effect unless it had an acid present. It can change the PH level but that's really only useful in wings dredged to make the skin crisper on unbattered wings. Unless you meant baking powder?
05:55 Adding some wet mix to the dry dredge to make craggy bits! ----- Can't wait to try that! 08:05 and the double fry---- how about dredging it in flour a second time? 😚
I actually just discovered the resting period between dredging on accident. I had a minor emergency during the coating process that pulled me away from the chicken. The rest makes sense to me. The over tip was something I picked up early on in my chicken frying career. Thanks for the tips.
Tallow is a neutral oil that can be used for great fried chicken. There seem to be lots of inflammation caused by seed oils, and tallow is a natural product. This was a great recipe for fried chicken
NOTE: At 4:55, I meant to say "baking powder" not "baking soda". Baking powder is the correct ingredient - apologies for the confusion.
doesn't salt DRAW moisture OUT??? I am genuinely confused.
@@chrismeyers1607 The salt first draws moisture out, but it eventually gets reabsorbed (it takes about 45-60 minutes for the water to be fully absorbed). I explained all of that in more detail in this video: ruclips.net/video/xs1MC-xmEm0/видео.html.
I'm confused. Is it baking powder or baking soda?
you should give rice flour a whirl, I'd like to see the differences between the alternative starches.
@@watermain48 baking powder
Tip: buy one of those $5 permanent coffee filters at the grocery store to filter your oil. Why waste money on cheesecloth and deal with the mess? The coffee filter has a much finer screen and lasts forever. Perfect for your bacon grease also.
I do this exact same thing. I have two. It works great.
Excellent idea, I have oneofthem here somewhere.....they suck using as coffee filters
I been looking for a fried oil strainer remedy, this is It!! Thank you!!
Nice
If you’re gonna do that the disposable ones like 100-200 coffee filter packs are better. No mess cleanup. And it lasts forever. Avging deep frying shit like once a week. You’re only using like 4-5 a month.
After learning to cook a lot of Japanese dishes I highly recommend potato starch. It stays crispy even when it’s being covered in broth for the final stage.
I just wish I enjoyed cooking. I'd rather have someone else make the food for me. For example, restaurants can make better sandwiches than I can make at home. I went to a Vietnamese restaurant and they had jalapeno shrimp and my God it was so delicious. My mouth was on fire, but it was too good for me to care about my tongue dying.
@@lunarcorpse you should try. I find just the opposite. I cook much better food than I get out most of the time and you can also adjust better to your tastes.
That is what I use in my Karaage..
@@GohAhweh I love that. My favorite is Agadashi Tofu. When I moved I couldn’t find a Japanese restaurant that served it anywhere so that started my deep dive into that cuisine
@@juliey196 agedashi is addictive.. The real Skill in making that dish is being able to use the softest tofu and still have it come out great..
Salt, paper, oregano, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder
For 3 cups flour add 1 cup of corn starch, add baking powder 2 tes spoon per pound of flour. (75% flour to 25% corn starc) if Asian style the. 50-50% ratio of flour and corn starch
For small peices 177c
For a little big 163c
For bones pieces
Its the buttermilk that aborbs into the flour that makes it turn dark or burn. I have tried it. You dont need to use buttermilk. I use egg whites and club soda, keep my a.p flour light with no red seasonings ( another reason why it turns dark) and my chicken coating never burns or turns dark. Comes out looking like jolliebee's or Popeyes. You can use red seasonings and sprinkle on after cooking if you want.
Never had that problem. Not sure why everyone else is. How hot are you people getting your oil? Because it sounds like maybe it's a bit too hot.
Burns the fat in the buttermilk.
Exactly. And i like to put most red seasonings directly onto the chicken so that I don't have to add so much into the flour
Buttermilk taste better you can still use it and put baking soda on the flour.
You marinated the chicken with butter milk and seasoning, then for the chicken dip you use ice water + baking soda. Then dip again on the flour.
Marinated chiken put it on the flour and put it on the water and put it again on the flour and fry immediately.
@@Misyeli do you have to use ice water? What temperature is your oil for frying?
One more tip:
The sludgey stuff that settles at the bottom of the pot is referred to as crackle. Apparently it's what the original KFC gravy recipe used for its roux component. I've tried it before as a thickener and the amount of flavor you get is INSANE.
That's an ingredient in gravy in general lol
I didn't know about that and I'll probably use this when I get the chance
I couldn't stand my Grandma's gravy and now I know why!
@@Whyareyoulying100 what's the general ingredient in gravy, for people new to cooking, please? What pot iz Zanpaznarf is talking about? I see many pots there?
@@narniadan flour & grease from the seasonings, if ur making it from scratch.
Haha, I'm vegan and watch these kinds of videos because a lot of it is still useful for frying mushrooms, tofu, cauliflower etc. I actually do pretty much everything you mention in this video, so glad to know I'm on the right path. I kinda want to try that weird oil solidifier thing. I usually just pour it into a trash bag once it cools down but that looks like more fun.
Strange seeing you here Dude
I do the same thing!
Hey, I’ve actually seen a few of your videos too and really enjoyed them! Even though I’m not vegan haha. Good to know that these ideas still apply for most vegetables too though!
I'm watching this because I'm workshopping a fried tempeh sandwich recipe!
Listen, I watch your videos but you need to understand that oil that has been used once or twice for trying ends up making BETTER and CRISPIER food. This is scientifically proven. Google around.
Same! 😊
This is a precious masterclass, from scratch all the way to discarding used oil in a responsible way. Well done!
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I brine the chicken overnight in 3/4 cup salt per gallon of water. I also put in 2 cut up lemons (or one large orange) cracked white peppercorns and camomile.
For step 2 in breading, I used to use buttermilk but now just ice cold water. I do, however, season the flour, try using ground Morita peppers instead of black pepper available , in bulk, at good Hispanic supermarkets.
PS. I use the same brine for duck, substituting lavender for camomile and Moritas for white peppercorns
This is quickly becoming my favorite channel for anything cooking related (which is mostly what I watch). Love the pace of your videos, and how informative they are! Thanks for the solid content!
I appreciate that, I’m glad you enjoy the videos!
It's quite good.
This looks REALLY promising. You seem to like your chicken the way I like it, and while I already have learned to do some of the steps you take, like brining the chicken before cooking it, you have discovered some hacks for the coating that I've not come across until now. I've bookmarked it for when I have my next deep fried food craze. Thanks!
fried chicken is a hobby in itself. My technique is basically the same as yours . I would add swans down cake flour for less gluten potential. baking powder for sure. 50 /50 corn starch flour mix. and I fry in tallow for a more buttery flavor. also let the meat sit in a baking soda water mix for 30 minutes. less for tenderloins. Rinse thoroughly. then prepare for frying. egg whites in the batter make a super crunchy coating also.
Lots to know, its a journey
Absolutely, there are so many different ways to do it! Those are all great tips, I'll definitely have to give them a try. I think you're right that a 50/50 mix of flour and starch might be better. But of course it also depends on how large the cut that you're frying is, and there's definitely some personal preference involved too.
"Flour and starch" is pretty much a description of cake flour. I've been using it for years to bread chicken with very good results.
My mother used to make the best fried chicken. My friends used to get excited when she would cook it. Finally when I had my own kids I asked her what was her secret. Her answer:
Bisquick!
@@MmmK-f2vwhat’s that ?
Now I know I can trust you, I do the EXACT same thing even down to using 50/50 for sauces fried chicken and a 25/75 for plain fried chicken. The most important tricks to great fried chicken are that flour to starch ratio and the use of baking soda or baking powder and double frying, which gives you a LONG lasting crunch and helps thoroughly cook those bigger pieces with out over cooking the outside. Also double frying is a must if u are frying a lot of chicken for a family or party it allows you to get the bulk of the work done a little ahead of time and it makes the final frying go supper quick and in larger batches. So everyone can eat hot fried crispy chicken.
Getting called out at 5:06 hahaha. I am a vegetarian and I just enjoy your videos so that's why I am watching. Used to use almost this exact technique for making fried chicken at home when I did eat meat though... and I have to say, it really is a great method and makes for some bomb fried chicken. (try fried chicken sandwich with bulldog fruit and vegetable sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and cabbage it was my favorite and I served it at my first pop up)
But! you can also fry mushrooms (lions mane top tier), previously frozen pressed tofu, tempeh, or seitan with similar techniques. So many vegan/vegetarian recipes don't use good technique at all and could learn a thing or two from this video.
P.S. tried a variation of your pizza recipe last night on a baking steel for the first time last night and it was an absolute game changer. Thanks.
P.P.S I left a comment on your recipe post, I think, but I don't understand why you do a cold proof instead of a cold bulk ferment on your pizza dough. Is there any good reason for the initial rise before putting the dough in the fridge?
Haha well I'm glad to hear it! I'll have to try this method with some vegetarian recipes as well.
And I'm glad the pizza worked out well for you! I did actually try a cold bulk ferment at one point, but for some reason the results weren't nearly as good. It resulted in a weaker and less airy dough, so it seems like the room temp bulk ferment is necessary to let the yeast build up some activity, and I guess it must help strengthen the gluten network more effectively as well.
Flavor and dough conditioning
Such a good video homie!
Editing is top tier too
Hey man, I really appreciate that! Didn't think I'd see you here haha
I've got to give credit to my editor, Van, too. He edited the majority of this one!
If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus Is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. -Romans 10:9
If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus Is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. -Romans 10:9
I haven't made fried chicken in a couple years. I followed your method to fry up some tenders with my spice seasoning of choice..."amazing" is an understatement. Perfectly cooked, juicy, lots of crispy/craggy bits, and so flavorful. Thanks for all your hard work, this will definitely be my method from now on.
That’s awesome to hear!! Yeah it’s pretty amazing how big of a difference all of these tips can make when you put them together.
I had figured out baking powder hack by myself reassuring to see others use it too. For a quicker frying, just dip the chicken in wet batter and straight into the frying pan for 8 to 10 mins until cooked at high temp. Never fry large pieces just cut them to small equal sizes. Adding large amounts of tumeric tastes good to me and I think it adds to better colour too.
I've been working on many of the exact same techniques you're using, but you've honed in on several things I never heard of before. I'm really anxious to try them out, thanks!
i used to work a chicken restaurant. The one thing that made the chicken very juicy and tender is they would marinate in egg yolk in the freezer all day until it was deep fried. Of course we had to do this daily as the chicken and eggs need to be fresh. the perfect chicken doesnt require too much, just flour (seasoned or not) and some panko if you like, and a little bit of powdered cor starch deep fried at 400 f for 7 minutes. move them around every 2 minutes. I dont remember what oil we used, veg or canola will work fine tho. I used to cook about 10-20 lbs of chicken every shift
@@staydown4bo Wait, are you saying; beat egg yolks, coat chicken with it, freeze it for a day then flour and deep fry? By the way, the "flour" was likely pre-seasoned.
@@bravocharlie639 not frozen, the fridge isnt cold enough to freeze them. Its just so the food wont spoil. Basically, in the morning before we even open, we would prep all the food for the day. Bags of raw chicken breast would be emptied into however many containers we needed, then each container would be filled up with eggwash and placed in the fridge. It probably takes an hour to fry all the chicken in one container before needing to get a new one from the fridge, so by the time 2-3 in the afternoon rolled around the chicken we prepped in the AM would have been marinating in the egg yolk for well over 5 hours. The chicken was always better in the afternoon vs first thing in the morning since it gets to sit in the eggwash longer. we also used unseasoned flower, our seasoning was in the sauces we handmade.
@@bravocharlie639 this is what i noticed. if you beat the eggs really well and let the chicken marinate in the yolk, the flour will literally just bind itself into the chicken skin the second you deep fry it. You wont have that breading thats loose and falling off when you hold it... oh and we didnt do any double coating or any of that stuff. just take out the chicken and give it one good dusting of flour, thats it.
