The Unexpected Oil Swap For Next-Level Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is a delicious American comfort food. Ordering from a restaurant is great for an easy, quick dinner, but when you want a meal that will leave your stomach and soul satisfied, nothing beats home cooking. If you want to make next-level fried chicken, one unexpected oil swap can be your secret weapon.

The secret to making better fried chicken, according to some chefs, is the addition of duck fat. When done right, duck fat makes fried chicken juicy and delicious, with a rich flavor and crispy texture that will have you salivating. Duck and other animal fats add more flavor to meat than vegetable-based oils, and duck fat in particular helps enhance existing flavors without adding anything overpowering. Plus, it's got pedigree: duck fat is a French cooking staple, and for good reason. You might find that you come away from dinner already dreaming of how to best reheat the fried chicken leftovers the next day.

In addition to its flavor powers, duck fat is better suited for frying than vegetable oils. Animal fats typically have a higher smoke point than veggie-based cooking oils, which means that they can sustain higher temperatures before they burn and release stinky, potentially harmful compounds that will taint your food.

Of course, better doesn't always mean easier, and cooking with duck fat has its own set of challenges compared to plant-based alternatives. Firstly, duck fat isn't as responsive to changes in temperature as vegetable oils, so a common mistake when making fried chicken while using duck fat or a similar oil is overcooking. If you're not careful, you may get blackened chicken instead of the golden brown you're aiming for.

To make your cooking oil easier to control when frying with duck fat, many recommend you mix it with another oil that's more sensitive to temperature changes. This way, you get the best of both worlds: a delicious, juicy fried chicken dinner that's not quite so easy to burn. It'll also save you some cash, since duck fat isn't exactly budget-friendly to buy in the U.S. and may be tricky to source.

And then there's the matter of taste. While duck fat does make fried chicken rich and juicy, that richness is a double-edged sword. If you don't counteract it with some acidity, it can overpower other flavors and dominate the meal. We recommend marinating the chicken in mustard beforehand or using a pickle juice marinade to both upgrade your fried chicken and cut through the extra richness for a better-tasting dinner.