KC Kudra asked: While some people believe that no batter should touch their chicken, many more love the crisp bite into a battered chicken. Batter can be applied to whole pieces, wings or cut up slices to make chicken strips or nuggets. Battering is a popular way to prepare chicken all over the world. There are almost as many chicken batters as there are chickens!
Different Batters of the World
Batter can be made with corn meal, wheat flour, rice flour, or graham flour. Ethnic chicken recipes often use different flours. Each region will have their own special blend of spices and herbs as well, giving the fried chicken a flavor that will be recognizable from that corner of the world.
Indian chicken may be coated with a batter made of graham flour, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, curds, and red chili powder. The batter is used on boiled chicken meat, and then fried until the surface is crisp.
A wonderful Asian recipe uses a rice flour batter on marinated chicken. Marinate the pieces in soy sauce; five spice powder, sesame oil, garlic, and onion overnight. The next day, dip the chicken in a batter made of water, baking powder, salt and rice flour. The light colored batter is almost translucent.
Some cooks will use nothing but beer batter. The yeast in the beer makes a light batter with a tangy accent. Another way to impart a tang to your chicken is to soak it in buttermilk before dusting it lightly with seasoned flour. Let the chicken sit for a few minutes and the mixture will turn to batter right on the chicken.
There are also many ways to get the desired crunch. Some people love crushed cornflakes or seasoned bread crumbs. Others like wet batters that fry up nice and crunchy. Panko breadcrumbs from Japan make a nice, light crispness. If someone wants a light crunch without the crumbs, they can try tempura batter.
For diners who prefer a southern fried chicken recipe, there are many to be found in cookbooks or online. While some are a simple combination of flour, salt, and pepper mixed with milk, others include many fresh or dried herbs or spices.
The Controversy over Fried Chicken Pans
There is an ongoing debate on whether it is best to deep fry battered chicken, cook it in a cast iron skillet or use a pressure cooker. There are cooks who are devoted to their own preferences, each sure that their method is the very best. The deep-frying camp will try to convince you with the quick cooking time and lack of spatter.
The cast iron camp will wax eloquent about even heating and the perfect crisp to the skin. The pressure cooker camp are not truly frying their chicken… they must brown it first, then cook it in the pressure cooker for about 15 minutes to get juicy chicken. You must be cautious with a pressure cooker… do not open it until all the pressure has been removed.
With all these options for batters, you are sure to keep busy in the kitchen for years. Enjoy your battered chicken, no matter which method appeals to you!
Ron
