Before Frying Up Breaded Chicken, Give It Some Time In The Refrigerator

Fried chicken, in all its forms, is always a crowd-pleaser. Besides vegetarians, few people can deny the allure of a platter of Southern-style fried chicken, golden and glistening with oil straight out of the fryer. If you prefer an Italian spin, think of thinly pounded chicken breast filets coated in herby breadcrumbs and fried for delicious chicken Milanese or chicken Parmesan doused in red sauce and melted cheese. And, of course, there is also the nearly unhealthy obsession with chicken fingers and nuggets.

No matter how you fry your chicken, it can always be improved by giving it some time in the refrigerator. Nobody wants that dreaded chicken conundrum of when you go in for a bite and all the breading slides right off the meat. After dredging your chicken, letting it rest in the fridge allows the breading to adhere better to avoid the awful chicken slip and slide altogether.

If you were to listen to Colonel Sanders, you might think that the real secret to fried chicken is those infamous 11 herbs and spices that KFC keeps under lock and key. But no matter how you season your chicken, it makes no difference if all the breading slides off with the first bite.

Letting your chicken rest in the fridge after dredging gives the breading time to bond to the poultry, resulting in a superior fried chicken experience. To do so, bread your chicken the way you prefer, whether it's a classic three-part flour, egg, and breadcrumb execution or Southern-style wet buttermilk batter into seasoned flour.

Then, using a wire rack on a baking sheet, place your chicken on the rack and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. During this time, the moisture in the chicken and the eggwash/wet batter will begin to hydrate the starches in the breading. As the chicken sits in the dry air of the refrigerator, the water will begin to dry out and form a natural bond to the meat, ensuring proper encrustation. The wire rack will let the air circulate around the chicken pieces.

While a minimum rest of 30 minutes is recommended, you can even get your chicken breaded a few hours in advance if you are preparing for a crowd or a dinner party and let it rest until you are ready to cook it. You can also avoid the breading falling off by properly frying your bird, ensuring the oil is brought up to the correct temperature, spaced properly in a cast iron skillet, and not moving the chicken around too much while cooking.

With the proper steps, you can ensure that crispy fried chicken stays coated in the breading — but let it cool properly before devouring it.