Fried chicken can be such a simple and easy recipe, if you know how to fry chicken. I think it can also be intimidating, especially for those who do not know how to. I was one of those people, and I envied those who could cook fried chicken flawlessly. And then I learned the secret: dredging and temperature.

If you want crispy chicken, you need to dredge the chicken, whether in plain flour or combination of flour and cornstarch. Some even double dredge (flour-egg-flour). I personally like flour seasoned with pepper, and only pepper. (I will tell you why later.) The only way to achieve crispy goodness is if you let the coating stick to the chicken. Frying immediately after dredging will only cause the flour to come off the moment you drop your chicken in hot oil. It’s not fried chicken without that crunchy, crispy skin, right? After dredging your chicken, shake off the excess flour, and let it rest on a wire rack for at least ten minutes. It’ll be worth the wait, I tell you.

The next important thing is temperature. You don’t want to fry your chicken in cold oil (grease much?). Neither do you want the cooked-outside-but-still-raw-and-bleeding-inside chicken due to super duper hot oil. To yield a nice, golden brown, and cooked chicken, your oil should be at 375º prior to frying. Once you add the chicken, the temperature will drop. You want to keep it at 300º. Also, fry in batches to keep the temperature steady.

So, who wants to cook the crispiest, tastiest fried chicken? Follow the instructions below, and you will not be disappointed.

Directions:

1. Prepare chicken brine: mix water, salt and sugar in a bowl. Soak the chicken in brine for at least thirty minutes and not longer than an hour. You want your chicken tasty, not salty.

2. Dredge your chicken in flour and pepper. Since you already soaked the chicken in brine, no need to add salt here. Shake off the excess flour, and let rest on a wire rack for at least ten minutes.

3. Fill your pot (a 5 quart dutch oven is preferable) about halfway with peanut oil. Heat to 375ºF. Fry four to five pieces at a time to minimize splatter and maintain the right temperature (between 300-325ºF). Fry each batch for ten minutes.

4. Place your cooked chicken on a wire rack to drain oil, and keep them warm in the oven at 175ºF while waiting for the rest to cook.

*Good to know: Boneless chicken pieces cook faster than bone-in ones. It helps to cook similar pieces together.