The chicken is one of the tastes that are most enhanced using a fry pan, weather pan frying or deep-frying, the chicken- if done correctly, chicken will always have the best results when cooked in oil.
Frying has the ability, if done correctly to turn the coating into a tasty addition yet, at the same time, enable the chicken to cook in its own juices and become tender and delicious.
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What you need to make certain when frying is that the oil is hot enough- if the chicken is put into boiling oil the heat of the oil turns the juices of the chicken into a powerful steam pushing out from the chicken, that steam is what in actual fact cooks the chicken (that is why fried chicken is so tasty) at the same time the oil is prevented from penetrating the chicken and only fries the batter into a crisp coat that adds spice and flavor.
The rules are almost the same for all pieces in the chicken:
The center parts (that have the longer, thicker muscles and slightly whiter meat) have less natural juices and dry out faster.
Chicken thighs, drumsticks have a slightly softer, browner meat and a succulent taste (wings are an exception to both groups, they have darker meat but are so thin they must be fried quickly to avoid drying out)
When frying a chicken it should really be sliced into the different parts (whole stuffed chickens are best in the oven, food generally doesn't fry uniformly when different sizes of pieces are cooked at once). The larger breast pieces are best fried when separated from the bones and skin, whereas the legs (drumsticks) and thighs are best when left with their bones (skin is optional as it is tasty to some, unappealing to others and has a high fat content that should be taken into account).
All chicken pieces are better when covered up before pan-fried or deep fried. Unlike beef that has the ability to close inside all juices when on a heat source (grill, pan, or cast Iron skillet) the chicken meat doesn't have the same ability, and it loses moisture and dries up. If there is a coating (batter or other) the oil remains on the outside while the chicken cooks in the steam formed from its own juices- so the fried chicken doesn't lose neither the moisture nor the flavor.
Two quick recipes for either type of chicken meat, and a SECRET revealed in each one:
The chicken thighs, drumsticks and wings should be covered in a softer batter and deep fried:
The secret for the batter is to dip the chicken parts into Yogurt! a simple sour yogurt (it adds moisture, while softening the meat and enriches the taste) leave it in the Yogurt for 30 minutes, then roll it in a mixture of seasoned bread crumbs and gently put into deep hot oil until golden, make sure you take out immediately when ready and soak off all excess fat (another tip is not to fry too many pieces at the same time, they need room to properly fry).
The chicken breast and back-the "Schnitzel Oriental":
The chicken breast should be cleaned from bones and skins and cut into slices 0.2 inch high (0.5 centimeter) than put dipped into scrambled egg (a small secret is to add milk and half a teaspoon of mustard into the egg batter for extra taste!) and dip into a seasoned mix of breadcrumbs. The secret to the breadcrumbs is to use Oriental seasoning-Turmeric, Cumin, Dried Garlic, Curry powder, Dharma Masala, and for the brave- Sambar Powder. Fry in a flat pan in boiling oil (the level of the oil should reach half the height of the chicken fillets) when Gold on the bottom flip over and when golden on both take out and soak excess oil onto a paper towel. These are just as good if frozen and reheated at a later date (even in a microwave) so you can make a large batch that will last a long time. Note that these spices make the "Schnitzel" a darker Golden shade so make sure they are ready before removing them from the oil.
Enjoy!
Michelle Blu
By Michelle Blu, writer and editor http://Friedpan.com
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