My Foolproof, Quick Strategy to Crispy, Juicy “Fried” Hen (With out Deep Frying)

I grew up primarily in North Carolina and a bit of bit in Louisiana, and though I’ve lived within the Northeast for practically 30 years, I nonetheless miss the really wonderful fried hen you get within the South—completely juicy, further crispy, flavorful-in-every-bite fried hen is simply too onerous to come back by up right here. And, certain, I may make my very own, however deep frying in my studio residence was a one-and-done occasion for me. When your kitchen doubles as your front room and bed room, the cost-benefit evaluation would not usually fall on the “deep fry it!” facet.

Fortunate for me—and all fried hen lovers—you can also make a fantastic model of fried hen in your air fryer, no vat of oil required, because of this air-fryer fried hen recipe created by our Birmingham, Alabama-based check kitchen colleague Marianne Williams. Learn on to find out how, by quite a few checks and tweaks, Williams made a recipe that delivers air-fryer “fried” hen that is juicy and filled with taste on the within and super-crispy on the surface, then use our suggestions and the total recipe beneath to create it in your personal kitchen.

Whereas the recipe is written for a mixture of bone-in and skin-on breasts and thighs, you can also make this recipe with no matter hen items you favor: skin-on or skinless, bone-in or boneless, breasts, thighs, or different components. (Although if you’re going with boneless and skinless meat, we suggest selecting thighs, which keep juicier than breasts.) This recipe is written to serve six individuals and have to be cooked in two batches; nevertheless, it may be simply halved for those who solely wish to serve two or three individuals. I prefer it with Southern sides like cornbread or buttermilk biscuits, stewed inexperienced beans or okra, and mac and cheese.

5 Suggestions for Marking the Greatest Southern Fried Hen within the Air Fryer

1. Lock in taste and juiciness with a buttermilk-pickle brine. Soaking the hen in a mixture of egg, buttermilk, and pickle juice, together with sizzling sauce for a bit of kick and honey for a contact of sweetness, ensures the meat is seasoned all through with each salt and a contact of acidity. The salt and acid not solely add taste but additionally lock in juiciness—because of salt’s potential to forestall proteins from releasing an excessive amount of water throughout cooking and acid’s pure tenderizing results. We usually do not suggest marinating for various hours (most flavors exterior of salt and acid do not penetrate far into the meat, and most acids can flip meat mushy if left on it for too lengthy), however this marinade may be allowed to work its magic as much as in a single day, because the lactic acid within the brine is gentler on meat than different acids. 
2. Pat the hen dry after marinating. When you usually don’t pat hen dry after a buttermilk brine and earlier than dredging, because the wetness may help the dredge to stick, however on this case drying the hen helps a ton with getting a crispy crunchy exterior within the air fryer. An excessive amount of moisture can result in soggy fried hen. 
3. Add rice flour to the dry dredge. Chopping the wheat flour with rice flour improves the crispness and texture of the ultimate coating. It’s because wheat flour incorporates gluten-forming proteins, which may result in extreme toughness. A extra pure starch like rice flour blended in reduces the entire quantity of these gluten-forming proteins, whereas nonetheless offering starch to soak up moisture. The ultimate result’s a lightweight, crunchy coating that resists sogginess. (Baking powder can also be added to the dredge for comparable toughness-fighting advantages.)
4. Generously season the dry dredge. One criticism I’ve about plenty of the fried hen you get exterior of the South is that even when the coating is satisfactorily crispy (a giant if), it is usually bland and underseasoned. Williams solves this by spiking the dry dredge with not solely ample salt but additionally onion powder, granulated garlic, and smoked paprika, which give the crunchy exterior a sturdy taste. 
5. Use oil well. When you want considerably much less oil within the air fryer than for deep frying, some oil continues to be essential for attaining a crispy “fried” hen texture. Step one is including oil to the air-fryer basket (you will line it with foil first), which our testing revealed is a crucial step to make sure the hen crisps the place it is involved with the basket. Then you definitely’ll use cooking spray to coat the hen throughout earlier than frying, creating one thing like a micro-layer of oil through which the hen can “fry.” Do not maintain again right here: You wish to spray the oil all around the hen items till no dry flour is seen.
6. Prepare dinner it on the proper temperature. Williams examined air frying the hen at numerous temperatures to reach on the “Goldilocks” spot of 380°F (193°C). Any cooler, and the hen is not going to be crispy sufficient; nevertheless, going hotter will possible end in overbrowning and burning earlier than the meat is totally cooked by. 

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