The one unhealthy fried hen is soggy fried hen. (And even then, truthfully, a fast air fry’ll repair it proper up.) Nevertheless, there are indisputably nice methods to get a crackling crust, and people ought to at all times be thought of. For instance, the karaage methodology or the copycat quick meals methodology. There’s one other fried hen trick that I’ve not too long ago turn out to be conscious of, and in contrast to the opposite two I discussed, this one has no further steps. There’s no three-part batter, and it doesn’t require a dip in a bowl of (nonetheless expensive) eggs. It’s one step with a easy flour swap, and it adjustments every part.
Self-rising flour is essential
I’ve at all times used common all-purpose flour to fry, or potato flour for its superior crisping qualities, however self-rising flour was an entire shock. This flour, ever-present on my grocery retailer’s cabinets, by no means appeared to be a lot use to me. For many who additionally don’t use it a lot, self-rising flour consists of a dependable ratio of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. So in the event you wished to make a fast pancake recipe, you can use a scoop of these things and skip including these different two elements to your recipe.
I do know that folk within the UK use it usually, however I’ve at all times shied away from not with the ability to management the leavening agent and salt in my baking. However whereas studying the recipes in Nonetheless We Rise, a improbable cookbook with biscuit recipes and recipes for different stuff you’d take pleasure in with a biscuit close by, I got here throughout the Glori-Fried Hen Biscuit Sandwich. You guessed it: The recipe makes use of self-rising flour.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
A straightforward, mild, and crispy coating
Following the recipe, there’s a part of notes referred to as The Gospel of Fried Hen, and Council (the writer) briefly describes why self-rising flour works. The included salt boosts the flavour—no surprises there—however the baking powder performs a big function in giving a skinny, shattering crust to the fried hen. There’s no want for a number of dredges by flour or egg washes to make the crust as sensible as it’s.
As a leavening agent, baking powder has the responsibility to carry up and aerate our truffles and muffins, but it surely does this even in that skinny layer coating your hen. When hydrated and heated up, the baking powder reacts and produces carbon dioxide. This appears like tiny little bubbles in truffles, however on hen it produces a fragile, rippling crust.
How you can use self-rising flour for fried hen
1. Brine
Every time I fry hen, I desire to do a buttermilk brine if time affords it. Yogurt will work too, and that’s often what I exploit. Even one hour could make a distinction in how juicy and tender the hen can be. I brined some skin-on hen drumsticks in yogurt with a pinch of salt for about an hour. Then I ready my flour dredge.
2. Coat the hen
I combined about three-quarters of a cup of self-rising flour with a half-teaspoon of salt (a bit of further is critical for fried hen), a teaspoon of cornstarch (which supplies further starch for crunch), and a sprinkle of garlic and onion powder.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Then comes the simple half: coating the hen. I put one drumstick at a time into the flour and coated it utterly. Only one time. Then allow them to dry on a wire rack whereas I heated the oil.
What do you suppose to this point?
3. Fry the hen
I heated up about an inch of cooking oil in a dutch oven till it reached 350°F and fried till they had been deeply browned on all sides and the inner temperature reached 160°F (carryover cooking—that’s, when meals continues to cook dinner off the warmth for a number of minutes—takes care of the remaining 5 levels to get it to 165°F).
With really the least effort I’ve ever put into fried hen, I made a batch of the most effective drumsticks I’ve had in a very long time. And with picnics and yard events arising, you deserve this ease too.
Though I haven’t tried this self-rising flour coating on different fried morsels, like hen tenders, eggplant, tofu, or zucchini planks, I belief that it might work simply as properly. Truly, I believe I’ve a pack of tofu within the fridge proper now. I do know what I have to do.
In order for you extra egg-free alternate options whereas costs are nonetheless excessive, I’ve examined different concepts, together with:
