About Coating and Frying

• Many fried foods call for a coating of flour, breading or batter. There are several practical reasons for this. The hot oil tends to dry and toughen the surface of unprotected foods, and coatings provide a measure of protection against that. They also help trap juices inside the food, keeping your meal moist and the oil pure. The coating sets quickly to a shell if your oil is at the right temperature, confining any fat absorption to the thin outer layer. Most importantly, the coating gives your foods a beautiful golden exterior, a complementary flavor and a pleasing textural contrast.

Standard Coatings

• The standard coating for fried chicken is plain flour, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and sometimes other spices or herbs. Usually, you would dip or soak the chicken in a liquid first, to tenderize it, add flavors, or simply to help the flour adhere. When you shake the chicken or dredge it in flour, the liquid is absorbed, and forms a thin, sticky layer that clings to the chicken and provides a continuous coating. Baking mixes serve this purpose equally well.

Baking Mixes

• Flour is the main ingredient in baking mixes, so it is an easy substitution for coating chicken. Most brands include salt, as well as small amounts of sugar, fat and leavening. Gluten-free mixes are similar, but use non-wheat flours and a few additional gelling and stabilizing ingredients. The added fat content is negligible, considering that you are going to fry the chicken, anyway -- and the flavorings add to the chicken's taste. The sugars and oil also help the coating brown, giving it an attractive, golden hue.

Using the Mix

• To substitute a baking mix, soak or moisten the chicken as you normally would, then shake it or dredge it with the baking mix and shake off any excess. You can use pancake mixes the same way. Buttermilk baking or pancake mixes are especially suitable, adding the distinctive buttermilk tang that many cooks value in their fried chicken. The ideal temperature for frying chicken is 350 to 360 degrees Fahrenheit, which prevents the chicken from becoming oily but will not darken it prematurely. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F when tested with an instant-read thermometer.