Ways to Make Your Fried Chicken Extra Crispy

Fried chicken is a Filipino ulam staple and crowd favorite. You can’t go wrong with any crowd when you serve extra crispy, extra flavorful, juicy-to-the-bone Filipino fried chicken! Kids and adults alike love this simple recipe. But let’s be honest, it can be a struggle to get that right level of lutong . No worries, we’re here to serve the secrets to achieving crispy fried perfection for this Filipino dish !

TIP 1: DRY BRINE YOUR CHICKEN

Have you ever tried dry brining? It’s like a marinade but instead of a soak, we sprinkle salt and other seasonings all over the chicken. Massage the salt and seasoning mixture into the skin and meat of the chicken and leave inside the refrigerator overnight. This will give the seasoning mixture enough time to seep into the chicken.

A dry brine allows for the chicken skin to stay dry – which keeps it crispy when we fry it. Leave it out uncovered to air dry before cooking.

TIP 2: STEAM YOUR CHICKEN

Para sa Pinoy-style fried chicken , may isa pang sikreto – steaming! Steaming helps cook the chicken through while drying out the skin. Drying out the chicken skin is most ideal for frying and it’s what helps us achieve that super crispy finish. The steam also softens and renders out the chicken fat which retains the moisture and juiciness of the meat even while frying.

TIP 3: KEEP YOUR CHICKEN DRY

But before we bread and fry, we have to keep the chicken dry. It’s the moisture in the chicken that causes painful talsik or oil splatters when cooking. So to keep our cooking pain-free, make sure to pat the chicken dry with a paper towel after taking it out of the refrigerator, in case there’s any moisture on the skin left over.

TIP 4: BREAD YOUR CHICKEN PROPERLY

If steaming takes up too much time, you can perfect your breading instead! Use an easy, balanced blend to cut the prep time. Try out AJI-NO-MOTO® Crispy Fry® Breading Mix made with choice flours and starches for effortless sarap!

It comes in three flavors of Original, Garlic, and Spicy. And if you want a fuller crunch on your fried chicken, you can try AJI-NO-MOTO® Crispy Fry® Seasoned Crumbs® , made with Japanese breadcrumbs, mixed with complementary spices and seasoning. There’s even a breading mix specifically for fish – you can check out the AJI-NO-MOTO® Crispy Fry® Fish Breading Mix for a no-brainer Filipino fish dish.

Make sure to coat the chicken thoroughly and evenly in your AJI-NO-MOTO® Crispy Fry® Breading Mix of choice.

TIP 5: ADD BAKING POWDER

Baking powder has baking soda and a powdered acid that creates bubbles to make dough rise when placed in hot ovens. That same bubbling powder is what makes your Filipino fried chicken crunchy and crispy! Add in a little baking powder to your AJI-NO-MOTO® Crispy Fry® Breading Mix of choice and cover all surfaces of chicken skin. Watch the skin bubble and fry delightfully later when we cook!

TIP 6: HEAT OIL TO THE RIGHT TEMP

It might seem like a minor detail, but it’s important to heat the oil at the right temperature – around 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. The high temperature helps the AJI-NO-MOTO® Crispy Fry® Breading Mix stick and coat the chicken nicely, keeping it fresh and crispy, just the way we like our Filipino fried chicken . It also keeps the grease from soaking into the food.

You can test the temperature with your wooden spoon. Dip it in the oil and if it’s hot enough, the spoon will bubble, and that’s your sign that it’s ready!

TIP 7: DOUBLE FRY THE CHICKEN

Here’s a crucial step for keeping the crisp. Try the double fry! Your first fry might have gotten the skin dry, but the moisture inside the layer of coating could seep through. Frying it double takes out that layer of moisture and maintains the dryness we want on the chicken skin.

After the first fry, set aside the chicken and let it rest for a bit. Notice any bald spots and re-dust it with AJI-NO-MOTO® Crispy Fry® Breading Mix . After its short rest, fry again!

TIP 8: DRAIN ON A RACK

We’re used to drying our fried Filipino dishes on paper towels and kitchen napkins. But that actually makes our fried chicken soft and damp! The paper towels trap heat and moisture, which makes the chicken skin soggy. Instead of draining on paper towels and kitchen napkins, place a rack over a baking tray and let the fried chicken pieces rest and the oil drip. This way, the crispy skin is preserved.

Filipino fried chicken is a big part of our eating culture. Kahit anong kainan, mas sumasarap ‘pag may fried chicken!  It’s good to try new Filipino ulam recipes and new techniques to keep our menus and meals fresh at siyempre, masarap! With a new list of ingredients and more flavors of AJI-NO-MOTO® Crispy Fry® Breading Mix to pique our palates, siguradong sasarap ang handaan. For fuss-free Filipino ulam, try out this list of tips now!