Chefs Make The Crispiest Fried Chicken With A Trick Worth Stealing
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We have been known to spend our fair share of time aimlessly doomscrolling TikTok, but a reel we saw recently made us sit up and take notice. Two gents sharing the username @fallowchefs went in on what they affirmed to be a scientifically-backed form of fried chicken ... and it didn't use just enriched flour. No, the secret recipe here included tapioca flour, which joined its more conventional brethren of cornstarch and regular flour in the dry dredge stage. The mix offers exceptional, airy crispiness that's hard to duplicate with just the contents of that 10-pound bag of Gold Medal in your kitchen.
People make plenty of mistakes when cooking fried chicken, and staying married to tired techniques that don't serve you well is a major one. Our friends on TikTok allege that the secret to textbook-perfect fried chicken is twofold. First, you need to marinate the chicken. They use sriracha and water and let it chill for 24 hours, while others will utilize a pickle juice brine for another flavor upgrade. Second, consider the dredge, which is where the tapioca flour comes in.
@fallowchefs The secret behind our signature fried chicken is all in the science 🐔
For those not in the know, tapioca flour comes from cassava, a starchy tuber native to South America. It's not quite as appreciated in the States, but that's a real shame. In addition to providing heavenly lightness to fried chicken, it's also a safer option for those with dietary intolerances, because cassava is both gluten-free and nut-free, which many flour alternatives can't boast
Tapioca flour is already appreciated in worldwide fried chicken
When one investigates tapioca starch and fried chicken, it's impossible not to notice its associations with Korean and Japanese versions. Korean fried chicken has wartime origins, and it's true that, in a similar sharing of traditions elsewhere, Americans often brought this classic Yank repast to the rest of the world. Other nations appreciate American fried chicken, but made it their own in many ways, including utilizing alternative starches such as arrowroot or potato starch, as well as (drumroll, please!) tapioca flour.
In some ways, Americans coming around to utilizing tapioca flour in fried chicken is a delightful example of ongoing cultural exchange at work. In other words, we're being given back a beloved recipe with some new innovations. Note that some recipes will use solely tapioca flour in the dredge, but the chicken's crust won't have as much body. Those without food sensitivities can try mixing flours, as in the TikTok.
A famous adage posits that there is nothing new beneath the sun, and maybe the use of tapioca flour for fried chicken is an example of that idea. It sounds novel to a Western audience, but other parts of the world have been hip to the idea of alternative flours for quite some time. That's to say nothing of those with gluten allergies, who would have already likely figured out that tapioca flour can (usually) sub 1:1 for regular flour. Interested in joining the movement, even if you (like us) are tardy to the party? Anthony's Organic Tapioca Starch boasts a generous amount of positive reviews and a 2.5-pound bag, which should be plenty to get you started on your journey to potentially better fried chicken.