Thank you for the bit about what to do with the oil after using it for frying!! I’ve always wondered about that - having grown up in a household that didn’t fry anything.
My Mom had a deep fryer. She would use egg wash and corn flakes crushed up with salt and pepper. Best fried chicken ever and home fries. Boy do I miss her cooking.
By far the most helpful fried chicken video I've seen. Game changer. I like to also add pork rinds to my flour mixture. Your tips were SUPER helpful. First time I'm so proud of my results for a crispy fried chicken sandwich :D
I just made chicken sandwiches using this recipe for lunch. Unbelievably good! Keep doing what you’re doing - it’s great work!
I’m glad to hear that! Thanks!!
We have a gluten free kitchen for a celiac child and can say gluten free flour gets real crispy. Adding starch to the regular flour is a great tip for those who can eat wheat flour. I will be trying your method sans gluten this week.
Wow! This is my first time drying at home and this totally worked the first time! So crispy and delicious!!!
That's great to hear, I'm glad it worked out well for you!
This is a huge boost to my fried chicken game!! You're doing us a huge service
Yes. Especially if you forgot to buy buttermilk and most KFC recipes mention it.
i found your channel a while ago with the new york pizza series. and you are underated for sure, i love your editing and your videos they are insane. waiting for the final OF THE NEW YORK PIZZA!
I really appreciate that! I have to give credit to my editor, Van too! He edited the majority of this video and the last one.
The next NY Pizza video is in the works! I'm planning to release it in about 2 weeks, I just wanted to finalize a few details with the recipe.
@@CharlieAndersonCooking Can't wait! I'm going to order a pizza steel in advance to try it out as soon as the video comes out :) My pizza stone doesn't seem to bring the results I'd like in a 250c oven
Could've swore I'd already subscribed?!?!?!
My habit of thinking I know how to fry chicken, then being disappointed and swearing I'll look it up on RUclips, then I don't.
You answered a whole bunch of questions!!!
Thank You
I really appreciate the fact that you seasoned the chicken directly.
So often when I see people make fried chicken they put a very little seasoning on the actual chicken itself and they just rely on everything going into the flour and that just isn't right.
Yeah it makes a huge difference! You want it to be seasoned all the way through, not just on the outside
@@CharlieAndersonCooking agreed.
The other thing is if you over season the flour it burns a whole lot easier especially if you use seasonings like paprika.
I like a little bit in my breading but I put 95% of the seasoning directly on the bird.
Just made this. SUPER GOOD. It was hard to get the crispy coating cooked perfect though, as the chicken wasn't ready yet. Some pieces I did the oven trick... put them on a wire rack though because if you put it straight on the pan it comes out like mushy shake'n bake.
To answer your question @5:03 I don't eat meat but I've been looking for a way to improve my fried oyster mushrooms and these tips are awesome! I think the only difference is I'll puncture them with a tenderizer to get the salt and flavors to absorb better in the early process. If I follow your method I'm sure it'll be delicious
How did your mushrooms turn out?
@@wendigos_eat_people7177 Amazing actually. This past weekend was my second try. The first one was good but the second try came out perfect. Super crunchy and flavorful. My family tore though it. This video was a perfect guide
@@johndo1133 Oh good ! I'll have to try it too.😀
Enjoyed and appreciate your attention to details and how it slightly (or greatly) improves the chicken.
Damn that crunch at the end is LEGIT
For the plain white flower that you are using on the resting step, could you simply use seasoned flour and then letting it rest for an hour prior to dipping it in the batter? And then once you dip it in the batter, dip it back into seasoning flower again? Rather than having the plain white flower as your first coat, you could have two seasoned flour coatings?
I think this channel has doubled in size since a few months ago. Keep it up Charlie! Good video
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it!
Hello, I followed your recipe for dinner tonight. The wife and I loved it. Well done you.
Great video Charlie. I appreciate your meticulous research and excellent explanations. For (deep) frying chicken or fish my standard batter is made of beer, corn starch and salt.
