If you are new to cooking chicken or to the pan frying method, you may feel hesitant to try making a pan fried dinner without assistance. Perhaps you have already given it a try but it didn't turn out how you expected. There are a few common mistakes that pan frying novices make, but these are easily remedied with a few simple cooking tips. Knowing these hints to pan frying will help you cook great tasting chicken every time.
Tip #1: Don't turn the stove on high. When pan frying chicken, many people burn the outside breading while the inside remains undercooked. If you've had this problem in the past, the temperature on your stove is too high. Try pouring your oil into the pan and starting with a medium heat. The oil should be heated and should shimmer, but should not smoke. A medium heat around 350 degrees F will allow the chicken to cook longer, heating the inside completely while achieving a golden brown crust.
Tip #2: Pound the chicken to an even thickness before frying. Another common problem is uneven cooking throughout the chicken. With chicken breasts, part of the cut is usually thicker than the other, which causes one end to cook faster and possibly overcook and become dry. To avoid this, pound the thicker part of the chicken so that the thickness is even with the thinner part of the cut. This will ensure that the chicken cooks evenly and remains juicy throughout.
Tip #3: Keep the chicken dry before breading. When you are ready to batter and bread the chicken, first dab your chicken with a paper towel. Removing the excess moisture allows your batter (usually egg) to adhere to the chicken better. When you are ready to bread the chicken, let the excess batter drain from the chicken. Too much egg could cause the breading to fall off in the pan, so allow the egg to just thinly coat the chicken before dipping it in the breading.
Tip #4: Turn the chicken as little as possible. Each time you turn your chicken from one side to the other, you risk disturbing the breading. This could cause the breading on your nicely coated chicken to fall off in the pan. Turning also increases the time it takes for the chicken to cook completely. Turn your chicken at most two times when pan frying to avoid these common problems. If you find yourself turning the chicken more than a couple of times to keep it from burning, your stove temperature is likely too hot. Check the temperature of your oil with a thermometer and adjust it to 350 degrees F if necessary.
Tip #5: Keep space between your chicken. Whenever pan frying chicken, always keep at least an inch of space between the pieces in the pan. If the chicken is crowded, the oil will take longer to heat and may result in soggy, undercooked chicken. The breading on the chicken could also stick together if pieces are touching. Spread your chicken throughout the pan so that oil can heat and cook your chicken from all directions.
For More Information
To learn more about pan frying and other cooking techniques and recipes to try, please visit the fun innovative cooking website CD Kitchen today.
Joseph Devine
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