Question: After dipping in buttermilk and flour mixture, do you rest the chicken or fry it immediately?
I fry it immediately! You want to fry it while the baking powder is still active. Plus the longer you let it rest with the final breading, the more gluten will form, and the harder / more brittle the breading will be (at least, that's what Kenji Lopez Alt says in The Food Lab).
Congrats on the sponsor Charlie! Great to see brands reaching out to you dude
Thanks Andrew, I really appreciate that!
I love that you put pron music for the video, well for some of it it was good pron.
Fantastic video...I've learned more about frying chicken in 10 minutes than I have my entire life.
Love the tip about baking powder. Few people know about how crucial it is to adding crispiness to fried chicken
Great video! I'll share one tip I've learned for seasoning: chicken bouillon. I smash a bouillon cube in a mortar and pestle along with fresh pepper corns and salt. I can't prove it, but I'd swear the chicken bouillon is the secret ingredient to KFC breading. Also, I've learned to add a little powdered milk to my breading mixture, as opposed to milk soaking.
msg is most likely kfc’s secret. but i absolutely agree that adding chicken bouillon to fried chicken is amazing
@@sapph4324is msg not bad?
As a southerner who loves fried chicken, this sounds incredible. Great video!
This a great, trustworthy lesson on great fried chicken. You really nailed this one. My grandmother ran our High School lunchroom in the Deep South and her chicken was renowned. I grew up watching her do it. She got great results by brining in cold salt water. She skinned her chicken. Used self rising flour, salt, fine black pepper, an iron skillet and crisco shortening. That said, your method is foolproof and amazingly delicious! Thanks for taking the time to share this for us all! *oh yeah, back then the quality of chickens was much better too so you made an important point there!
Fantastic information. I did some but not all in the past, looking forward to experimenting moving forward!
A great frying overview. I learned a lot of this through trial and error and combining different techniques I had seen so it’s nice to see everything laid out there at once, it’ll save others lots of time. My diet requires that I be both gluten free and dairy free but thankfully these same techniques work pretty great with most gluten free flours and just about any kind of non dairy milk. It’s entirely possible to make amazing fried food that is gluten and dairy free.
Hi Charlie, I am vegetarian but enjoy yours and other meat RUclips videos because I get ideas on how to flavour veges and grains in my cooking, I make a really good tofu fried dish, like your fried chicken, also oat patties etc, with a breading coat to fry with uneven surface and turn out crispy and flavourful, watching yours and other videos steered me in that direction and and very thankful for your advice. Snookums 😀😋🙏
You sir are to be commended! A very fine educational video. Please keep up the good work!
I brine in buttermilk then use that buttermilk to make a thin batter with flour, coat the chicken in that and then dip in seasoned flour.
Similar to yours but I started doing this after feeling I was wasting the buttermilk brine using other recipes and it seems to work.
Finally got around to trying this. I bought potato starch specifically for this recipe -- it makes a huge difference. I used this method with chunks of chicken breast and the crowd went wild! I already have requests to make this again. I had a variety of sauces for dipping and several folks said, "These don't need sauce!" This is a super-yummo way to make chicken. So crispy with the chicken remaining tender and juicy. Thank you so very much Charlie for working this out and presenting it in an easy-to-understand way.
No problem, I’m glad to hear that you all liked it so much!
Thank you! At 2:16 We tried to make rice flour and sometimes a pounded rice with mortar & pestle because it was easiest to find for us in Thailand(The Rice flour were grown "traditionally year round", which could be organic rice.), and we ended up having similar results with fried fish.
If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus Is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. -Romans 10:9
I found this channel recently and you make really good content dude, informative and entertaining, just keep it up,
And I can't wait for the epic conclusion of the NYC style pizza series.
Thank you, I’m glad you like it!
Lower heat helped greatly. Also, to get really tender fried chicken…after slightly browning chicken in oil, roast in oven for about 30 mins, then back in oil to finish off.
I've followed this recipe three times, and it is a masterpiece! I take boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halve them, pound them out a bit, and dry brine them with kosher salt for a day. Everything else I follow the recipe for. I even tried this on pork tenderloin too. Thank you for sharing this! I
I'm glad to hear it, thanks for sharing!
Is it better to use baking powder, or baking soda, for your seasoning flower?
Use ultra-fine bread crumbs, grind it until it's like flour, and then sift. spritz with water > all-purpose flour > egg wash > sifted breadcrumbs > fryer oil.
I couldn't resist 3lbs of wings and supporting your channel - ended up ordering a Butcher Box.
Hey Matthew, I really appreciate that! The free wings are great deal!
After learning about the health effects of PUFAs and vegetable oils I prefer to fry in saturated fat like ghee or coconut oil and it works great.
I've used an egg wash for years, which consistently gave me soggy fried chicken. Came across this video tonight, and put it all into practice. It stepped up my fried chicken game 900%! I even only dry brined the chicken for 1 hour, using chicken breast, and it still came out juicy! You have my subscription sir!
That’s great to hear, I’m glad you liked it!
I use a mixture of kellogs cornflake breadcrumbs abd panko. Add a little bit of salt, paprika, garlic and pepper. After frying the chicken on both sides put it on a metal grate so it doesn't warm up the bottom to make the skin soft.
@5:06 Hahaha I eat mostly vegetarian and was thinking of adapting your techniques to pieces of seitan or something 😅
Haha well that answers my question I guess!
I reduced the flour I use in my breading to less than my seasoning and I use a heroic amount of onion powder. It's not super crispy but it doesn't burn as easily and tastes amazing
It's noteworthy to anybody watching this video that you shouldn't overdo it on the baking soda. Baking soda + hot oil = giant fire hazard. I've only ever had oil boil over my pot twice--both times involved adding excess baking soda to a fried recipe. Just something to be aware of. Great video, Charlie!
Baking *powder*. DO NOT put baking soda into your fried chicken recipe.
For Mediterranean tinge, deep-fry in Olive Pomace Oil and can even have it blended in cold pressed canola oil
That chicken sandwich at the end is some SERIOUS food porn! 😂
I used most of these tips when making fried chicken for the first time, it came out amazing. Thanks for the video!
can you use milk + vinegar place of the buttermilk? its used to create buttermilk without the flavour.
Dude you are awesome! I was looking for a recipe where I could get thick breading that sticks to my chicken tenderloins and I've tried 5-6 recipes and yours is the only one that works! Thank you!
I learned so much from this video! I've always wondered why I've been unable to fully cook my fried chicken without burning the hell out of my breading. Now I know why. Thank you, Charlie! The one thing I still don't understand is why you determine the ratios of your flour and other dry ingredients based on the weight of chicken your frying rather than their ratios to each other. Can you please explain?
Tried this today and when doing the first batch I didn't add enough of the flour mix to the butter milk. I upped it in the second batch and the difference was night and day in terms of crunch.
Great recipe.
i use cornflour also known as corn starch no need for any other type of flour this flour makes the best coatings for fried chicken. also if you shallow fry it then it tastes better
As a southern person I use flour and finely crushed "gluten free" Chex cereal for the last part not corn starch I think it gives it more of a crispy crunch 🤤😋
one of the best fried chicken method, neatly covered every craggy bits of information. Thank you!
I loved this video especially the humor & your cute pooch. I am going to subscribe to Butcher Box. Can't wait!! Thanks Charlie.
I’ll have to try this tip of using starch. My biggest problem with frying chicken is the flour burning before the thermometer measures the chicken fully cooked.
Dairy makes my batter too thick. I only use a weak egg water dredge. But I do use instant potato in the flour as you suggest and also the first pass before wet dredge but only right before frying. This grandma’s fried chicken is light and crispy. I remove the hip bone of the thighs and then they are equal to the cook time of legs.
Great video! You are using some of the things I learned from my grandmother!
In a lot of fried chicken recipes people mix an egg into the buttermilk. Does the egg affect the texture and/or flavour of the breading or is it unnecessary?
I haven’t found it to be necessary. The reason for adding the egg is for structure, but we can achieve that same effect by adding a bit of the flour mixture to the buttermilk. And this way, we also get the added benefit of activating the baking powder, plus it’s just one less ingredient to worry about.
Can I substitute, Vodka or seltzer instead of buttermilk?
Wow. I bet that tastes good.
I can't use an oven it causes the crust to go soft. I use a Sousvide and my chicken is done before I fry it. The sousvide also lets me hammer it hard with seasoning garlic and herbs etc.
Tried it tonight. Best fried chicken I've ever made. Highly recommend giving it a try. Adjust the seasonings to taste ;]
Thanks for the tips!
Tried tapioca starch today from the asian store for the dredge-- breading was VERY delicate & yummy!
Too delicate? Did it fall off easily?
Do you rinse all the salt (and other seasonings) off from overnight before you start? If left on, its that a lot of salt?
Right!
I am a trained chef, some of your tips were applications I've applied to other fried foods, but never considered applying to chicken. I don't eat much fried foods or cook fried proteins, so thank you for the tips. My daughter wanted Chicken Nuggies, I told her we have that at home... Mc Donald's is dead to her now.
Does cornflour do the same job as potato starch?
Hi Charlie, I tried your recipe with a full chicken as well as some chicken tenders. The chicken tenders were fantastic and very much a hit with my family. The full chicken however had a significant failure. The skin was the extremely rubbery and ultimately inedible but the meat cooked to temp was great. I can think of a few reason for the failure but I was hoping you would take a look at what I think the culprit was and maybe guide me to adjusting my approach.
The chicken was about 5.5 pounds and I hand butchered it. All chicken parts were salted the night before and placed in the refrigerator. The breasts were quite large but I kept them intact. I left the skin on all pieces. I added the seasoned flour from the chicken tenders and added new flour and seasoning to make it up to the flour per pound of chicken ratio. Brand new buttermilk. It was a VERY thick dredge. Following the advice on the video I put the oil temp at 325F. I wasn't able to leave them in longer than 5 minutes before the breading was very brown. I finished them all in the oven.
Any insight would be appreciated.
Adding a bit of your liquid batter to the big bowl of dry breading/flour has really become a game changer for me. Getting a few of those much bigger clumps in the breading really is a huge improvement. I use this little trick for all my breadings now. Thanks for cluing me in. :)
Really dig your channel and have subscribed.
You thought of EVERYTHING! I'm saviing your video for generational reference! Thanks!
I tried to compare this with buttermilk brine and this was way better, though I made my own buttermilk using whole milk and white vinegar. I think the buttermilk brine failed because it made the chicken too soggy, preventing the batter from adhering.
Well I used both powder and soda and seltzer water before. I really can't tell the difference. But read your comments before and all is really well chicken tenders were great. Thanks!
I did use type of tapioca flour ,chick pea flours, and others to give a different taste and did like hazelnut flour. It gives butter taste .
Can I freeze it for big portions and fry it straight from freezer
For restaurant production
If I'm using a brine, either an egg or oat milk/picklejuice, do I put the baking powder in there or just with the flour and starch??
I made this fried chicken tonight-delicious! Thank you so much for enlightening me!!
Baking soda actually doesn't give a leaveaning effect unless it had an acid present. It can change the PH level but that's really only useful in wings dredged to make the skin crisper on unbattered wings. Unless you meant baking powder?
Baking Powder and baking soda are not the same thing but you used them interchangeably. Which did you actually use for this recipe?
05:55 Adding some wet mix to the dry dredge to make craggy bits! ----- Can't wait to try that! 08:05 and the double fry---- how about dredging it in flour a second time? 😚
I actually just discovered the resting period between dredging on accident.
I had a minor emergency during the coating process that pulled me away from the chicken.
The rest makes sense to me. The over tip was something I picked up early on in my chicken frying career. Thanks for the tips.
Tallow is a neutral oil that can be used for great fried chicken. There seem to be lots of inflammation caused by seed oils, and tallow is a natural product. This was a great recipe for fried chicken